Featured Piece

Life of the North West

by Ben Fairhurst

Available after The Open · Royal Birkdale 2026

A giant golf ball, reimagined as a hand-welded steel sphere. Over a hundred hours from raw bar to white finish.

Life of the North West, the hand-welded steel sphere sculpture on its tapered stem.

The interconnected squares, each unique in size and angle, symbolise the different paths that shape us.

Life of the North West reflects the journey of life through the lens of golf in the North West of England. Like golf, life brings moments of triumph, adversity, and reflection. The open spaces within the sphere represent those we have loved and lost, absent yet forever part of our story. Inspired by the region's landscapes and golfing heritage, the sculpture celebrates resilience, memory, community, and the enduring connections that define our lives.

Artist: Ben Fairhurst
Material: Welded steel, white powder-coat
Built from: ~1,400 pieces
In the making: 100+ hours
Inspiration: Golf and the North West

Close detail of the interconnected welded squares, each unique in size and angle.

The Making

From raw steel to a finished sphere.

Fourteen hundred pieces, each one cut, bent and welded by hand over more than a hundred hours.

The tapered steel stem the sphere sits on, under construction.

An early dome of welded steel mesh taking shape.

Close detail of the interconnected hand-cut steel squares.

The lattice of welded steel squares up close.

The welded sphere on the workshop bench, tools alongside.

The completed steel sphere resting in the workshop.

The lattice sphere backlit in the workshop.

The sphere mounted on its stem in bare steel, before finishing.

Life of the North West finished in white, outdoors against a blue sky.

The finished white sculpture in the garden.

About the Artist

Ben Fairhurst

A husband, a dad, and a metalworker from the North West of England.

Ben has worked steel by hand for years. Life of the North West is the piece he's proudest of, and one of many things he makes.

Ben Fairhurst, metal sculptor, in his workshop.

Enquire

A statement piece for anyone who loves the game.

One of a kind, over a hundred hours in hand-welded steel. Available to purchase after The Open at Royal Birkdale, 2026.

Message Ben on WhatsApp

Commissions

Or have something made.

Life of the North West is Ben's featured piece, but it is one of many things he makes. He builds to commission too, so if you have an idea for something in steel, whether for a home, a clubhouse, a course or a one-off gift, he can make it start to finish, by hand.

Talk to Ben about a commission

With thanks

A piece like this is never made alone.

Becci My wife
Warren Fusion Hot Ltd
Paul APC Ltd