MacKenzie courses are revered by golfers the world over and include:
- Britain 's Alwoodley and Moortown Clubs in Yorkshire (1907,1909)
- Australia 's oldest club, the Royal Melbourne (1926)
- America 's Cypress Point (1928)
- America 's Crystal Downs (1929)
- America 's Augusta National, Home of the US Masters (1934)
Nicknamed "the Course Doctor," Alister MacKenzie - a founder member of The Alwoodley Golf Club - was born in 1870 to Scottish parents in Yorkshire and christened Alexander.
He died in 1934 in California after a fascinating life, leaving behind a blueprint for future intriguing golf course designs and a legacy of classic golf courses.
A graduate of Cambridge University with degrees in chemistry, medicine and natural science, MacKenzie joined his father's medical practice but was then called away to serve in the Boer War. Ironically it was the concealed trenches of the Boers that first nurtured his design ideas for golf courses.
MacKenzie took up medicine again after the war but then abandoned his medical practice in favour of golf course architecture. His decision to do this was in part down to his conviction that golf had very real benefits for patients, and he was quoted as saying: "How frequently have I, with great difficulty, persuaded patients who were never off my doorstep to take up golf, and how rarely, if ever, have I seen them in my consulting rooms again!"
The Mackenzie Features for an Ideal Golf Course
- Should have a mix of long par fours, drive and pitch holes and at least four par threes (to create infinite variety in the type of shots called for during a round)
- The greens and fairways should be undulating, without steep hills for the golfer to climb
- There should be a minimum of blind approach shots
- The emphasis should be placed on natural beauty, not on artificial features
- There is always an alternative route for the weaker player, yet a sufficient test for the plus-handicap player (this feeling influenced course layouts when penal designs were king)
- There should be a complete absence of the annoyance caused by searching for lost balls
- Course conditioning must remain consistently outstanding
MacKenzie's International Legacy
MacKenzie's maxims were realised at a host of courses throughout the 1920s, culminating with his 1928 design of California 's Cypress Point Club. A year later he had convinced Bobby Jones he was the man to help build his dream course - the Augusta National Golf Club, Home of the Masters, which embodies MacKenzie's precepts.
Visit www.alistermackenzie.co.uk for more information on Alister MacKenzie.
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