Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was a

golf course architect A golf course is the grounds on which the sport of golf is played. It consists of a series of holes, each consisting of a tee box, a fairway, the rough and other hazards, and a green with a cylindrical hole in the ground, known as a "cup". Th ...

whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a surgeon, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...

during the

Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sou ...

where he first became aware of the principles of camouflage. During the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, MacKenzie made his own significant contributions to

military camouflage Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an armed force to protect personnel and equipment from observation by enemy forces. In practice, this means applying colour and materials to military equipment of all kinds, including vehicles, ...

, which he saw as closely related to golf course design. He is a member of the

World Golf Hall of Fame The World Golf Hall of Fame is located at World Golf Village near St. Augustine, Florida, in the United States, and it is unusual among sports halls of fame in that a single site honors both men and women. It is supported by a consortium of 26 go ...

. He designed more than 50 golf courses including three that remain in the 2022 top 10 golf courses in the world: They include

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. Unlike most private clubs which operate as non-profits, Augusta National is a for-profit corporation, and it does n ...

and

Cypress Point Club Cypress Point Club is a private golf club located in Pebble Beach, California, at the northern end of the Central Coast. Its single 18-hole course has been named as one of the finest in golf, best known for a series of dramatic holes along th ...

in the US, and

Royal Melbourne Golf Club Royal Melbourne Golf Club is a 36-hole golf club in Australia, located in Black Rock, Victoria, a suburb southeast of Melbourne. Its West and East courses are respectively ranked number 1 and 6 in Australia. The West course is ranked in the t ...

(West Course) in Australia.

Early years and education

MacKenzie was born on 30 August 1870 in Normanton, near

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by popula ...

Yorkshire, England Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, to parents of Scottish extraction. His mother, Mary Jane Smith MacKenzie, had family roots in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

. His father, William Scobie MacKenzie, a medical doctor, had been born and raised in the

Scottish Highlands The Highlands ( sco, the Hielands; gd, a’ Ghàidhealtachd , 'the place of the Gaels') is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Lowland S ...

near

Lochinver Lochinver (''Loch an Inbhir'' in Gaelic) is a village that is located at the head of the sea loch Loch Inver, on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Highland, Scotland. A few miles northeast is Loch Assynt which is the source of ...

. Although christened after his paternal grandfather Alexander, he was called "Alister" ( Gaelic for Alexander) from birth. As a youth, MacKenzie and his family spent summers near Lochinver, on what had been traditional

Clan MacKenzie Clan Mackenzie ( gd, Clann Choinnich ) is a Scottish clan, traditionally associated with Kintail and lands in Ross-shire in the Scottish Highlands. Traditional genealogies trace the ancestors of the Mackenzie chiefs to the 12th century. Howev ...

lands from 1670 to 1745. MacKenzie's strong identification with his Scottish roots featured prominently in many aspects of his later life.Doak, Tom, ''The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie'', Scott & Haddock, 2001 pp 22-28 MacKenzie attended

Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield Queen Elizabeth Grammar School (QEGS) is an independent, public school for boys in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, England. The school was founded by Royal Charter of Queen Elizabeth I in 1591 at the request of leading citizens in Wakefield (headed ...

, before going to

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III of England, Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world' ...

, where he initially trained as a medical doctor, graduating in 1891 with a B.A. (Natural Science Tripos Part 1), with honours, third class, before the next year undertaking and passing a second MB (Bachelor of Medicine. Latin: ''Medicinae Baccalaureus'') Anatomy. After a period working in Leeds, he returned to Cambridge in 1895 where he undertook the third MB examination (Part 1) before passing the London Licentiate examinations for Royal College of Surgeons the same year. Finally, in 1897 he graduated from Cambridge University, with MB BacS (Bachelor of Surgery), and MA degrees.

Wartime service

MacKenzie served as a surgeon with the Somerset Regiment in

South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the Atlantic Ocean, South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the ...

during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the South ...

. During his wartime service, MacKenzie became interested in

camouflage Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...

, which was effectively used by the

Boers Boers ( ; af, Boere ()) are the descendants of the Dutch-speaking Free Burghers of the eastern Cape frontier in Southern Africa during the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. From 1652 to 1795, the Dutch East India Company controlled this are ...

. As a result, during the First World War, when he once again served in the army, he worked not as a surgeon but as a

camoufleur ''Camoufleur'' is the fifth and final studio album by American indie rock band Gastr del Sol, released on February 23, 1998 on Drag City. Critical reception Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic described ''Camoufleur'' as "a subdued, meditativ ...

. In a lecture he gave on the subject, he said that "the brilliant successes of the Boers (during his service in South Africa) were due to great extent to their making the best use of natural cover and the construction of artificial cover indistinguishable from nature."

Golf course design

MacKenzie had been a member of several golf clubs near Leeds, dating back as far as the late 1890s. These included

Ilkley Ilkley is a spa town and civil parish in the City of Bradford in West Yorkshire, in Northern England. Historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire, Ilkley civil parish includes the adjacent village of Ben Rhydding and is a ward within the ...

between 1890 and 1900 and Leeds Golf Club from 1900 to 1910. In 1907, he was one of the founding members of The Alwoodley Golf Club, where he was both honorary secretary (1907-1909) and club captain (1912-1913), and he remained on its green committee until 1930. As the course was MacKenzie's original design when Alwoodley was laid out, it was his first opportunity to put many of his design theories to practical test. However, the committee at the time thought that some of his ideas were too expansive, so it called in

Harry Colt Henry Shapland "Harry" Colt (4 August 1869 – 21 November 1951) was a golf course architect born in Highgate, England. He worked predominantly with Charles Alison, John Morrison, and Alister MacKenzie, in 1928 forming Colt, Alison & Morrison L ...

for a second opinion. Colt was one of the leading golf course architects of the time and was also the secretary of Sunningdale Golf Club. Colt visited on two occasions only: first on 31 July 1907, when he met MacKenzie for the first time, and later on 6 October 1909. On the first occasion, four months after the course opened for play, having stayed at MacKenzie's house overnight, he realized that MacKenzie's ideas were very much an extension of his own, and he gave great support for MacKenzie's ideas at the meeting with the committee. He did, however, mention the bunkering as MacKenzie's ideas had taken into account the new technology of the day, which was the Haskell wound ball (which bounced and rolled) and was now being used instead of the old

gutta-percha Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus ''Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae. The name also refers to the rigid, naturally biologically inert, resilient, electrically nonconductive, thermoplastic latex derived from the tree, particularly from ...

golf ball. Some of MacKenzie's modern ideas under discussion included undulating greens, long and narrow greens angled from the center of the fairway, fairly large and free-form bunker shapes, and substantial additional contouring. All of these remained part of his "signature style" throughout his career. MacKenzie Winning Design Country Life

In 1914, MacKenzie won a golf hole design competition organized by '' Country Life''; the adjudicator was Bernard Darwin. MacKenzie then took an active interest in course improvements at his own clubs, gaining experience in the newly emerging discipline of golf course design. He charted the Old Course at St. Andrews in great detail; by 1915 he had become a member of the R&A. In March 1924, he produced a map which remains well-known to the present day.Alister MacKenzie, ''The Spirit of St. Andrews'', 1995 Following the First World War, MacKenzie left medicine and began to work instead as a golf course designer in the United Kingdom, in association with

and Charles Alison in 1919, with whom he formed the London firm of Colt, MacKenzie & Alison. Four years later, MacKenzie went his own way. MacKenzie thought he had learned a lot about golf course planning from having designed camouflage. There are references to the latter in his first book on course design, called ''Golf Architecture'' (MacKenzie 1920), such as when he writes that "there is an extraordinary resemblance between what is now known as the camouflage of military earthworks and golf-course construction", or later, when he states that there "are many other attributes in common between the successful golf architect and the camoufleur. Both, if not actually artists, must have an artistic temperament, and have had an education in science." In the same book, he also writes that "the chief object of every golf course architect worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature nd presumably also the hazardsso closely as to make his work indistinguishable from nature itself." His book was later included in

Herbert Warren Wind Herbert Warren Wind (August 11, 1916 – May 30, 2005) was an American sportswriter noted for his writings on golf. Early years Born in Brockton, Massachusetts, Wind began golf at age seven at the Thorny Lea Golf Club in Brockton, and played w ...

's Classics of Golf Library. MacKenzie worked in an era before large scale earth moving became a major factor in golf course construction, and his designs are notable for their sensitivity to the nature of the original site.

Course chronology

* 1905 - Cleckheaton & District Golf Club, Bradford,

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

* 1905 - Fulwell Golf Club, England * 1906 - Horsforth Golf Club,

, England * 1907 - Alwoodley Golf Club, Leeds, England * 1908 - Darlington Golf Club, County Durham England * 1909 -

Moortown Golf Club Moortown Golf Club is a golf club located in Alwoodley, near Leeds, England. It was founded in 1909, and the championship golf course was designed by Dr Alister MacKenzie.

, Leeds, England< * 1912 - Reddish Vale Golf Course, Stockport, England * 1913 - Castletown Golf Links, Isle of Man * 1913 - Dewsbury District Golf Club, West Yorkshire, England * 1913 - Garforth Golf Club, Leeds, England * 1913 - Hazel Grove Golf Club, Cheshire, England * 1913 - Sitwell Park Golf Club,

Rotherham Rotherham () is a large minster and market town in South Yorkshire, England. The town takes its name from the River Rother which then merges with the River Don. The River Don then flows through the town centre. It is the main settlement of ...

, England * 1914 - Oakdale Golf Club, Harrogate, England * 1914 - Crosland Heath Golf Club, Linthwaite, England * 1919 - Sutton Coldfield Golf Club, North Warwickshire, England * 1920 -

Bury Golf Club Bury Golf Club, is a private golf course and club in Unsworth, Bury, designed by Alister MacKenzie, Charles Hugh Alison, and Harry Shapland Colt. The club was originally located at a course in Redvales, Bury, before moving to its current ...

Unsworth Unsworth is a village and residential area of the Metropolitan Borough of Bury, in Greater Manchester, England. The population of Unsworth Ward, as of the 2011 census is 9,492. The village sits approximately north of the city of Manchester and ...

, England * 1920 - Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club,

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town in Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, container port in the United Kingdom. Felixstowe is approximately 116km (72 miles) northea ...

, England * 1921 - The Portland Course at the Royal Troon Golf Club,

Troon Troon is a town in South Ayrshire, situated on the west coast of Ayrshire in Scotland, about north of Ayr and northwest of Glasgow Prestwick Airport. Troon has a port with freight services and a yacht marina. Up until January 2016, P&O ope ...

, Scotland * 1922 - Hadley Wood Golf Course, Hadley Wood, HertfordshireTaylor, Pat, & Valerie Carter (ed.) (1997) ''Hadley Wood: The Story of a Golf Club (1922-1997)''. Barnet: Hadley Wood Golf Club. p. 15. * 1922 - Stanmore Golf Club, Middlesex, England * 1922 - Pitreavie (Dunfermline) Golf Club, Fife, Scotland * 1922 - Bonnyton Golf Club,

Eaglesham Eaglesham ( ) is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, situated about south of Glasgow, southeast of Newton Mearns and south of Clarkston, and southwest of East Kilbride. The 2011 census revealed that the village had 3,114 occupants, do ...

, Scotland * 1923 - Duff House Royal Golf Club, Aberdeenshire, Scotland * 1924 - Temple Newsam Golf Club, Leeds, England * 1924 - Douglas Golf Club, Cork, Ireland * 1924 - Canoe Brook Country Club South Course, Summit, New Jersey, USA * 1924 - Muskerry Golf Club, Cork, Ireland * 1924 - Bolton Old Links Golf Club, Bolton, Lancashire * 1924 -

Burning Tree Club Burning Tree Club is a private, all-male golf club in Bethesda, Maryland. The course at Burning Tree has been played by numerous presidents, foreign dignitaries, high-ranking executive officials, members of Congress, and military leaders. The co ...

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...

, USA * 1924 - Teignmouth Golf Club,

Devon Devon ( , historically known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in South West England. The most populous settlement in Devon is the city of Plymouth, followed by Devon's county town, the city of Exeter. Devo ...

, England * 1924 - Melrose Country Club, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, USA * 1925 -

Seaton Carew Golf Club Seaton Carew Golf Club has held golf games since 1874, making it the tenth oldest golf club in England. The club is based in Seaton Carew, near Hartlepool on the North Sea coast, north of the River Tees in North East England. When it was first e ...

Course, Seaton Carew, Durham County, England * 1925 - Stanley Park Golf Course,

Stanley Park Stanley Park is a public park in British Columbia, Canada that makes up the northwestern half of Vancouver's Downtown Peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay. The park borders the neighbourhoods of West End and ...

, Blackpool, England * 1925 - South Moor golf club (course re-design) * 1925 - Ravensworth Golf Club, Gateshead, England (re-design) * 1925 - Galway Golf Club, Galway, Ireland. * 1925 - Low Laithes Golf Club,

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ; abbreviated Yorks), formally known as the County of York, is a historic county in northern England and by far the largest in the United Kingdom. Because of its large area in comparison with other English counties, functions have ...

, England * 1925 - Cavendish Golf Club,

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands, England. It includes much of the Peak District National Park, the southern end of the Pennine range of hills and part of the National Forest. It borders Greater Manchester to the nor ...

, England * 1925 - Willingdon Golf Club, Eastbourne, England * 1925 - Rhayader Golf Club, Cwmdauddwr, Radnorshire (now Powys), Wales * 1926 - Sand Moor Golf Club, Leeds, Yorkshire, England * 1926 - Titirangi Golf Club,

Titirangi Titirangi is a suburb of West Auckland in the Waitākere Ranges local board area of the city of Auckland in northern New Zealand. It is an affluent, residential suburb located 13 kilometres (8 miles) to the southwest of the Auckland city centre ...

Auckland Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The most populous urban area in the country and the fifth largest city in Oceania, Auckland has an urban population of about ...

, New Zealand * 1926 -

Royal Adelaide Golf Club The Royal Adelaide Golf Club (often referred to as Seaton) is a private Australian golf club located in the Adelaide suburb of Seaton, northwest of the city centre. The links at Seaton has been the venue for many international and interstate ...

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

, Australia * 1926 - The Worcestershire Golf Club, Malvern, Worcestershire, England * 1926 - The Flinders Golf Club,

Flinders, Victoria Flinders is a seaside town on the Mornington Peninsula in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the Shire of Mornington Peninsula local government area. Flinders recorded a population of ...

, Australia (consultant on existing design) * 1926 - The Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia * 1926 - New South Wales Golf Club, Sydney, Australia * 1927 - Worcester Golf & Country Club, Worcester, England * 1927 -

Cork Golf Club Cork Golf Club is a golf club located in Little Island, Cork, Republic of Ireland. History The club, founded in 1888, hosted the 1932 Irish Open, won by Alf Padgham and the 1932 England–Ireland Professional Match The England–Ireland Pr ...

, Cork, Ireland * 1927 -

Hazlehead Park Hazlehead Park is a public park in the Hazlehead area of Aberdeen, Scotland. 180 hectares in size, it was opened to the public in 1920, having formerly been the estate of Hazlehead House, home of William Rose, shipbuilder. It is heavily wooded a ...

(MacKenzie Championship Course),

Aberdeen Aberdeen (; sco, Aiberdeen ; gd, Obar Dheathain ; la, Aberdonia) is a city in North East Scotland, and is the third most populous city in the country. Aberdeen is one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas (as Aberdeen City), and ...

, Scotland * 1927 -

Lahinch Golf Club Lahinch Golf Club is a links golf course in western Ireland, in the town of Lahinch on the northwest coast of County Clare in northern Munster. It is situated approximately northwest of the town of Ennis. In 2016, ''Golf Digest'' ranked the Ol ...

(Old Course), Ireland * 1927 - Blairgowie Golf Club (Rosemount Course), Perth and Kinross, Scotland * 1927 - Meadow Club, Fairfax,

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

, USA * 1927 - Redlands Country Club, Redlands, California, USA * 1927 - Douglas Golf Course, Pulrose,

Isle of Man ) , anthem = "O Land of Our Birth" , image = Isle of Man by Sentinel-2.jpg , image_map = Europe-Isle_of_Man.svg , mapsize = , map_alt = Location of the Isle of Man in Europe , map_caption = Location of the Isle of Man (green) in Europe ...

* 1928 - The Valley Club of Montecito Santa Barbara, California, USA * 1928 -

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

Peninsula, California, USA * 1928 - Northwood Golf Club, Monte Rio, California, USA * 1928 - :es:Fray Bentos Golf Club, Fray Bentos, Rio Negro, Uruguay * 1928 - Libertad Golf Club, Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1929 - Nenagh Golf Club, Co. Tipperary, Ireland * 1929 - Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, California, USA * 1929 - Claremont Country Club, Oakland, California, USA * 1929 - Crystal Downs Country Club,

Frankfort, Michigan Frankfort is a city in Benzie County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 1,286 at the 2010 census. The elevation of Frankfort is above sea level. The city is situated with Lake Michigan to the west, Lake Betsie, formed by the Bets ...

, USA * 1930 -

Jockey Club (Buenos Aires) The Jockey Club is a club in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It was created by President Carlos Pellegrini on April 15, 1882, to gather the most important and prominent men of Argentina. The Jockey Club is a symbol of the oligarchy of Argentina because ...

de San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1930 -

Club de Golf del Uruguay Club de Golf del Uruguay is an Uruguayan sports and social club from the city of Montevideo. Although golf is the main sport of the institution, the club hosts a large variety of sports such as basketball, field hockey, football, karate, pilates ...

(

Punta Carretas Punta Carretas is a '' barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Location Punta Carretas shares borders with Parque Rodó and Pocitos to the north, while from east south and west, it is delimited by the coastline, including ...

), Montevideo,

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

* 1930 -

Green Hills Country Club Green Hills Country Club, located in Millbrae, California, is often referred to as the San Francisco Peninsula’s “hidden gem”. Green Hills is a private members-only country club located on the San Francisco peninsula approximately 20 mi ...

Millbrae Millbrae is a city located in northern San Mateo County, California, United States. To its northeast is San Francisco International Airport, San Bruno is on its northwest, and Burlingame on its southeast. It is bordered by San Andreas Lake to ...

, California, USA * 1931 - Bingley St Ives Golf Course, Harden, Bingley, West Yorkshire, England * 1931 - Ohio State University Golf Club (Scarlet Course) at

Ohio State University The Ohio State University, commonly called Ohio State or OSU, is a public land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio. A member of the University System of Ohio, it has been ranked by major institutional rankings among the best publ ...

, Columbus, Ohio, USA * 1931 - St. Charles Country Club,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749, ...

Manitoba , image_map = Manitoba in Canada 2.svg , map_alt = Map showing Manitoba's location in the centre of Southern Canada , Label_map = yes , coordinates = , capital = Winn ...

; MacKenzie Nine * 1931 - University of Michigan Golf Course,

University of Michigan , mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth" , former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821) , budget = $10.3 billion (2021) , endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...

, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA * 1931 -

(West Course),

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

, Australia * 1932 - Sharp Park Golf Course, Pacifica, California, USA * 1932 - Haggin Oaks Golf Course,

Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...

, California, USA * 1932 - Pontefract and District Golf Club, West Yorkshire, England which incorporated a number of classic Mackenzie greens * 1933 -

Augusta, Georgia Augusta ( ), officially Augusta–Richmond County, is a consolidated city-county on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia. The city lies across the Savannah River from South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Georgi ...

, USA * 1934 - Regent Park Golf Club, Bolton, England :Sources: MacKenzie Headingley 1915

As a golfer

As a player, MacKenzie was self-described as a "good putter, but a mediocre ball striker" for most of his life. It was not until after his move to California, when he was already in his 60s, that MacKenzie had what he described as his "golfing epiphany". This was an improvement in his ball striking which enabled him to often score in the high 70s to low 80s for 18 holes. He described this in one of his books as "in the 70s after 60". MacKenzie was one of the first prominent golf course designers who had not been a leading player.

Legacy

Augusta National Golf Club, Hole 10 (Camellia) - cropped

In the late 1920s, he moved to the United States, where he carried out some of his most notable work, although he continued to design courses outside that country as well. Today, he is remembered as the designer of some of the world's finest courses, among them Century Country Club ( Purchase, New York), as MacKenzie was partners with Colt & Alison at the time the two built Century, from mid-1923 he was working with other partners when he designed

(

Monterey Peninsula The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach. History Monterey Monterey was founded i ...

( Melbourne, Australia), Pasatiempo Golf Club (

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz ( Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the county seat and largest city of Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 census, the city population was 62,956. Situated on the northern edge of Monterey Bay, Santa Cruz is a po ...

), Crystal Downs Country Club (

), Lahinch Golf Course ( Lahinch, Ireland), and Meadow Club ( Fairfax,

) ee extended list of his courses below MacKenzie died in

, in January 1934, two months before the inaugural Masters Tournament (then known as the Augusta National Invitational Tournament). Discovered after his death was an unpublished manuscript on golf and golf course design, which was posthumously published as ''The Spirit of St. Andrews'' (MacKenzie 1995).

Bibliography

* MacKenzie, Alister (1915), "Military Entrenchments" in ''Golf Illustrated''. Vol 3 No 1, pp. 42–45. * MacKenzie, Alister nsigned article, but authorship claimed by MacKenzie(1919), "Entrenchments and Camouflage: Lecture by a British Officer Skilled in Landscape Gardening" in ''Professional Memoirs, Corps of Engineers'', U.S. Army and Engineer Department at Large. No 47, pp. 574–638. * MacKenzie, Alister (1920), ''Golf Architecture: Economy in Course Construction and Green-Keeping''. London UK: Simpkin, Marshall, Hamilton, Kent and Co. Ltd. * MacKenzie, Alister (1934), "Common Sense of Camouflage Defence" in ''The Military Engineer''. Vol XXVI No 145 (January–February), pp. 42–44. * MacKenzie, Alister (1995). ''The Spirit of St. Andrews''. Sleeping Bear Press. .

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:MacKenzie, Alister Golf course architects World Golf Hall of Fame inductees 19th-century English medical doctors People of the Second Boer War People educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield People from Wakefield 1870 births 1934 deaths