Alister MacKenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was an English golf course architect whose course designs span four continents. Originally trained as a

surgeon In medicine, a surgeon is a medical doctor who performs surgery. Even though there are different traditions in different times and places, a modern surgeon is a licensed physician and received the same medical training as physicians before spec ...

, MacKenzie served as a civilian physician with the

British Army The British Army is the principal Army, land warfare force of the United Kingdom. the British Army comprises 73,847 regular full-time personnel, 4,127 Brigade of Gurkhas, Gurkhas, 25,742 Army Reserve (United Kingdom), volunteer reserve perso ...

during the

Boer War The Second Boer War (, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, Transvaal War, Anglo–Boer War, or South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer republics (the South African Republic an ...

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

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, MacKenzie made his own significant contributions to

military camouflage Military camouflage is the use of camouflage by an Military, 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 ...

, which he saw as closely related to golf course design. MacKenzie is amongst the most famous golf architects in history. He is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame and designed more than 50 golf courses, including three that remain in ''

Golf Digest ''Golf Digest'' is a monthly golf magazine published by Warner Bros. Discovery through its TNT Sports unit. It is a generalist golf publication covering recreational golf and men's and women's competitive golf. The magazine started by John F. ...

's'' 2022 Top 10 golf courses in the world:

Augusta National Golf Club Augusta National Golf Club, sometimes referred to as Augusta National, Augusta, or the National, is a golf club in Augusta, Georgia, United States. It is known for hosting the annual Masters Tournament. Founded by Bobby Jones and Clifford Rob ...

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 (West Course) in Australia.

Early years and education

MacKenzie was born on 30 August 1870 in Normanton, near

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

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

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

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

Scottish Highlands The Highlands (; , ) is a historical region of Scotland. Culturally, the Highlands and the Scottish Lowlands, Lowlands diverged from the Late Middle Ages into the modern period, when Scots language, Lowland Scots language replaced Scottish Gae ...

near

Lochinver Lochinver (''Loch an Inbhir'' in Scottish Gaelic, Gaelic) is a village at the head of the sea loch Loch Inver, on the coast in the Assynt district of Sutherland, Scottish Highlands, Highland, Scotland. A few miles north-east is Loch Assynt which ...

. 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 ( ) is a Highland Scottish clan associated with Kintail and Ross-shire. Its chiefs trace their lineage to the 12th century, though the earliest recorded chief is Alexander Mackenzie of Kintail, who died after 1471. The clan suppo ...

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, before going up to

Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge Gonville and Caius College, commonly known as Caius ( ), is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1348 by Edmund Gonville, it is the fourth-oldest of the University of Cambridge's 31 colleges and ...

, where he initially trained as a medical doctor, graduating from

Cambridge University The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

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'') in 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 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. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...

during the

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

. 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 ( ; ; ) are the descendants of the proto Afrikaans-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 the Dutch ...

. 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. 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 as far back 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 ...

between 1890 and 1900 and Leeds Golf Club from 1900 to 1910. In 1907, he was one of the founding members of 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 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 Sunningdale Golf Club is a golf club in Sunningdale, Berkshire, England, Berkshire, England, located approximately west-southwest of London. Sunningdale Golf Club was founded in 1900 and has two eighteen hole golf courses: the Old Course, de ...

. 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, which is primarily used to create a high-quality latex of the same name. The material is rigid, naturally biologically Chemically inert, inert, resilient, electrically n ...

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 adjudicators were Bernard Darwin,

Horace Hutchinson Horatio Gordon "Horace" Hutchinson (16 May 1859 – 27 July 1932) was an English amateur golfer who played in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Hutchinson won the 1886 and 1887 Amateur Championships. He had three top-10 finishes in ...

, and Herbert Fowler. The sponsor was architect Charles Blair Macdonald. The Lido Prize served to find fresh ideas for the design of a course on Long Island, N.Y. called the

Lido Golf Club The Lido Golf Club was a golf course in Long Beach, New York, Long Beach, Nassau County, New York, Nassau County, Long Island, New York. History The Lido was designed by Charles Blair Macdonald, with contributions from other designers, and cons ...

. 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 Harry Colt 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." ''Golf Architecture'' featured 13 Principles, which are considered to be a timeless statement of what all golf courses should be. His book was later included in Herbert Warren Wind'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. MacKenzie's second book was ''The Spirit of St. Andrews''. He shared his views on golf course design and sang the praises of the Old Course and other courses he admired. MacKenzie offered insights on the game and the ethos of working with the land to design strategic holes that provide "pleasurable excitement." It was written and compiled in 1933 with the help of his stepson, Tony Haddock. Champion golfer Bobby Jones wrote the foreword to the book, which was not published during either of their lifetimes. It was thought to be lost. In 1992, golf architecture expert Ron Whitten told a small gathering at Pasatiempo about the lost manuscript. The gathering consisted of members of some courses designed by MacKenzie in the early stages of forming a Society. This initiated a search not only for the manuscript, but plans, photos, and other documentation that may be at the clubs. Tony Haddock had left many papers to his son, Raymond Haddock. Therein, the son discovered the unpublished manuscript by his step-grandfather. Haddock was able to have it edited and published by 1995, just in time for the Open Championship at St. Andrews. Haddock was involved in many book-signing events. Proceeds from book sales were donated to the Alister MacKenzie Society to establish a fund to encourage the most promising golf course architects in the world to follow MacKenzie's 13 Principles through a competition. The inaugural year of Ray Haddock Lido Prize was 1998, and the first judges were Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay. The rules of the competition were similar to the 1914 Lido Prize competition in ''Country Life''.

Course chronology

* 1907 – Alwoodley Golf Club,

, England * 1909 – Moortown Golf Club, 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 – Headingley Golf Club, Leeds, England (renovations) * 1913 – Horsforth Golf Club, Leeds, England (renovations) * 1913 – Sitwell Park Golf Club,

Rotherham Rotherham ( ) is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It lies at the confluence of the River Rother, South Yorkshire, River Rother, from which the town gets its name, and the River Don, Yorkshire, River Don. It is the largest settlement ...

, England * 1914 – Darlington Golf Club,

County Durham County Durham, officially simply Durham, is a ceremonial county in North East England.UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. The county borders Northumberland and Tyne an ...

England (new course) * 1914 – Oakdale Golf Club, Harrogate, England * 1914 – Crosland Heath Golf Club, Linthwaite, England * 1917 – Nelson Golf Club, Nelson, Lancashire England * 1919 – Sutton Coldfield Golf Club, North Warwickshire, England * 1920 – Bury Golf Club, Unsworth, England * 1920 – Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club,

Felixstowe Felixstowe ( ) is a port town and civil parish in the East Suffolk District, East Suffolk district, in the county of Suffolk, England. The estimated population in 2017 was 24,521. The Port of Felixstowe is the largest Containerization, containe ...

, England * 1921 – Cleckheaton & District Golf Club, Bradford, England (new course) * 1921 - Walsall Golf Club, West Midlands, England * 1921 – Fulwell Golf Club, England (renovations) * 1921 – The Portland Course at the

Royal Troon Golf Club Royal Troon Golf Club is a links golf course in Scotland, located in Troon, South Ayrshire. The club was established in 1878, and originally only consisted of five holes whereas today, it has increased to a total of 45 holes. Its Old Course i ...

Troon Troon (Scottish Gaelic: ''An Truthail'') is a town and sea port 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 ferry and freight serv ...

, Scotland * 1921 – Weston-super-Mare Golf Club,

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare ( ) is a seaside town and civil parish in the North Somerset unitary district, in the county of Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. Its population ...

, England (redesign) * 1922 – Hadley Wood Golf Course, Hadley Wood, Hertfordshire * 1922 – Sand Moor Golf Club, Leeds, Yorkshire, England * 1922 – Stanmore Golf Club, Middlesex, England * 1922 – Pitreavie (Dunfermline) Golf Club, Fife, Scotland * 1922 – Bonnyton Golf Club,

Eaglesham Eaglesham ( or , or ; ; ) is a village in East Renfrewshire, Scotland, situated about south of Glasgow, southeast of Newton Mearns and south of Clarkston, East Renfrewshire, Clarkston, and southwest of East Kilbride. The 2011 census reveal ...

, Scotland * 1922 – Campo de Golf de la Ciudad, Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1924 – 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 Summit is the northernmost City (New Jersey), city of Union County, New Jersey, Union County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, located within the New York metropolitan area. Situated on a ridge in north Jersey, northern–central Jersey, centra ...

, USA * 1927 – Cork Golf Club, Cork, Ireland * 1924 – Muskerry Golf Club, Cork, Ireland * 1924 – Bolton Old Links Golf Club, Bolton, Lancashire * 1924 – Burning Tree Club,

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, USA * 1924 – Teignmouth Golf Club,

Devon Devon ( ; historically also known as Devonshire , ) is a ceremonial county in South West England. It is bordered by the Bristol Channel to the north, Somerset and Dorset to the east, the English Channel to the south, and Cornwall to the west ...

, England * 1924 – Melrose Country Club, Cheltenham, Pennsylvania, USA * 1925 – Seaton Carew Golf Club 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 Vancouver, Downtown peninsula, surrounded by waters of Burrard Inlet and English Bay, Vancouver, English Bay. The park bor ...

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. It is located on the Irish Sea coast of the Fylde peninsula, approximately north of Liverpool and west of Preston, Lancashire, Preston. It is the main settlement in the Borough of 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 109,766 in the 2021 census, up from 99,251 in the 2011 census. The city is the administrative centre of the wider Metropolit ...

Yorkshire Yorkshire ( ) is an area of Northern England which was History of Yorkshire, historically a county. Despite no longer being used for administration, Yorkshire retains a strong regional identity. The county was named after its county town, the ...

, England * 1925 – Cavendish Golf Club,

Buxton Buxton is a spa town in the High Peak, Derbyshire, Borough of High Peak, Derbyshire, in the East Midlands region of England. It is England's highest market town, sited at some above sea level.Alston, Cumbria also claims this, but lacks a regu ...

Derbyshire Derbyshire ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East Midlands of England. It borders Greater Manchester, West Yorkshire, and South Yorkshire to the north, Nottinghamshire to the east, Leicestershire to the south-east, Staffordshire to the south a ...

, England * 1925 – Willingdon Golf Club, Eastbourne, England * 1925 – Rhayader Golf Club, Cwmdauddwr, Radnorshire (now Powys), Wales * 1925 – Faversham Golf Club, Kent England – redesign * 1926 – Titirangi Golf Club, Titirangi,

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, New Zealand * 1926 – Royal Adelaide Golf Club,

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

, Australia * 1926 – The Worcestershire Golf Club, Malvern, Worcestershire, England * 1926 – The Flinders Golf Club, Flinders, Victoria, Australia (consultant on existing design) * 1926 – Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Australia * 1926 –

New South Wales Golf Club The New South Wales Golf Club is a links (golf), links-style golf course designed by Alister MacKenzie and Carnegie Clark in December 1926. It consists of 18 holes, two of which are beside the Tasman Sea and Botany Bay. The course is situated in ...

, Sydney, Australia * 1926 – Brisbane Golf Club, Brisbane, Australia * 1927 – Worcester Golf & Country Club, Worcester, England * 1927 –

Hazlehead Park Hazlehead Park is a public park in the Hazlehead, Aberdeen, 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. I ...

(MacKenzie Championship Course),

Aberdeen Aberdeen ( ; ; ) is a port city in North East Scotland, and is the List of towns and cities in Scotland by population, third most populous Cities of Scotland, Scottish city. Historically, Aberdeen was within the historic county of Aberdeensh ...

, Scotland * 1927 – Limerick Golf Club,

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, Ireland * 1927 – Lahinch Golf Club (Old Course), Ireland * 1927 – Blairgowrie Golf Club (Rosemount Course),

Perth and Kinross Perth and Kinross (; ) is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a Lieutenancy areas of Scotland, lieutenancy area. It is bordered by Highland (council area), Highland and Aberdeenshire to the north, Angus, Scotland, Angus, Dundee, and F ...

, Scotland * 1927 – Meadow Club, Fairfax,

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

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

Isle of Man The Isle of Man ( , also ), or Mann ( ), is a self-governing British Crown Dependency in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland. As head of state, Charles III holds the title Lord of Mann and is represented by a Lieutenant Govern ...

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

Monterey Monterey ( ; ) is a city situated on the southern edge of Monterey Bay, on the Central Coast of California. Located in Monterey County, the city occupies a land area of and recorded a population of 30,218 in the 2020 census. The city was fou ...

Peninsula, California, USA * 1928 – Northwood Golf Club, Monte Rio, California, USA * 1928 – Fray Bentos Golf Club, Fray Bentos, Rio Negro, Uruguay * 1928 – Libertad Golf Club, Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1929 – Nenagh Golf Club, Co. Tipperary, Ireland * 1929 – Pasatiempo Golf Club, Santa Cruz, California, USA * 1929 – Claremont Country Club,

Oakland Oakland is a city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. It is the county seat and most populous city in Alameda County, with a population of 440,646 in 2020. A major West Coast port, Oakland is ...

, California, USA * 1929 – Crystal Downs Country Club,

Frankfort, Michigan Frankfort is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. Located within Benzie County, Michigan, Benzie County, the city sits upon the shore of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the Betsie River. The city had a population of 1,252 at the 2020 United States ...

, USA * 1930 – Jockey Club (Buenos Aires) de San Isidro, Buenos Aires, Argentina * 1930 – Club de Golf del Uruguay ( Punta Carretas),

Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...

Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of 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 the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...

* 1930 – Green Hills Country Club,

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

, 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 (Ohio State or OSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Columbus, Ohio, United States. A member of the University System of Ohio, it was founded in 1870. It is one ...

Columbus, Ohio Columbus (, ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities in Ohio, most populous city of the U.S. state of Ohio. With a 2020 United States census, 2020 census population of 905,748, it is the List of United States ...

, USA * 1931 – St. Charles Country Club,

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

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

University of Michigan The University of Michigan (U-M, U of M, or Michigan) is a public university, public research university in Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest institution of higher education in the state. The University of Mi ...

Ann Arbor, Michigan Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

, USA * 1931 – Royal Melbourne Golf Club (West Course),

Melbourne Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung language, Boonwurrung/ or ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city of the States and territories of Australia, Australian state of Victori ...

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

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

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

Augusta, Georgia Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...

, USA :Sources: https://www.nelsongolfclub.com/nelson-golf-club 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

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 Purchase is a hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set ...

), 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 (California), Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, California, Monterey, Carmel-by-the-Sea, California, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, California, P ...

), Royal Melbourne Golf Club (

Melbourne, Australia Melbourne ( , ; Boonwurrung/ or ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second most-populous city in Australia, after Sydney. The city's name generally refers to a metropolitan area also known ...

), Pasatiempo Golf Club (

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

), Crystal Downs Country Club (

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

) ee extended list of his courses above MacKenzie died in

, in January 1934, two months before the inaugural

Masters Tournament The Masters Tournament (usually referred to as simply the Masters, or as the U.S. Masters outside North America) is one of the four men's major championships in professional golf. Scheduled for the first full week in April, the Masters is the ...

(then known as the Augusta National Invitational Tournament). Discovered sixty years after his death was an unpublished manuscript on golf and golf course design, which was posthumously published in 1995 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 British 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 Alumni of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge People from Wakefield 1870 births 1934 deaths