What’s Tougher: Renovating a Course or Designing New?
When asked if they’d rather build from scratch or renovating existing courses, most architects say they prefer to build new. Some pause a moment, however, before adjusting their response. “Actually, it depends.” There’s a lot to think about. Before taking on a new course, the architect must consider the quality of the site, how far […]
Alister MacKenzie’s Finest Works
Alister MacKenzie receives a fair amount of attention every year around April thanks to his central role in the creation of Augusta National. However, the home of the Masters represents only one thread in a design career—arguably the greatest of all-time—that spanned the globe. MacKenzie was born in 1870 to Scottish parents living in the […]
Less is More: Golf Course Tree Removal
Thanks to Oakmont’s influence, more and more clubs are undoing the wrongs of mid-20th century ‘beautification’ committees
The Lost MacKenzie Drawings of Augusta National
For 80 years, two sketches by Alister MacKenzie were locked in a vault. LINKS is showing them to the public for the first time
Is Melbourne the World’s Best Major City for Golf?
Five years before beginning construction on Augusta National Golf Club, Alister MacKenzie traveled to Australia and left a lasting imprint on the top courses of Melbourne, one of the best golf cities in the world
Blairgowrie Golf Club, Rosemount Course
The original course at Scotland’s Blairgowrie Golf Club is very much an original, having been created by three of the game’s greatest architects
Moortown Golf Club, England
The site of the first Ryder Cup played in Britain, this English beauty has recently had many of its MacKenzie charms restored
The Most Polarizing Courses in Golf
St. Andrews…Muirfield…Pinehurst No.2…TPC Sawgrass…Icons all. But they’re also among a handful of courses that split golfers into two groups—those who love them and those who emphatically do not
Augusta National Golf Club
A mutual love of St. Andrews led Bobby Jones and Alister MacKenzie to establish an American classic
California Golf Club of San Francisco
After a brilliant restoration, this rolling layout that Alister Mackenzie left his mark on reassumes its place in the pantheon of great bay area courses
