Alister Mackenzie (30 August 1870 – 6 January 1934) was originally trained as a surgeon and used his scalping skills on over 50 golf courses worldwide!
He is a member of ‘The World Golf Hall of Fame’ and three of his courses remain in ‘Golf Digests’ top ten golf courses in the world.
Augusta National (home of ‘The Masters’)
Cypress Point
Royal Melbourne
His designs have common features born out of his time serving as a physician with the British Army during the Boer War. He became an expert in the principles of camouflage and applied this knowledge into his course designs where the emphasis was on blending the course into its natural surroundings.
Alister Mackenzie and his ‘famous’ tweed hat!
Mackenzie applied his ‘13 Articles of Golf’ (key design features) and in 1921 routed 18 holes on the newly purchased cliff top land and on the existing inland 18 hole Scarborough Golf Course (originally opened in 1903).
Scarborough Golf Course had described itself as a ‘links’ – although it had no features now associated with links courses.
The term was commonly used for any golf courses near the coast but Scarborough Golf Course was a mile in land with no views of the sea. As you play the current long par 16th, look to your left whilst you are standing on the tee. You will see farmland sloping towards you which was the original location of the 7th, 8th, 9th and 10th holes.
Scarborough Golf Course in 1912 – 18 inland holes ‘….. with the sunshine painting the waving corn like splashes of gold….’
The holes were dominated by large flat rectangular greens, which Mackenzie felt were uninspiring and had them all dug up along with all the holes, barring the 18th which remains today. It was aptly named ‘The Survivor’ when it was opened but with a newly designed Mackenzie green. In effect the Scarborough Golf course was extinguished by Mackenzie as he stamped his authority on a new dynamic design.
The Scarborough Golf Course 1903 – large flat rectangular greens.
Mackenzie has many iconic design features and none more so more than his greens – which he always made interesting – never rectangular or flat.
Many had challenging undulations and sometimes protected by strategically placed bunkers – but not too many. A typical original Mackenzie course does not exceed 40 or so bunkers.
Routing of the course in 1930 – less than 40 bunkers.
Hard to imagine when you consider many modern-day designers believe in ladening a course with as many bunkers as possible. Pete Dye’s ‘Whistling Straits’ has over 1000 bunkers.
Mackenzie saw no relevance of lots of bunkers without strategic value and believed too many merely deflated the golf experience. Indeed, many of his courses had holes without a bunker, if he felt challenge was achievable with run offs, humps or undulating greens.
A classic example is the 14th at Augusta National which is ‘bunkerless’. The tee shot invites the player to a wide fairway offering different shots for the approach but to a host of devilish pin options. Players need to land within 6 feet of the flag or the ball is simply funnelled away to far-off outposts. The 14th hole is consistently in the top 5 hardest holes at Augusta National but…without a bunker in sight!
Augusta National 14th hole – wide fairway but filtered towards difficulty.
Typical of this design feature is the current 2nd hole at South Cliff Golf Club. Bunkers that were added in recent years have been removed to follow the concepts of the original design.
An errant shot is punished by a delicate chip to a raised green after the ball rolls down run- offs to the left and right of the green. We have applied these principles to other parts of the course such as the 7th where several bunkers have been removed but with steep run-offs to the left and in front of the green.
At South Cliff Golf Club you will experience several large greens with Mackenzie’s ‘trade mark’ of undulation – all offering multiple options for pin placement. Mischievous placing of pins will test any golfer but there is a good chance ‘pin seeking’ will be with the same ball you started the round with as we remain faithful to Mackenzie’s Article No 10:
There should be a complete absence of the annoyance and irritation caused by the necessity of searching for lost golf balls.
Where possible, all long rough has been removed with rough being between 1.4 -1.6 inches throughout the majority of the golf course and comparable in length to Augusta National. We want golfers to find their ball with pep in their step, free from being dispirited when a ball disappears into knee length rough – often only inches from the fairway. Mackenzie never advocated long rough on any of his courses.
“Narrow fairways bordered by long grass make bad golfers. They do so by destroying the harmony and continuity of the game and in causing a stilted and cramped style, destroying all freedom of play.”
Mackenzie believed in wide fairways that allowed a golfer strategic options from the tee. He wanted the golfer to have every shot available for their next shot. Whether you want to bump and run or hit a towering approach at South Cliff Golf Club – the choice is yours irrespective of age, ability or gender and so we are proud to endorse Article No 9:
There should be infinite variety in the strokes required to play the various holes – interesting brassy shots, iron shots, pitch and run up shots.
(When the wind blows – you will welcome the range of shot options available to you.)
In his routing he doffed his tweed cap to St Andrews and South Cliff Golf Club’s 14th hole was based around the ‘High Hole 7th’ at St Andrews.
This magnificent hole offers the golfer the heroic shot of flying the ball over the corner or taking the safer shot to the left applying Article No 8:
There should be a sufficient number of heroic carries from the tee, but the course should be arranged so that the weaker player with the loss of a stroke or portion of a stroke shall always have an alternative route.
He also took other aspects of St Andrews with carefully sculptured humps around the greens. A fine example of this is our 9th hole, where there are several camouflaged humps at the back of the green offering unique protection to a flag placed at the top level.
“You can take a flag stick and put in a flat area and it’s a very easy golf hole; you can put it behind a little hump and it’s an almost impossible golf hole.”
Routing – 1930
In Mackenzie’s original drawings, he wanted the clubhouse to be situated beside the 4th tee, thus allowing two loops of 9 – the cliff side and inland holes. However, financial restrictions shelved that intent. The clubhouse, in its current location, was eventually opened in 1930, with a deliberate curved design to resemble welcoming arms ready to gather the weary golfer.
Teeing off outside the new club house – in classic 1930’s attire
So, with a heavy heart, South Cliff Golf Club does not satisfy Mackenzie’s Article No 1:
The course, where possible, should be arranged in two loops of nine holes.
The view from the clubhouse in 1933 is very different to what you see today, with a clear view of the valley that stretches beyond. As time progressed, Mackenzie’s original designs saw significant changes as committees often added woodland or bunkers.
View from the clubhouse 1934
View from the clubhouse 2025
South Cliff Golf Club has removed many trees to reflect the original design and to allow more wind to blow through the course.
Mackenzie was very much aware of the importance of using wind to keep the course dry when drainage structure was in its infancy. His holes were open to allow the wind to do its job and this is a common theme for most golf clubs now. He was ahead of his time.
The 1st and current 13th 1935 – May the hole rise to meet you. May the wind keep it dry.
What are the PRACTICAL bebefits of returning to MacKenzie’s original designs?
We believe a round should NEVER extend beyond 4 hours and we hope you feel the same. The 5th hour is much better spent enjoying our bar and catering services or returning home to resume daily duties.
MacKenzie loathed long rounds:
“Twenty years ago we played three rounds a day and considered we had taken an interminably long time if we took more than two hours to play a round!”
His design principles did everything to aid a golfer to play their round quickly.
Members, societies and visitors do not want to be waiting on tees – they want to hit the ball, find their ball (quickly) and hit it again and with a smile on their face.
We want to keep you smiling.
Hungry for more? Further information for the Mackenzie aficionados…
A detailed history of Mackenzie’s involvement with South Cliff Golf Club has been researched by Neil Crafter – the world’s definitive expert on Alister Mackenzie and author of: ‘The Good Doctor’s Prescriptions.’
The following is an extract from Neil’s research manuscripts that highlights political battles, financing and Mackenzie’s invaluable contribution in persuading negative mindsets to part with cash. (There is nothing new under the sun!!)
1913, 1920-21 – Author: Neil Crafter
Dr Mackenzie’s initial involvement at Scarborough, a coastal town in Yorkshire to the north-east of York, dates back to 1913 when he was requested by the Scarborough Corporation to examine land to the south of the town for a planned 18-hole municipal golf course.
“Back in 1912, the Corporation had first considered the desirability of a municipal golf course and a number of sites were assessed and considered.
The ‘Yorkshire Evening Post’ on 25 September 1913 reported that:
‘The Corporate Property Committee of the Town Council, by ten votes to nine, have adopted a recommendation to purchase Cliff Top and Undercliff, extending from the borough boundary at Lower Wheatcroft to Cayton Waterworks, on which it is proposed to construct an eighteen-hole course.
Dr Mackenzie has reported favourably as to the possibilities of forming a first-class course, and the Corporation anticipate a substantial amount will be received from the sale of surplus land for building purposes.’
The ‘Sheffield Daily Telegraph’ in its 26 September 1913 edition provided a little more detail on Mackenzie’s thoughts, noting that:
‘Dr Mackenzie, the golf course expert, of Leeds, has reported very favourably on the possibilities of the cliffs as the site for a first-class golf course. In some quarters it was doubted that a first-class course could ever be constructed at Wheatcroft, on account of the quality of the turf and sub-soil, but Dr Mackenzie has convinced the Committee that it will be possible to construct a really good course!’
At the 1913 October Council meeting, the chairman of the committee who had recommended the proposal put forward an amendment that further consideration of the matter be deferred.
With council elections in the offing, perhaps caution was wisely applied. The proposal did not resurface before the outbreak of World War.
After the war the proposal was revived, albeit in a different guise. No longer would the proposed golf course at Wheatcroft be a municipal course, rather a private club was planned that essentially involved the transformation of the existing Scarborough Town Golf Club into a new company.
The Yorkshire Post reported on the proposal on 26 March 1920, noting that the Scarborough Corporation had adopted minutes that brought the scheme of a new private club with an up-to-date new 18-hole course to replace the old links much closer to reality. It further noted:
‘Dr Mackenzie of Leeds, an expert in the making of golf courses, inspected the proposed course on Wednesday and reported very favourably on the proposals, providing the new company spent the money he recommended in laying out the course. It is estimated that the cost of laying out the course will be £5,000.’
It was decided at a meeting of the club in May 1920, chaired by its captain, Colonel W.H. Land O.B.E., that the assets of the old Scarborough Town Golf Club would be transferred to a new company, known as The Scarborough South Cliff Golf Company Limited.
So, work began.
Scarborough Corporation hoped that the course would add to the town’s burgeoning reputation as a tourist destination, and South Cliff Golf Club quickly featured in a range of promotional materials encompassing the magnificent views of the South Bay.
Upon completion the Scarborough Mercury reported on the course:
‘Dr Mackenzie predicted that the course would be a great success. Some of the views of the course, he said, were the most beautiful of any course in the kingdom. He knew of no club in the kingdom more likely to be a success than the Scarborough Golf Club.’
Unlike most of the courses Mackenzie designed, he took up the option of becoming a Director of South Cliff Golf Club in 1921 and thus cemented greater ties to the club.
The 10th green….now in the North Sea due to coastal erosion.
It is thought that shares were offered to him as part of his payment, but whatever financial agreement was made, we are proud to say Mackenzie was paid in full by South Cliff Golf Club… unlike Augusta National.
At Augusta National,he never full payment for his design as the Great Depression strangled the clubs finance and Mackenzie died penniless.
“I have been reduced to playing golf with four clubs,” he wrote in a letter to Augusta National, recorded in The Making of the Masters, a book by David Owen commissioned by the club.
“I am at the end of my tether, no-one has paid me a cent since last June, and we have mortgaged everything we have and have not yet been able to pay the nursing expenses of my wife’s operation.”
A tragic end but Mackenzie’s golf legacy lives on in his designs and philosophies:
“The chief object of every golf architect or greenkeeper worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make work indistinguishable from nature itself.”
“Golf is a game, and talk and discussion is all to the interests of the game. Anything that keeps the game alive and prevents us being bored with it is an advantage. Anything that makes us think about it, talk about it, and dream about it is all to the good and prevents the game becoming dead.”
“I have always wanted to live where one could practice shots in one’s pyjamas before breakfast.”
“A good golf course is like good music. It does not necessarily appeal the first time one plays it!”
“One of the reasons why I, a ‘medical man’, decided to give up medicine was a firm conviction of the extraordinary influence on health of pleasurable excitement, especially when combined with fresh air and exercise. How frequently have I, with great difficulty, persuaded patients who were never off my doorsteps to take up golf, and how rarely, if ever, I have seen them in my consulting room again.”
On Blind golf holes: “There may be a certain amount of pleasurable excitement in running up to the top of a hillock in the hope of seeing your ball near the flag, but this kind of thing one gets tired of as one grows older!”
And finally….
“I try to build courses for the most enjoyment…by the greatest number.”
