Can’t play Augusta? Try these hidden UK gems designed by the same man
Still feeling Augusta National vibes? Here are three golf courses in the UK that were designed by the same man: Dr Alister MacKenzie.
As April showers move into May sunshine, many of us are ready to hit the fairways and greens. But, itt’s not just the weather that is having this effect, of course.
The presence of the Masters in the second week of April is always a not-too-subtle hint that it’s time to start hitting balls in earnest and even a few weeks after Rory McIlroy slipped his arms inside the green jacket, we’re still feeling it.
We all know that playing our dream course, Augusta National, is beyond 99.9999% of us.
But the Englishman who helped the great Bobby Jones design the Masters course, Dr Alister MacKenzie, has left his mark across all of the UK, as you might expect of a Yorkshireman with Scottish roots.
Golf course architects don’t like to admit that they have fingerprints – they’d prefer to suggest that they always create something new – but they have design principles and a fondness for a certain way of playing the game.
It means that their courses are often recognisable both visually and in playing styles, even if the backdrops are very different.
So if we can’t play Augusta National, we can see how MacKenzie laid out other, much more accessible, courses to play on. Here are three of the best in the UK.
Moortown Golf Club, Yorkshire
As a Yorkshireman it is not surprising that MacKenzie laid down many Leeds courses such as Alwoodley, Horsforth, Headingley, Garsforth, and Sand Moor.
But it is Leeds’ Moortown venue that remains the very best of them. It hosted the 1929 Ryder Cup (the first on British soil) and a host of European Tour events.
Incredibly, you can still play it and see Walter Hagen’s locker, plus gaze at lots of memorabilia from down the years.
It’s not Augusta-like at first glance but, around the turn, some holes sweep down fairways, while pinpoint approaches are called for throughout the round.
What you are getting is a test situated on ideal golfing land (heathland) that has been created by a master.
Cavendish Golf Club, Derbyshire
Opened in 1925, this Derbyshire gem is even said to have inspired Augusta National itself, which MacKenzie created seven years after leaving his mark at Cavendish.
In 2016, architect Jonathan Gaunt compared the two layouts and said that while they were in many ways “chalk and cheese”, he also recognised similar wide fairways, fast greens and meandering water features.
“Much of what golfers love about Augusta can be found at Cavendish,” he concluded.
Midweek summer green fees are £55.
Duff House Royal Golf Club, Aberdeenshire
Situated in Aberdeenshire, this is a parkland track but close to the River Deveron and also the North Sea.
It is a redesign by MacKenzie but it proudly boast many two-tiered greens that resemble the Augusta putting surfaces. Sky Sports commentator Ewen Murray is also an honorary member here.
READ MORE: The Machrie in Scotland – the hidden World Top 100 course you must get to know