Dr Alister MacKenzie - Teignmouth Golf Club
Learn more about Dr Alister MacKenzie, the man behind the course design at Teignmouth Golf Club.
Dr Alister MacKenzie,
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0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} where it all started 1914 The land before the golf club existed was used by the Army including the Devon Yeomanry for training during the War period. learn more 2024 1923 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} humble beginnings 1923 A committee formed by local Dr. Morton Palmer decided to build the golf course with the kind permission of Heber Marden and
called upon the world famous Dr. Alister MacKenzie from Leeds to design an 18 hole course. The construction work was done by Mr. C. A. MacKenzie also from Leeds who was Alister's brother. learn more 1914 1924 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} Open for Play 1924 9 holes were open to play in May. Heber Marden leased the land to the club and built a clubhouse and the subscriptions were 4 guineas per year. learn more 1923 1927 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} Course & Clubhouse 1927 The owner received an offer for the land and club officials moved swiftly to purchase the course and clubhouse for £2500 learn more 1924 1939 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} THE 2ND WORLD WAR YEARS 1939-1945 1939 During the war years the13th,14th and 15th holes were turned into an aerodrome and the other 6 holes on the back 9 were allowed to go back to heathland. Pit props were placed in other parts of the course to stop enemy gliders from landing. After the war the 13th and 14th holes which had been destroyed were re-built and lengthened. learn more 1927 1972 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} MODERNISATION 1972 Major alterations were made to modernise and cater for the increased membership learn more 1935 1975 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} AN EXHIBITION 1975 As Teignmouth Golf Club became established as a first class course various important events were played including the West of England Professional Championship and qualifying for the News of the world matchplay championship. An Exhibition Match was played between Sam Torrance, Bernard Gallagher, Dai Rees and resident Pro Mike Travers and even now it is spoken about by some of the long established members. Subsequently other regional and County events of importance were played at the club. learn more 1972 2003 0{{current_slide_index}} 0{{total_slide_count}} CLUBHOUSE 2003 The clubhouse as it now exists was extended and modernised with a new dining area, new kitchen and ladies' changing rooms. learn more 1975 2024

DR ALISTER MACKENZIE

A unique man of diverse talents (Student, Soldier, Physician and Golf Architect), Dr Alister MacKenzie believed golf was the best medicine for many of his patients. His interest in it escalated to a consuming passion and he devised some of the world’s most interesting courses.

 

MacKenzie courses are revered by golfers the world over and include:

 

  • Alwoodley and Moortown in Yorkshire (1907,1909)
  • Teignmouth, Devon (1924)
  • Royal Melbourne, Australia (1926)
  • America’s Cypress Point and Pasatiempo (1928)
  • America’s Crystal Downs (1929)
  • Augusta National, Home of the US Masters (1934)

 

Nicknamed “the Course Doctor,” Alister MacKenzie was born in 1870 to Scottish parents in Yorkshire and christened Alexander. He died in 1934 in California after a fascinating life, leaving behind a blueprint for future intriguing golf course designs and a legacy of classic golf courses.

 

A graduate of Cambridge and Leeds University with degrees in chemistry, medicine and natural science, MacKenzie joined his father’s medical practice but was then called away to serve in the Boer War. Ironically it was the camouflage techniques of the Boers that first nurtured his design ideas for golf courses.

 

MacKenzie took up medicine again after the war but then abandoned his medical practice in favour of golf course architecture. His decision to do this was in part down to his conviction that golf had very real benefits for patients.

Dr. Alister MacKenzie

“How frequently have I, with great difficulty, persuaded patients who were never off my doorstep to take up golf, and how rarely, if ever, have I seen them in my consulting rooms again!”

 

We still have great respect for his fundamental design principle that,

“The chief object of every golf architect or greenkeeper worth his salt is to imitate the beauties of nature so closely as to make his work indistinguishable from nature itself.”

Dr Alister MacKenzie

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