Charles Mackenzie

[Thomas MacWood]

Charles Mackenzie ran a construction company that built many of his brothers designs in the UK. When Alister came over in 1926, his brother came with him along with a number of their construction men, Flemming and Cole are names I recall. I believe the project was Meadow Club.

Was Flemming the only one of the construction men who stayed in the States or were there others?

I don't get the impression Alister originally planned on staying in America...is that correct?

When he eventually did decide to stay what became of Charles and his construction company?

[David Stamm]

Charles Mackenzie ran a construction company that built many of his brothers designs in the UK. When Alister came over in 1926, his brother came with him along with a number of their construction men, Flemming and Cole are names I recall. I believe the project was Meadow Club.

Was Flemming the only one of the construction men who stayed in the States or were there others?

I don't get the impression Alister originally planned on staying in America...is that correct?

When he eventually did decide to stay what became of Charles and his construction company?

Tom, I was under the understanding that Charles did not come to America w/ AM. And I think Claremont preceded Meadow Club. 

[Neil_Crafter]

Tom
Here is John Scarth Lovell's article on CA Mackenzie published a couple of years back in Through the Green, the journal of the British Golf Collectors Society.
Neil

[David Stamm]

Neil, thank you! This is great info!

[Bill_McBride]

Wow, there is so much to digest in that article, utterly fascinating.

I had no idea Alister's brother was involved with Chandler Egan up in Portland at the Lake Oswego gold course, which is a highly regarded course on hilly ground, mostly clay.  I have not played it yet, but will have to get something arranged.

I assume this took place in 1925, when Vernon Macan was working on Columbia Golf Club (today's Columbia-Edgewater Country Club) at the northern end of town.  Somewhere in there Egan also built, if I recall correctly, Eugene Country Club south of Portland, and Indian Canyon over in Spokane, Washington.  Now I wonder if Charles Mackenzie was involved in those courses!

It's also interesting about the 8th green at Pebble Beach - I'd always heard that Alister did that design work, now it sounds like Charles did it with C. Egan.

And last...the rationale for the flat greens of C. Mackenzie on a couple of courses is the flat nature of the overall terrain.  It's possible Charles was a better builder than architect.

[Thomas MacWood]

Neil
That it is remarkable research by JCL on CA Mackenzie, thanks for sharing it. The Hunter connection is fascinating. When Hunter engaged CAM, wouldn't that have been a package deal with his brother? Based on Hunter's book it would seem he was deeply impressed with Alister.

Bill
I think without question he was better known as a builder than a designer.

[Andrew Mitchell]

Neil
That's a fantastic article, thanks for bringing it to our attention.

It is of particular interest to me living in West Yorkshire as I have played several of the courses listed on the last page.  I was a member at Branshaw during my junior years and have played Bingley St Ives on numerous occasions.  That article is the most detailed I have read about the MacKenzie brothers influence there.  The club website, and members I have spoken to, always refer solely to Alistair; presumably through a mixture of ignorance and/or the kudos of having some sort of connection with Augusta National.

Tom Doak has previously spoken of St Ives being erronerously attributed to Alistair instead of Charles but John Scarth refers to it as a collaboration.  Reading the article it seems that Charles constructed the course to Alistair's earlier design.  However the routing must have been changed as there are no loops of nine and you do not return anywhere near the clubhouse until the 18th.  It is therefore unclear to me how much of Alistair's routing was used.

[Philip Spogard]

I can recommend the C. Mackenzie course in Rungsted, Denmark. In my opinion Denmark's best course by a mile.

It is similiar to the Surrey heathland courses in style (but without heather as the weather is too cold).

Worth a play if you ever get to Denmark.

[Bill_McBride]

Bill
I think without question he was better known as a builder than a designer.

All news to me since I knew almost nothing about him before.

[Christoph Meister]

Hi,

Charles MacKenzie also worked in Germany around 1930 when he designed courses at Bad Ems, Bad Nauheim and Bad Wildungen working together with Karl Hoffmann and Major Fahrenholz from Berlin,

CM

[TEPaul]

That article certainly clears up one project for me----eg Fulford GC.

It also adds a bit more detail to particularly the beginnings of the amazing "American Construction Company" eventually run by Hunter and then his son that did such amazing work, particularly bunker work, on the Monterrey Peninsula and particularly Cypress and Pebble Beach.

Geoff Shackelford handles the work of the American Construction Company well in his book on Cypress Point. In his book are the written recollections of both Hunter and Mackenzie who mention the excellent work (on the American Construction Co) of British foremen Dan Gormley and Jack Fleming and Hunter mentions the excellent finishing touches provided by young Paddy Cole.

But at that point Charles MacKenzie was out of the picture and back in England as the above article explains.

[Thomas Dai]

This is a pretty old thread, however the U.K. MacKenzie Society has recently published a piece about Maj CH MacKenzie so a link referencing it here seemed appropriate.


Atb


See - https://alistermackenzie.co.uk/2020/06/08/3058/