[Mark_Rowlinson]

Here is a different angle on Prestwick in 1947:



Northumberland, Newcastle racecourse, cue Mark Pearce



Longley Park, Huddersfield, 1926





Ballater 1948



Balmoral.  1948. Looking on Google Earth it appears to be in good health today. But it’s not listed in R and A handbook (but not everything is). The only Royal course listed is the Royal Household at Windsor Castle.





Next I'll deal with those omissions pointed out in the 4 Omissions thread.

[Niall C]

Thanks Mark, that aerial of Ballater makes the course look almost bunkerless from that distance. I note the photo is from 1948 which is more or less 25 years since MacKenzie was there. There's plenty of bunkers now and can't believe that MacKenzie left it without any bunkers no matter what he actually did there, so can only assume that from that distance the fact that there doesn't appear to be any bunkers is maybe just an illusion.

Balmoral - I've got a vague recollection it was Brown that did the course but it was restricted to the Royals and those that lived and worked on the estate so perhaps didn't get into any golfing annuals.

Niall

[Jon Wiggett]

Interesting to see Longley Park which is a course I know well having played it often and almost ending up as the Pro there. Looks almost the same except the trees within the course are now bigger. One of those courses in amongst housing that hide it so if you don't know about it you won't find it. Nothing special from a GCA stand point but fun 9 holer non the less. Good find Mark

Jon

[Ally Mcintosh]

Regards the first Balmoral aerial, you can see just a few hundred yards to the west / left, the cricket pitch... I played there about 20 years ago when The Queen was in residence.... We all had to meet by car in Ballater where we were picked up by a security escort that checked the vehicles and took us in to the grounds... We saw at least a few army snipers camouflaged and hunched in little underground hidey holes... Made you afraid to really give the ball a crack lest it set off a chain reaction!... Never got a look at the golf course though... Ballater was a decent track - best of the Deeside ones.... I didn't realise MacKenzie had been there Niall.

[Niall C]

Ally

MacKenzie makes mention of Ballater in his Hazlehead correspondence although we've no idea what he did, if anything. It might for instance be one of those occasions where he provided a report and the club did nothing with it but from what I can remember off the top of my head he visited more than once which suggests he did something. I played it last year and enjoyed and there is perhaps some things like some of the greens that perhaps suggest a MacKenzie touch although nothing definite. I suspect he might have rerouted the course following the development of the row of houses that almost bisects the course, although thats all suppositon on my part. Wouldn't be the first time I'm totally wrong.

Niall

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