I have to admit to more than a little confusion in regards to Mackenzie's work in Doncaster. He listed the course in his 1923 advertisement, but was he referring to the town or the club I wonder? There are mentions of Wheatley Park in Doncaster in 'Golf Architecture' with a photograph showing the use of the scraper and also by Anthony Spalding in The Guardian. Were Doncaster and Wheatley Park one and the same or were they two different projects?
Cornish & Whitten and Hawtree are of no use on this as there are no mentions of either course. Doak Scott Haddock list "Wheatley Park GC" as a course that no longer exists and that Mackenzie made renovations in 1913 but club moved to a new course following WW2. But no mention of Doncaster.
I have a letter from Doncaster GC explaining about Mackenzie's involvement with their club. This is a summary of what they had to say:
Mackenzie designed new 9 holes to extend course to 18 holes ca1910/1911. Article in the Yorkshire Post in Feb 1911 quotes Mackenzie and he was made an Honorary Member of Doncaster GC for his services to the club.
But this just doesn't gel with what Spalding was saying about the Wheatley Park course at Doncaster, and in 1913 not 1911:
Article by Anthony Spalding in The Guardian of 17 November 1913 recorded that, "The development of golf at Doncaster is to be coincident with the industrial development of the district, A scheme is being promoted to construct a first-class course in Wheatley Park, where the turf and subsoil are akin to the former Manchester course in Trafford Park and certainly superior to any other ground in this district. The ground is gently undulating, and magnificently wooded in the vicinity of Wheatley Hall, which is to be adapted for use as a clubhouse. Dr. Mackenzie, of Leeds, has planned the holes, and is certain he will utilise all the natural features of the ground."
It's quite clear from this that the Wheatley Park course was a totally new course using Wheatley Hall as its clubhouse.
Spalding in The Guardian of 20 July 1914 then reported that, “In every case the course was planned by Mr. A. Mackenzie, of Leeds, and the cost clearly proves that the best golf can be obtained for comparatively insignificant sums when the work is supervised by the designer, as it was in the first three clubs mention below. At Wheatley Park, Doncaster, a new 18-hole course, 6,000 yards in length, was constructed on flat meadow land, of medium subsoil, for 560 pounds. The existing features comprised a shrubbery, a spinney, and a clump of furze. No less than ten greens converge on these points, with the pleasing result that the player is mostly moving towards an attractive landscape which incidentally emphasizes the position of the greens.” At least 33% fewer bunkers than on an “average course”, with the 4th an imitation of Hole 16 at The Old Course.
And by July 1914 he reported that the new 18 hole course had been constructed. Clearly this does not sound like what the Doncaster club says happened at their course.
So I decided to search "Wheatley Hall" and this is what I found:
Wheatley Hall
& Wheatley Golf Club
The Lords of the Manor resided in Sandall until 1683, by which time the powerful Cooke family had inherited the manor and a magnificent family seat was built midway between the two townships by Sir Henry Cooke. Named Wheatley Hall, the stone-built building boasted a proliferation of windows and had four storeys, one of which was underground. Unfortunately, due to the proximity of the River Don which frequently burst its banks, the basement suffered a great deal of flooding, as did the surrounding 103 acres of grounds. The contemporary view held that the site was by no means the best that could have been chosen, which leads to the obvious conclusion that Sir Henry chose it merely for its geographical location. The building remained the seat of the Cooke family until around 1914 when the latest lord, Sir William Cooke, moved out to be nearer the colliery he owned in neighbouring Bentley. The Hall was leased to Wheatley Golf Club, which used the ground floor as a club house and sub-let the upper two storeys as flats. By 1933, upkeep of the deteriorating building had become too much for the golfers, who moved to their current home on Armthorpe Road. The estate, much of which had been converted into a golf course, was purchased by Doncaster Corporation for housing, whilst the crumbling Jacobean Hall itself was demolished in 1938. Today, the site of the Hall is occupied by McCormick International Tractors' factory complex, whilst the estate has long vanished beneath the Wheatley Park housing estate. Wheatley Golf Club used to lease Wheatley Hall and use it's grounds as a course. It now occupies a large area on Armthorpe Road which extends to Hags Wood, one of the last remaining areas of undeveloped greenspace in Wheatley Area.
Here's a photo of Wheatley Hall.
From the club’s website, 1939 from Tatler:
From this it's fairly apparent that the Wheatley Golf Club played over Mackenzie's 18 hole course on the Wheatley estate, using Wheatley Hall as their clubhouse. The club appears to have been forced to move around 1933/1934 to their current location on Armthorpe Road, to a new course designed by George Duncan. There is no mention at all of Mackenzie on the club's website as being the designer of their first course.
So there we go, I think that's the Doncaster/Wheatley Park issue resolved. Two separate Mackenzie courses, one a redesign and the other a new one. Anyone with further information or thoughts I'd be pleased to hear from them.
cheers Neil