[Neil_Crafter]

In furthering our Mackenzie Timeline I have been looking in a bit more detail at Mackenzie's trip to Canada in August and September 1928 (with a side trip to Rye NY). Jeff Mingay kindly put me in touch with the Royal Canadian Golf Association Museum and they provided me with some articles from the September 1928 issue of the Canadian Golfer.

This article indicated that some of the team were going on to Jasper Park Lodge around the 20th September and some were also going on to Vancouver and Victoria, although it didn't name those who would travel to the west coast. We know that Mackenzie went to Jasper from a number of different sources. Did he go to Vancouver too?

As we have confirmation that Mackenzie was at Pasatiempo in the first week of October it seemed to me quite likely that he may have returned from Jasper to California via Vancouver.

An email enquiry with the Vancouver Public Library met with a very prompt reply - and I am pleased to report that we can confirm that Mackenzie played in Vancouver at the Shaughnessy Heights and Jericho courses on the 25th and 26th September. The articles are copied below. I have also enquired with the Victoria library and hopefully I will hear some news about whether Mackenzie and the British Seniors team played there.

I wonder if he ever revisited for any design work?

Vancouver Sun, Sept. 26, p. 13
"LOCAL GOLFERS BEAT TOURISTS - English Players Only Win One Match at
Shaughnessy Heights
Though defeated four matches to one, the English senior golfers who are on
a tour of Canada paid tribute to the beauties and conditions of Shaughnessy
Heights course when they made their first appearance at the coast yesterday
afternoon. Arthur Hills, Vice president of the Canadian National railway,
and Dr. McKenzie, and Old Country golf architect, were strong in their
praise of the fairways and greens, and Green-keeper E. McRae was lauded for
his good work.
The visitors won only one match against the local seniors, but every match
was hard fought, the advantage of home course evidently favering the
Shaughnessy players. G. Cyril Castles was the only visitor to win a match.
The visitors were entertained to dinner at the club, and today will be
guests at Jericho."

from the Vancouver Sun, Sept. 27, p. 14:
"GILLESPIE IN SPLENDID FORM - Local Golfer Shoots 72 in Match With British
Seniors.
British senior golfers concluded their visit to Vancouver yesterday when
they competed in foursomes at the Jericho Country club. They mixed up with
local players and en-[ illegible ] this beautiful course. Tom Gillespie,
local star, with F.W. Ashe of the visitor's as a partner, gave a brilliant
display of golf in beating [ illeg ]  dent with the tourists and A. Bull,
champion at Jasper. They won on the last green 1 up with Gillespie shooting
a sensational 72.
Dr. McKenzie, England, and H.I. Bird, Jericho, beat G. Cyril Castles,
England, and N.C. Graves, Jericho, 5 and 4.
J.F. Baker, England, and C.G. Montgomery, Jericho, 4 and 3.
The tourists play at Victoria today."

from the Province Sept. 26, p. 22
"BRITISH SENIOR GOLFERS BEATEN - Lose Four of Five Matches Against
Shaughnessy Players Tuesday.
Five members of the Senior Golfers' Association of Great Britain, who have
been touring through Canada, met a Shaughnessy Heights team on Teusday
afternoon and retired beaten, four matches to one after interesting
contests over 18 holes. Col. Francis Popham, D.S.O., honorary treasurer of
the British Seniors' Association, went down before W.A. Ward, F.W. Ashe,
honorary secretary of the British Association, lost to W.E. Hodges; James
Baker was beaten by J.R. Waghorn, and Dr. Alistair McKenzie, noted British
golf architect, succumbed to C.S. Battle, George Cyril Castles, manager of
the Banko of Montreal's London branch, won the only match for the visitors
when he defeated W.H. Hogg.
A.J. Hills, vice-president of the Canadian National Railways, who is in
charge of the British party's trip, teamed with B.W. Greer in a frieldly
foursome against John Hart and C.B. NcNeil and was forced to acknowledge
defeat.
Following the matches, the British party was entertained to dinner at the
Shaughnessy Club.
Today the visitors were scheduled to play at Jericho."

[Jeff_Mingay]

Very interesting, Neil. Glad the RCGA museum was able to assist.

For the record, Shaughnessy Heights was designed by Vernon Macan. The course no longer exists. Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club moved to a new site around 1960... to another new course by Macan, which has been altered somewhat significantly, but hosted the Canadian Open in recent years.

Jericho no longer exists, either. It was a seaside layout in Vancouver. As I recall, Ian Andrew has a photo or two of the old course. But I'm not sure if it's known who designed it?

Capilano was some four years away from construction, in 1928!

I can't imagine Mackenzie didn't go on to Victoria, Neil. The British Seniors must have played at Victoria Golf Club. And, I'd love to know if he got together with Macan -- who resided in Victoria -- while he was there. I can't imagine he didn't... Macan was an admirer of Mackenzie's, whose design philosophies also stemmed from those revolutionary writings on golf architecture by John Low. 

[BCrosby]

Very interesting, Neil. Glad the RCGA museum was able to assist.

Macan was an admirer of Mackenzie's, whose design philosophies also stemmed from those revolutionary writings on golf architecture by John Low.
 

Interesting that you mention John Low. I too think his role in the development of key design ideas is rarely appreciated.

Does MacK actually credit Low anywhere for some of his ideas?

Bob

[Bob Jenkins]

Neil,

That is great stuff!

Another source would be the BC Golf Museum which is at UBC and I am hoping to find the time to go out there and do some research. Unfortunately let my membership lapse a few years ago but will remedy that.   They have a website at   www.bcgolfmuseum.org   There is a great library out there. Also, Clare Cruise, who is the historian at my club, Point Grey, which opened in 1922, likely has some information. I will see if I can come up with some more info.

Thanks. !!!

Bob J

[Neil_Crafter]

Jeff
Thanks. Did not know Shaughnessy was designed by Macan.
I'm hoping the Vic Library will turn up an article or two on Mackenzie and the British Seniors. It would be great to know if he got together with Macan, but suspect that info is lost in the mists of time.

BobC
Yes he does refer to John Low in The Spirit of St Andrews (p5, p17-19), its pretty clear from what he writes that he considered Low an influence on him.

BobJ
Thanks for the tip about the BC Golf Museum, I'll get in touch with them. Let me know if you find anything else.

cheers Neil

[Ian Andrew]

J.M. Dalgleish and Alex Duthie (1923) (NLE 1946)
(first 6 holes established in 1890)

Jericho Golf & Country Club

The course featured a seven seaside holes looking out onto English Bay, and 11 holes cut through tree lined rolling terrain, all with dramatic views of Vancouver and Vancouver Island. The upper holes were described to have such drama that very few traps were required, and the seaside holes were rough and raw with open areas of hazard. The setting and mixture of holes made up what could be arguably the biggest loss in Canadian Golf.

It disappeared to become a naval base in 1942, likely because it was in an excellent location, and it offered the land required without expropriating houses.

Every BC course including the “new” Capilano Golf & Country Club were all compared to how they stacked up against Jericho. The architecture likely did not live up to Thompson, Alison or Park, but the setting was far better than almost any course in Canada.

The course would definitely make the top 25 list for Canada, and may have been even higher. The course would have looked and played like Capilano in the upper holes and had a similar feel to the Oceanside holes at Victoria Golf Club.

[Will MacEwen]

I think the membership of Jericho was absorbed into Capilano. 

It is quite gusty down around Jericho - would have been a sensational place to play.  Great views to boot.

[Neil_Crafter]

Ian
Nice photos of Jericho - it looks quite a course and certainly was a loss to golf in Canada.

[Neil_Crafter]

If I had read the Sept 27 report where it said "The tourists play at Victoria today" I would have been able to say that it does appear that Mackenzie did indeed go on and play at Victoria.

[Neil_Crafter]

I now have reports from the Victoria Public Library. Mackenzie and the British Seniors (5 in total) left Vancouver by the midnight boat for Victoria and arrived there in the morning of September 27 1928. They played golf that morning at Victoria GC and were hosted to dinner that evening at the Union Club. On the 28th they played at Colwood GC and returned that evening to Vancouver. I assume Mackenzie then travelled by train down to California as he was at Pasatiempo on the 4th October.

To our Canadian friends - what is known about the Victoria and Colwood courses?

[Jeff_Mingay]

Neil,

I can't imagine that Vernon Macan didn't get a "heads up" regarding Mackenzie's planned trip to his hometown (Victoria); and, in turn, didn't make a point to be around to meet and play with the visiting British Seniors. I'd love to known this for sure though, if possible.

First, Macan was born in Ireland (though, by 1928, had been living in Victoria for nearly three decades). Like Mackenzie, he had established a pretty "big name" for himself as a golf course designer (at least in the Pacific Northwest) by the late 1920s, too. In fact, Mackenzie reworked Macan's layout at California Golf Club (off the top of my head, I don't know if this was pre-1928?).

Macan designed Colwood (1913) as well, and was a devoted member of Victoria Golf Club who'd reworked that seaside course on at least one occasion by 1928, I think. 

Colwood (now Royal Colwood) is a fantastic course which remains extremely interesting and fun to play. Today's course isn't much of a deviation from Macan's original design over the years, either. (It was Macan's first golf course design, too.) Properly "restored", I think Colwood could be considered amongst Canada's top-15 (classic) courses.

Victoria is the oldest course in Canada still on the property of its origin. If my memory serves correctly, the course was first ready for play during the 1890s. Macan "hung his hat" at Victoria Golf Club when he was not traveling, and again, reworked the course on several occasions over the years. Though it's only about 6,100 or 6,200 yards long, and cramped in spots, it's still a great place for golf these days... especially at the clifftop holes adjacent to the ocean.

[Jeff_Mingay]

By the way, just for the record, taking a boat from Vancouver to Victoria doesn't involve an overnight trip! Today's ferry ride is about an hour and a bit, followed by a half hour car ride, or so, to downtown Victoria. 

I imagine, in 1928, a boat would travel from Van to Vic in no more than a few hours and a bit.

[Neil_Crafter]

Jeff
All I have is that they left Vancouver on the midnight boat and they arrived sometime in the morning. No mention of how long the trip took.

I've checked the results of the matches at Victoria and no mention of Macan, but I don't have results from Colwood to know. If Macan was in town then I'm sure they would have caught up.

Thanks for the info about Vic and Colwood.

[Jeff_Mingay]

Interesting that there's no mention of Macan in the results of matches at Victoria. Perhaps he was on the road, working?

[Dale Jackson]

Neil, I was reviewing some old newspapers today and made a point of finding the original coverage of Mackenzie's visit.

I am not sure if you received the original articles from the Victoria Colonist from the Victoria Library or not but if not here they are.  I was hoping there would be more information but these two brief articles are all there was.

[Neil_Crafter]

Dale
Thanks, but I already have these from the library in Victoria, along with a couple of other brief articles from the Victoria newspaper mentioning the results of the matches in Vancouver. Thanks for posting these and resuscitating this old thread!

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