The Alwoodley Golf Club
These pictures were taken during the visit to Alwoodley of Ran Morrissett. I'm sure he'll write the definitive description of Alwoodley here on GCA soon, so I'll say no more about Alwoodley other than that it is one of a number of prestigious clubs on the northern edge of the City of Leeds. Alister Mackenzie was the club's founding Secretary and is in all probability the designer of the course, though there is nothing in the club's minutes to say so. The course still played today bears a remarkable similarity to an aerial view of the course drawn by Mackenzie in 1910. If you played the course from today's ladies' tees you'd be playing almost exactly what Mackenzie laid down. There is one exception, the 10th, of which more anon. From the medal tees the course measures 6686 yards with a par of 72.
1st, 405 yards par 4.
1st looking back to the very comfortable clubhouse.
3rd, 510 yards par 5.
4th, 481 yards par 5. View from the tee. This hole plays as a 456-yard par 4 from the yellow tees.
4th green.
5th, 371 yards par 4. Acres of heather.
5th, approach bunkers.
5th, greenfront bunker.
7th, 142 yards par 3.
8th, 546 yards par 5. View from tee.
8th, view of 2nd shot.
8th, bunkers to be cleared with 2nd shot and on approach to green.
8th green looking back.
9th, 193 yards par 3. View from tee.
10th, 478 yards par 5. Played as a 445-yard par 4 from the yellow tees, this is very probably the prototype for the 13th at Augusta. View from forward tee.
10th, view from landing place of an exceptionally good drive.
10th, as you descend towards the green rather more is revealed. This hole didn't play to this green when the course began. Mackenzie sketched the hole in this form in the hope that the club would one day acquire the land on which to build his envisaged green.
10th, Ran Morrissett and Nick Leefe (Chairman of the Green at Alwoodley).
No more photos for now - the rest are still in the camera.