[Neil Regan]

I found this excellent scan of Mackenzie's Survey of the Old Course posted on
the website of Dutch architect Frank Pont.

  He apparently is a fan of "Harry Colt, Tom Simpson en Alister MacKenzie".
  The website includes, among other appealing GCA items, various
quotes from these men, illustrated with some excellent pictures. For example:


 

Werk met de natuurlijke features van de site


“I firmly believe that the only means whereby an attractive piece of ground can be turned into a satisfying
golf course is to work the natural features of the site in question.
Develop them if necessary, but not too much; and if there are many nice features,
leave them alone as far as possible, but utilize them to the their fullest extent,
and eventually there will be a chance of obtaining a course with
individual character of an impressive nature.”

Harry S. Colt “Some Essays on Golf-course Architecture” 1920



“My reputation in the past has been based on the fact that I have endeavored to conserve
the existing natural features and, where these were lacking,
to create formations in the spirit of nature herself. In other words,
while always keeping uppermost the provision of a splendid test of golf,
I have striven to achieve beauty.”

Dr. Alister MacKenzie “The Spirit of St.Andrews” 1932

[/i]

The Mackenzie map

[James Bennett]

Neil Regan

Lovely photo of (I assume) #16 green in the very early morning (pre tee-off, there aren't any golfers in sight).

Lovely quotes too.

I see the 10th hole was called 'Bobby Jones' on MacKenzies Map.  Is it still called that?  If not, any details on the change in nomenclature.

James B

[ForkaB]

James

The 10th hole did not have a name when Mackenzie drew his map in 1924, and did not in fact until 1972 when it was named "Bobby Jones" in hono(u)r of the great man after his death.  It is still called that.

Therefore, the "ye olde" hole name thingy above the map is a recent addition, and not drawn in Mackenzie's hand (unless you believe, as some seem to do ) that he is a god.......

[BCrosby]

Rich -

Interesting. I had always wondered about the legend on the map. In 1924 Bobby Jones was not a fan of TOC. He was still smarting from his encounter with Hill Bunker a couple of years earlier. It was several years before he won a tournament there. His tune didn't change about TOC until '26 or '27.

Bob

[ForkaB]

Thanks, Bob

My guess is that after Jones won the Open there in 1927 he began to appreciate the course more.....

Researching the naming of the holes at the Old Course is an interesting exercise in trivia.  For example, did you know that the 4th (now "Ginger Beer") used to be called "Cunnin' Links?"  I wonder why and when the town elders decided to change the name of that hole.....?

[BCrosby]

My guess is that they decided to change the name when a town elder tried to say it three times fast.

Bob

[Mark_Guiniven]

Rich is right. The same map at the start of Robert Hunter's book has the hole just named 'Tenth'.

Judging by the fold lines it looks like this is a scan out of the Doak Mackenzie biography, which creases the last thirty pages of that book the way they folded it! Well, it did mine at least.

It's pretty common. The real rarity is the St. Andrews Old Course tea towel. Hardly anyone at all has one of those

[Evan Fleisher]

Neat website...thanks for the link!

Did anyone notice that under the Design Philosophy #10...is it just me, or does the hole pictured (I have no idea where it is) look similar to #18 at Bethpage Black, minus all of those weird fairway bunkers that were put in and a little less width?

[RJ_Daley]

The "Scrapbook of Old Tom Morris" compiled by David Joy, has the pre-MacKenzie map from 1864,
on page 18.  I note that the smallish picture of the MacKenzie
 survey map given to Tillie by Mac, just names the Tenth hole.
  Doesn't Hurdzan own that map in his collection of golf memorabilia?

[Bill_McBride]

During my May 2004 visit to St Andrews, one of my buddies who is an R&A member arranged for my brother and I to have lunch in the clubhouse.  (Turned out to be a rather intoxicating experience, but that's another story!)

I have always wanted to see the original of the MacKenzie map, so I asked the entry hall porter where I could take a look.  He told me the map, which is apparently quite large,  hangs in the Secretary's office, and the Secretary was out of town, so I was SOL!  Needless to say this was not what I wanted to hear, but there was no way to change this stalwart's mind.  Disappointing.

So I bought a print in one of the local shops, brought it home, and promptly lost it.  It's in a cardboard tube.  I'm sure it's around here somewhere......................

[James Bennett]

Rich Goodale

thanks for the explanation.  My 'indoctrination' to the names of the Old Course holes came from a tea towel purchased on vacation in London in Xmas 1970 (when I was 11).  So, the renaming of the hole to Bobby Jones happened two years later.  I thought the hole was called 'tenth' but it seemed to simple.

I couldn't believe it when Mark Guineven then postulates in a subsequent post about how many of us still have the tea-towel.  Must be an antipodean thing.   I hope I still have it, but I doubt I'll ever find it.  Perahps I'll find it when we move house next, and then it is a 50/50 chance at best (my wife might find it first).

James B

[ed_getka]

That is the freakishly great #2 green on TOC I believe. That photo illustrates what is SO fantastic about TOC from 100 yards in.

[Mark_Guiniven]

Could be a Commonwealth or antipodean thing James. Maybe someone flogged fifty-thousand of these things off at some stage down here.

[James Bennett]

Mark

thanks for posting the 'teatowel'.  That is the one I remember, except I cannot recall seeing Alistair Mackenzie's name on it.  Admittedly, I didn't know who Mackenzie was 35 years ago.  Intriguing to see the distance of the holes 35 years ago (I assume thats the date of it).

My teatowel was acquired in London, probably at Lilywhites sports store, during the Xmas/New Year period of 1970/71 (it was a white Xmas in London that year, as opposed to the white hot Xmas's I often enjoy down under).  Where did you buy yours?

James B

[Mark_Guiniven]

I think my grandparents had one James. I'd frequently go out in thirty-two while my nan washed up  

The scan is actually out of a book "Great Golf Holes Of New Zealand" first published in, yes, 1971.

And no, Aussies, it isn't a particularly long book

[Patrick_Mucci]

Neil,

The really sad thing about the neat photo you posted is that most American green committees would attempt to level the fairway, to make it more user friendly.

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