The 18 best Alister MacKenzie greens in GB&I

[Mark Pearce]

TD (Atb),


The 7th at Stoke Park is, I think, rather more like the original 16th at Augusta, rather than the 12th.


One of the greens at Pitreavie (Marty will have listed it but I can't remember which it was) is very similar to ANGC 12.  Also at Pitreavie (again, I'm sure, on Marty's list) is a tremendous two tiered MacKenzie green of the sort Duncan describes.  Pitreavie really is worth a visit.

[Thomas Dai]

Pitreavie - only 3 photos are displayed on their website. Which holes? Yip FBD's nominated 3rd, 6th and 13th.

Not great photos though so I looked at Malcolms photo-tour - http://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,62953.msg1498952.html#msg1498952 -

- his comment on the long par-3 3rd..."Yikes!!" followed by "What the heck is this? Super yikes!!" The 6th looks really interesting and the 13th a huge double plateau. I'm far to polite the describe in detail the 3-letter description for the 4th.

Although you could be right Mark I always thought it was the SP-7th that was the inspiration for the 12th at ANGC.

Great photos of RVGC Duncan. Many thanks for posting.

Earlier on Brian nominated the 5th and 17th at Hazelhead. I recall the 5th but not the 17th however, my-oh-my hasn't Hazelhead No1 become tree dominated. Is is now really as suffocated as many if the photos seem to indicate?

Atb

[Mark Pearce]

Mark,
The 17th at Seaton Carew is a wonderful green and a good hole.

And that, having checked the course flyover on the website, is the hole I had in mind.  I obviously need to get back.  No idea why I thought it was the 15th.  Thanks for the correction, and yes, it's a really strong hole on a course we don't talk about much on here.  It's a shame that Andy Levett doesn't post here anymore.

[Niall C]

I don’t have nearly enough of experience of Mac’s courses across GB&I to say one green is better than another but I’d definitely commend Martin and Marks comments about Pitreavie. I’d be interested to know if Mac ever attempted a bigger single step in a green than he did on one of the greens at Pitreavie (can’t recall the number but the one like the holes at Cavendish and Pasatiempo with the hogback fairway and green offset to left over ravine/barranca/swale with burn/stream at the bottom).

Another course that has been mentioned is Duff House Royal which has a fantastic set of greens including two sets of double greens that may be the only ones Mac did in the UK. Mention has been made of the 18th green with its double tier and back stop to the top tier which allows you to play a shot up the slope and watch it roll back to the hole. Great fun. Ironically it may not actually be a Mac green. I suspect this may be the one green on the course that Mac kept when he redesigned/rebuilt it.

Niall

[Colin Shellard]

The 12th At Duff House Royal is a bit of a beast as I recall. Elevated green with fall off all around with a very large single step in the middle that has "the House" in view behind it. I remember struggling to get the ball on the green when I missed it to one side...

[Niall C]

Interesting discussion on Alwoodley. A fantastic course with a great set of greens although I’d suggest unusual for Mac from the limited amount of his work that I’ve seen. In particular they are a lot more open at the front than his later greens which generally seem to sit at an angle and have at least one bunker impinging on the front approach.

His later greens also appear obviously built whereas at Alwoodley they appear more ley of the land and therefore the interest in them rests with their positioning. Jazzing them up wouldn’t add to the course IMO.
In terms of which green at Alwoodley I’d rate most I’d probably go the 3rd. It is pretty unconventional and probably one of a kind.

Niall