I’ve spent the last two months living and working in Punta del Este, Uruguay and took some time to visit 3 courses where Dr. Mackenzie worked way back when. Club de Golf del Uruguay, Campo de Golf de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, and Jockey Club. I’ve been lucky and dogged enough in the last few years to visit his courses in Michigan, California, Australia/New Zealand, and now Uruguay and Argentina.
First Stop:
Club de Golf del Uruguay (renovated/re-routed by Mackenzie, 1930)
Punta Carretas, Montevideo, Uruguay
A sporty track with several short par 4's (from the tips…322y, 349, 325, 304, 338), average length par 3’s and 5’s. All the greens are boldly elevated, back to front and well guarded by interesting/arty bunker horizons. Some of the par 5’s are reachable but not all have a way to run a ball up the front. The course sits on a promontory above the harbor and gently slopes towards the water. The routing takes the golfer in all directions up,down, and side to side exploiting ocean views all around.
I found the drainage ditches in front of several of the lower lying greens to be one of the interesting elements found in the context of golden age design and construction. These drainage swales created some strategic choices on the reachable par 5’s and 4's, risking a tricky chip opposed to laying back with a full wedge….The bunkers were all fairly shallow with convex outside edges (to shed water above the heavy clay soils, no doubt)
An interesting fact about the club is that the local government requires the grounds to be open to the public at 2pm on Sundays. No golf but I did see some children romping in the sand traps, runners and picknickers. Probably a horror at most private clubs in the US, everything seems a little more relaxed down here. On Monday morning the golf course is open for play to the public all day for no charge! I walked the whole course Sunday afternoon, but played holes 9-18 (x2) on Monday as the front nine was closed for maintanence. On with the pictures!
Hoyo 4 --Par 4
349y/332/314
View from the back
Hoyo 5--Par 5
498y/460/449
Tee shot
5 green, notice the drainage ditch from right to left in front of green
Hoyo 7--Par 4
366y/355/301
Approach after sharp dog leg right
Hoyo 8--Par 4
325y/311/299
Drainage ditch in front of 8 green
Hoyo 9--Par 5
518y/504/484
2nd shot
Hoyo 11--Par 3
169y/156/147
Tee shot
Don't be fooled, this green is pushed up big time!
Hoyo 13--Par 4
381y/344/325
Tee shot, this is the limit of the property with a fairway sloping heavily from right to left and allows a running approach if needed
Green site, green also slopes hard right to left, back to front
Hoyo 14--Par 5
533y/518/455
Green site
Hoyo 15--Par 4
304y/296/291
A little devil of a par 4, long/mid iron off the tee is the best bet, just ask me why I tried to hook 3w twice?!
Approach
Hoyo 18--Par 4
395y/390/ 359
Approach to 18 green from the wrong side of the fairway, tricky approach
Behind 18 Green
Campo de Golf de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires coming next...