Posting this updated Royal Melbourne profile is a timely reminder of what MacKenzie stood for. Unlike another certain (green and now claustrophobic) Mackenzie course, RM hasn't elected to depart from the playing strategies and natural aesthetics that the Good Doctor espoused even though it regularly hosts the two biggest golf events (Australian Open, President's Cup) in its hemisphere. RM's expansive sandy landscape, unique soil composition and rolling topography are great enough to rival CPC for the best canvas upon which MacKenzie worked. Similar to CPC, it is the dogleg holes that make the course a design marvel. Throw in its feared putting surfaces and you have golfing nirvana.
For those 50 and over who don't live in Australia/NZ, your first exposure, like mine, might likely have been Peter Thomson's eloquent analysis spread over five mesmerizing pages in The World Atlas of Golf circa 1976. When I think of the World Atlas, it’s the Royal Melbourne profile that springs to mind first. Thompson’s flawless writing, the diagrams and photographs were eye-opening, almost chilling in how different the course was to anything else. Doak and Crenshaw hadn't taken over the world then; literally, no one was building the like so Royal Melbourne really stood apart. The neat thing is, it still does. The club gets it, the members get it, and visitors get it too: there is just no place you would clearly rather be.
Here is the link:
http://golfclubatlas.com/courses-by-country/australia/royalmelbourne1/Discussing a 90 year old course is tantamount to talking about its evolution, which is particularly fascinating in this case. You have MacKenzie's arrival and imparting the wisdom regarding the design merits of a hole like the 10th. From there, translating MacKenzie's thoughts, ideas and routing into the dirt was left to Russell and Morcom, a task at which they excelled. Then Crockford took over from Morcom, taking the course to an even higher level. The bunkers became more complex, he even altered one of MacKenzie's green placements, and Crockford ultimately gained world-wide fame for cultivating 'frictionless putting surfaces.' The greens have allowed Royal Melbourne to remain relevant at the highest level without narrowing the playing corridors or having to do inane things for length. Today's slower fairways help ensure that the full range of clubs are required on approach.
I am sure some mistakes were made along the way; I just don't know what they were. It's the most consistently intelligent evolution of any course I know. They never gave in to passing fades or other pressures to which most clubs invariably succumb.
Does anyone doubt that if MacKenzie came back, it’s this design that would put the biggest smile on his face?! I don't. His favorite green keeper was there. Plus he would marvel at what Crockford later accomplished. When I lived in Sydney, gathering somewhere for Masters Monday (i.e. Sunday's final round) was a tradition. Everyone babbled on and on about getting to Augusta one day and even then, and George Blunt will back me up, I stated, Long way to go for worse.
Best,