The Society was founded in 1999 to celebrate the work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie as a golf course architect in Great Britain and Ireland through the fellowship of golf. The Society now has a membership of 62 clubs and, as more clubs delve into their archives, the hand of MacKenzie continues to be detected.
There is an annual inter-club match for the Mackenzie Medallion, first played at Alwoodley in 1999 but subsequently on a different MacKenzie course each year.
We have an interesting diary document about Alister MacKenzie known as The Chronology.
It shows what he did and where he was from his birth on 30th August 1870 in Normanton in Yorkshire, through his time at School and University, to his early death on 6th January 1934 in California.
The books described by the attached flyer are the publication of meticulous and extended researches into worldwide archives which include reference MacKenzie’s work . The author is the well-qualified Australian golf course architect Neil Crafter. Each volume contains interesting text and clear copies of contemporaneous drawings, reports and visual images. These provide good grounds forMacKenzie’s…
September can be an uncertain month for the weather but the Society was blessed with a delightfully mild and sunny day for the playing of the annual Leefe Cup at Harrogate Golf Club. The course is a mature tree-lined venue with extraordinarily slick and subtle greens, definitely not the place to expect a good card…
Winners – Hadley Wood GC On 6th September 2026 Sand Moor GC hosted the MacKenzie Medallion as part of their centenary celebrations. Despite heavy morning showers the rain cleared just as play commenced and the 23 teams attending enjoyed a fine afternoon. The course was in top condition despite the dry summer, having quickly recovered following…
On July 3rd, The Society resumed the series of popular 4ball Matchplay contests with the British Golf Collectors’ Society and held at Cavendish G .C. since 2008, for the MacKenzie Kist. This year several Society team members led by Cavendish Captain Jeff Haddon, decided to play the BGCS at their own game – with 100…
Report of the Society match against Reddish Vale on Thursday 7 May 2026 After this rather chilly, if dry, early summer the weather had warmed up a little, certainly sufficient to show the course to its best advantage. It was a pleasure both to visit the Club after an unaccountable interval of a few years…
Results: Winner of the Leefe Cup for 2025 – Richard Brown. Headingley G C Second Place (on a count-back). Ken Moodie. Reddish Vale G C Nearest the pin (15th hole) Lindsay Forbes. Dore and Totley G C While attendance was a little disappointing the competition was favoured with mild temperatures and a pleasant breeze. Competitors…
On 7th September 2025 Low Laithes GC hosted the Medallion as part of their centenary celebrations. The weather forecast was decidedly mixed, but only a short rain shower was suffered on a fine afternoon for golf. The course was in top condition despite the dry summer and, whilst not as quick as they can be,…
The Society was invited by the club to play a Fourball Betterball match on July 4th. as part of the celebrations commemorating the opening of the club at Easter 1925. At 5721 yards from the medal tees the course, designed by Mackenzie in the era of Hickory shafted clubs and Haskell balls and unaltered since,…
Following on from the May event at Hazel Grove, the event at Sitwell Park GC on 23rd June, was well-attended by 18 players, 9 of whom were from Sitwell Park, including the Captain, Vice-Captain, Lady Captain, and Club Director. The weather on the day was excellent if a little breezy, to make the course that…
0n Sunday 18th May the Society paid a welcome return visit to Hazel Grove GC, where MacKenzie carried out work to extend the course in 1920, to play a match against the club. Teams of 12-a-side played on a glorious afternoon and the course was, as expected in superb condition with the greens running fast…
The Society’s year got off to a fine start with its meeting at Burnham and Berrow. Sunny skies accompanied by a gentle breeze welcomed the 24 Society members and guests who contested a team game on these classic links. All were grateful for the help of two Club members, Robin Griffiths and Andrew Balcombe, for…
Neil Crafter, an Australian golf course architect living in Adelaide who is an honorary member of the Society is the lead researcher for the Chronology. He has just updated the project to version 22 and 160 new items are included. If verifiable details of MacKenzie’s visits to your course are not included, please email neil@golfstrategies.com.au.
This stained glass panel, now displayed in the Muskerry club house is the work of Ian Harrington of Killarney. It incorporates panels depicting aspects of golf and life at Muskerry at the time of MacKenzies’ extension of the original 9 hole course of 1907, to one of 18 holes in 1924. The work at Muskerry…
The Nick Leefe Cup was played for at Crosland Heath on August 16th. The winner, Robin Griffiths of Burnham and Berrow, is pictured with Nick Leefe of Alwoodley who founded the Society in 1999
The Annual MacKenzie Medallion was played on Sunday 8 September, 2024 at Bolton Old Links as part of the Club’s Centenary celebrations. Fairly inclement conditions were experienced but the course was in excellent condition and, despite all competitors being experienced in the subtle, and not so subtle, greens associated with the architect rather more putts…
A resounding victory On July 5th spectators in the outer courts stands at Wimbledon were sheltering under their umbrellas and saw no tennis whilst waiting for the rain to stop. Up North, golfers arriving at Cavendish Golf Club in Buxton were greeted by warm sunshine and a light breeze. The course was prepared to the…
This was the first event of 2024, played at Dore & Totley GC, a club that has recently become a member of the Alister MacKenzie Society. The turn-out at was excellent, with 5 members playing from the club, all of whom have since become enthusiastic AMGS members. The course played well following a tough and…
Neil Crafter, an honorary member of the Society, is an Australian golf course architect who has made an extended study of the work and writings of Alister MacKenzie. He has led the challenge to bring to light much data on MacKenzie’s life and work, the results of which are included in v.21 of the Chronology…
Fixtures for 2024 One of the reasons for this fairly early bulletin for 2024 is so that members can note the dates of events and fixtures in their virgin diaries. This bulletin will be followed up by another early in the New Year and more detailed information on the events will be provided then. Most…
The Alister Mackenzie Society of Great Britain and Ireland A review of the 2023 season. I am writing this near the end of October when the nights are drawing in, autumn weather is upon us and the warmth of at least some of the summer days is now a memory. We started the season with…
