Sunday, September 23, 2012

Great Mackenzie Golf Courses

Mackenzie was a great course architect who inspired some famous golf courses in the early 20th century. Mackenzie's golf courses in the United States stretch from Georgia in the east, to California in the west. These are a few of Mackenzie's great golf courses.  

One of the holes at the Augusta National.
Augusta is one of the most famous golf courses in the game. Located in Georgia, this is one you've probably heard of as the annual Master's golf championship is played here. It's the only course that has its own Major, and extends some 7,445 yards. I've also included course video tours in previous blog posts.

Around its famous holes the course has a compilation of plants among its flower beds, and pine trees which run alongside some of the fairways. In addition to this, the course has water on some of its more exciting holes, such as the 12th Rae's Creek where a creek separates the green from the tee-box. For further details, check out this previous blog post.

Cypress Point, in California, is another great Mackenzie course. Both Golf Magazine and Golf Digest have ranked this among the top five golf courses in the United States. It has a fantastic coastal setting, as it meanders through coastal dunes and also passes through the Del Monte forest over the front nine. The 16th 231 yard par-3 hole is one of the most exciting par-3 holes you'll likely find on a course with a tee-shot required over the Pacific to make the green. This previous blog post includes a Cypress Point video tour.

The Royal Melbourne and the Crystal Downs Country Club are two other notable Mackenzie courses. The Royal Melbourne is located in Australia, and its composite course, which includes holes from both the East and West courses, is one of the top rated courses beyond the United States. Mackenzie primarily inspired the West course when he visited Australia during the 1920s. The Crystal Downs Country Club is a 6,518 yard course that plays alongside Lake Michigan and Crystal Lake, and this too has made the top 10 of Golf Digest's course rankings.  

These courses are ranked among the best in the world. Few course architects have courses which match these classic Mackenzie golf courses.  

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