COURSE FEATURE Back to the future Scott MacCallum visits Moortown Golf Club, which hosted the first Ryder Cup match on this side of the Atlantic, and discovers a restoration project which is returning the course to its best Six months from now the who has studied MacKenzie thor- world of sport will have turned oughly - travelling far and wide to its attention away from the experience golf courses first hand Olympics and will be focussed and reading everything the great firmly on Medinah Country man wrote on the subject of golf Club, in Chicago, and the course design. He has also worked Ryder Cup. Golf fans, general at other MacKenzie courses includ- sports fans, even non sports ing Moortown’s near neighbour, fans, will be kept enthralled as Alwoodley, putting that knowledge fortunes sway throughout the to good use. three days and 28 matches, Ken was originally brought in but among the most interested by Moortown in 2004, along with observers will be the members namesake, former Ryder Cup of Moortown Golf Club which player and now BBC television played host to the first Ryder commentator, Ken Brown, and MAIN IMAGE RIGHT: 1937 Aerial Shot of Green’s Cup on this side of the Atlantic woodland management expert, Nursery at the back of in 1929. John Nicholson, with the brief of the 9th and 11th Greens with 13th fairway in the The razzmatazz which surrounds improving the challenge for the foreground the most recent playings of the better golfer. Over time that remit The Ryder Cup 1929, with Ryder Cup wasn’t quite the same at has expanded and the current Leo Diegel (BELOW) and Walter Hagen (INSET) Moortown in Leeds, West Yorkshire, work includes an extensive bunker driving from the 9th tee that May, but golfing aficionados of renovation and the remodelling of the time would have been extremely two holes – the 6th and 7th – which impressed that the American team will be concluded this spring. containing such legendary figures “In war times, I don’t think “The impetus for the more recent as Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, work coincided with the arrival of Horton Smith and Leo Diegel was that the course would Course Manager, Steve Robinson, beaten 7-5 to level the series at one have changed much since and some key members of the all. The British team containing, Moortown Committee visiting other among others Henry Cotton, Abe MacKenzie last visited for MacKenzie courses, including INSET ABOVE: The Ryder Cup 1929, Scoreboard after the first Mitchell, George Duncan and the Cypress Point and Pasatiempo Golf day, and Ryder Cup Teams Whitcombe brothers, came from the Ryder Cup in 1929” Club, in California. (RIGHT) 2.5 – 1.5 down in the Foursomes to Ken Moodie, Architect “They have seen the restoration MAIN ABOVE: 1937 Aerial Shot work that has been done on those of Green’s Nursery at the back win the Singles 5.5 to 2.5. of the 9th and 11th Greens with If, prior to settling down in front of courses, as have I, and we wanted 13th fairway in foreground the TV to watch the latest chapter in to do the same with Moortown,” INSET ABOVE RIGHT: 1937: The the Ryder Cup saga, the Moortown explained Ken. Moor Holes seen from above Green’s Nursery members decide to play a few holes Mackenzie styling includes very they will do so on a course which distinctive longer noses on bunkers has been modified and modernised, and much more intricate and yet returned to the style created by interesting shapes, and the work Leeds Doctor, Alistair MacKenzie, has been carried out in-house with who honed his skills in the UK and the assistance of a freelance shaper Australia before heading to the US ensuring that Ken’s plans make the and designing Augusta National transition from paper to play. and Cyprus Point. The results so far are stunning. The Club has worked closely As a starting point Ken had with architect Ken Moodie, a man acquired a 1948 aerial photograph 16 GI MARCH 2012 MARCH 2012 GI 17 COURSE FEATURE Back to the future Scott MacCallum visits Moortown Golf Club, which hosted the first Ryder Cup match on this side of the Atlantic, and discovers a restoration project which is returning the course to its best Six months from now the who has studied MacKenzie thor- world of sport will have turned oughly - travelling far and wide to its attention away from the experience golf courses first hand Olympics and will be focussed and reading everything the great firmly on Medinah Country man wrote on the subject of golf Club, in Chicago, and the course design. He has also worked Ryder Cup. Golf fans, general at other MacKenzie courses includ- sports fans, even non sports ing Moortown’s near neighbour, fans, will be kept enthralled as Alwoodley, putting that knowledge fortunes sway throughout the to good use. three days and 28 matches, Ken was originally brought in but among the most interested by Moortown in 2004, along with observers will be the members namesake, former Ryder Cup of Moortown Golf Club which player and now BBC television played host to the first Ryder commentator, Ken Brown, and MAIN IMAGE RIGHT: 1937 Aerial Shot of Green’s Cup on this side of the Atlantic woodland management expert, Nursery at the back of in 1929. John Nicholson, with the brief of the 9th and 11th Greens with 13th fairway in the The razzmatazz which surrounds improving the challenge for the foreground the most recent playings of the better golfer. Over time that remit The Ryder Cup 1929, with Ryder Cup wasn’t quite the same at has expanded and the current Leo Diegel (BELOW) and Walter Hagen (INSET) Moortown in Leeds, West Yorkshire, work includes an extensive bunker driving from the 9th tee that May, but golfing aficionados of renovation and the remodelling of the time would have been extremely two holes – the 6th and 7th – which impressed that the American team will be concluded this spring. containing such legendary figures “In war times, I don’t think “The impetus for the more recent as Gene Sarazen, Walter Hagen, work coincided with the arrival of Horton Smith and Leo Diegel was that the course would Course Manager, Steve Robinson, beaten 7-5 to level the series at one have changed much since and some key members of the all. The British team containing, Moortown Committee visiting other among others Henry Cotton, Abe MacKenzie last visited for MacKenzie courses, including INSET ABOVE: The Ryder Cup 1929, Scoreboard after the first Mitchell, George Duncan and the Cypress Point and Pasatiempo Golf day, and Ryder Cup Teams Whitcombe brothers, came from the Ryder Cup in 1929” Club, in California. (RIGHT) 2.5 – 1.5 down in the Foursomes to Ken Moodie, Architect “They have seen the restoration MAIN ABOVE: 1937 Aerial Shot work that has been done on those of Green’s Nursery at the back win the Singles 5.5 to 2.5. of the 9th and 11th Greens with If, prior to settling down in front of courses, as have I, and we wanted 13th fairway in foreground the TV to watch the latest chapter in to do the same with Moortown,” INSET ABOVE RIGHT: 1937: The the Ryder Cup saga, the Moortown explained Ken. Moor Holes seen from above Green’s Nursery members decide to play a few holes Mackenzie styling includes very they will do so on a course which distinctive longer noses on bunkers has been modified and modernised, and much more intricate and yet returned to the style created by interesting shapes, and the work Leeds Doctor, Alistair MacKenzie, has been carried out in-house with who honed his skills in the UK and the assistance of a freelance shaper Australia before heading to the US ensuring that Ken’s plans make the and designing Augusta National transition from paper to play. and Cyprus Point. The results so far are stunning. The Club has worked closely As a starting point Ken had with architect Ken Moodie, a man acquired a 1948 aerial photograph 16 GI MARCH 2012 MARCH 2012 GI 17 TC0216 Greenkeeper Aeration FP CS_Layout 1 20/02/2012 16:28 Page 1 COURSE FEATURE TORO HAS THE WIDEST RANGE of the golf course which had been Steve and the club took the deci- Mackenzie styling includes taken by the RAF when they flew sion that they would undertake the the country after the war. bunker rebuilding work in-house very distinctive longer noses on “I don’t think that the course aided by a locally based freelance OF AERATION EQUIPMENT. would have changed much from shaper. bunkers and much more intricate when MacKenzie had last visited “We felt that given our particular and interesting shapes, ensuring for the Ryder Cup in ’29 to then, situation with peat subsoil and so we could be fairly sure that it our weather conditions that it that Ken Moodie’s plans make the was close to his original design,” he was better to employ a freelance transition from paper to play THAT’S A BREATH OF FRESH AIR. explained. shaper who I could call on, once Steve arrived at the club five years I’ve checked the weather forecast ago from Blackmoor, in Hampshire, for the following day, rather than much in keeping with the MacKen- where he had managed a similar being charged for big plant and men zie style and it has meant that skills renovation programme. not being able to work because the have developed.