Hadley Wood's course architect

Dr Alister Mackenzie

"Golf on a first-class course is never monotonous." - Dr Alister MacKenzie

It's safe to say that Hadley Wood Golf Club would not be the premier club it is today without the extraordinary design application of Dr Alister MacKenzie. The world-famous course architect who's credited with designing or remodelling more than 50 courses around the world - including the renowned layouts of Augusta National, Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne (West) - Hadley Wood was one of his earlier creations when it opened in 1922.

MacKenzie was a major contributor to the Golden Age of golf course design - roughly the first third of the 20th century - and periodically worked alongside fellow British greats such as Harry Colt, James Braid and Harry Vardon.

He was a strong proponent of creating courses that were foremost playable, but also festooned with challenges of an obvious and subtle nature. He took great pride in designing undulating and angled greens - at times bordering on the extreme - allowing for many different pin positions. MacKenzie also championed the carving of large, flowing bunkers to frame his challenging greens, while often flanking fairways with still more highly visible bunkers.

The intention was to produce holes that rewarded strategic ingenuity over simple power - where there was not a set formula to make par (or better), but one which challenged the player to consider a variety of approach styles, from where to attack from and how to execute the correct shot.

It's a testament to MacKenzie's far-reaching design flair that much of his Hadley Wood creation of more than a century ago remains intact today.

Top100golfcourses.com declared Hadley Wood "...one of the finest examples of an authentic Alister MacKenzie design".

"A good golf course grows on one like a good painting, good music, or any other artistic creation" - Dr Alister MacKenzie, The Spirit of St Andrews