Considering the fact that he was one of the greatest golf course architects in the history of the game, Dr. Alister MacKenzie has long been something of a puzzle--if not a mystery. He liked to wear kilts, but he wasn't a Scotsman. He graduated from medical school, but he never made a living at it. He designed spectacular courses, but he was not a good golfer. At the height of his career he was one of the most sought after designers in the world, but he was nearly broke when he died. The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie by Tom Doak, James S. Scott and Raymund M Haddock, uses detailed text, color photos and vintage maps, drawings and pictures to bring together many pieces of the puzzle. Questions about his boyhood, his military service, his many design trips in various parts of the world, and what made him so good at his craft, are all answered. Golfers, golf historians, and students of golf course architecture will find this book to be among their favorites. And, why wouldn't they with Augusta National, Cypress Point, Royal Melbourne, Crystal Downs, Lahinch, and Pasatiempo among his magnificent works? The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie is a cherished biography on one of golf's most eccentric, interesting, brilliant and colorful characters.

Alister MacKenzie was one of golf's greatest architects. He designed his courses so that players of all skill levels could enjoy the game while still creating fantastic challenges for the most experienced players. Several of MacKenzie's courses, such as Augusta National, Cypress Point, and Pasatiempo, remain in the top 100 today. In his "lost" 1933 manuscript, published for the first time in 1995 and now finally available in paperback, MacKenzie leads you through the evolution of golf--from St. Andrews to the modern-day golf course--and shares his insight on great golf holes, the swing, technology and equipment, putting tips, the USGA, the Royal & Ancient, and more. With fascinating stories about Bobby Jones, Walter Hagen, Gene Sarazen, and many others, The Spirit of St. Andrews gives valuable lessons for all golfers as well as an intimate portrait of Alister MacKenzie, a true legend of the game.

Critical reviews of golf courses in the northern United States and Canada.

With an introduction by H. S. Colt.

Charles Blair Macdonald may very well be one of the most influential persons in American golf history. In this visually stunning book, author George Bahto presents a compelling look into Macdonald’s, Seth Raynor’s, and Charles Banks’ work and includes an impressive array of rare vintage photographs, detailed course layouts, and sketches of many of their most highly regarded hole designs. In the tradition of recent architectural classics, The Evangelist of Golf joins Discovering Donald Ross: The Architect and His Golf Courses and The Life and Work of Dr. Alister MacKenzie to form a rare and beautiful triumvirate.

Throughout the world, few golf courses are as revered as California’s Cypress Point Club — not just for its breath-taking beauty but for its architectural significance. Located on the Monterey Peninsula along the white sands and steep cliffs that border the Pacific Ocean, the beauty of Cypress Point is the equal of its more famous neighbor Pebble Beach. Unlike Pebble, however, the history of Cypress Point has been relatively unknown. That is, until now. Alister MacKenzie’s Cypress Point Club, by Geoff Shackelford, is a biography of both the creation and the creator of this legendary and elusive layout. Typical of Shackelford’s work, the book is richly detailed and painstakingly assembled. Remarkable vintage photographs and insightful text not only take you back to the 1920s, they take you through the mental and physical process that went into developing each and every hole — including the spectacular 16th, arguably the most famous hole in the world.

'We are the Pilgrims, master; we shall go, Always a little further; it may be, Beyond that last blue mountain barred with snow.' If there was ever anyone who went a little further, a little beyond, it was Alastair MacKenzie. In a career spanning 30 years, MacKenzie served uniquely with the New Zealand Army in Vietnam, the British Parachute Regiment, the British Special Air Service (SAS), the South African Defence Force's famed ParaBats, the Sultan of Oman's Special Forces and a host of private security agencies and defence contractors. MacKenzie lived the soldier's life to the full as he journeyed 'the Golden Road to Samarkand'. This extraordinary new work from the author of Special Force: The Untold Story of 22nd Special Air Service Regiment (SAS) vividly documents the experience of infantry combat in Vietnam, life with the Paras, the tempo of selection for UK Special Forces, covert SAS operations in South Armagh and SAS Counter Terrorist training on the UK mainland, vehicle-mounted Pathfinder Brigade insertions into Angola and maritime counter-terrorism work in Oman.