Historic Alwoodley

Perhaps the most famous golden age architect, Dr. Alister MacKenzie was born in Normanton, near Leeds, in 1870. A keen golfer, he served in the Boer War at the beginning of the 20th century where he saw the effective concealed trenches and camouflage techniques of the Boers. They would form a pivotal part of his golf course design principles.

Alwoodley was the first course MacKenzie designed in 1907. His large undulating putting surfaces, sculpted manmade mounding that looked entirely natural, and bunkering that blended into the surroundings, immediately caught the eye.

A founder member of the club, he was also the first secretary and became Alwoodley captain in 1912.

It wasn’t all plain sailing. MacKenzie’s radical plans at Alwoodley caused some initial concerns and the club approached Harry Colt for advice.

But the pair found a mutual respect and his ideas prevailed.

Celebrated both for its beauty and its challenge, MacKenzie’s achievements at Alwoodley meant he was soon in demand.

Building on his concepts, first in the Leeds area and then further afield, his work was prized, if occasionally somewhat controversial.

MacKenzie’s career reached its zenith in the mid-1920s and early 1930s as he created timeless classics at Royal Melbourne, Cypress Point and Augusta National.

None of those, though, would have been possible without the first steps at Alwoodley.

More than 100 years on, we continue to be a much sought-after venue for major tournaments – regularly hosting events for The R&A, England Golf, and the Yorkshire Union of Golf Clubs.

In 2019 we welcomed the Brabazon Trophy, also known as the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship, for the first time. Ben Schmidt became the youngest ever victor – the 16-year-old producing a nerveless display to win by five strokes.

And in 2024 we hosted The R&A Girls’ Amateur Championship, which was won by Havanna Torstensson.

The 16-year-old Swede was in superlative form as she secured an impressive 8&7 triumph over Poland’s Matylda Krawczynska in the 36-hole final.

We are proud to have hosted many prestigious amateur and professional events over the years including:

Regional Qualifying for The Open

Ladies’ British Amateur Championship

Brabazon Trophy – the English Men’s Open Amateur Stroke Play Championship

English Ladies’ Amateur Championship

British Girls’ Championship

English Amateur

Tillman Trophy

Yorkshire Ladies’ Amateur Championship

Yorkshire Amateur Championship