Hazlehead (MacKenzie Championship)

Formerly known as the No.1 course at Hazlehead Park, this 18-hole tree-lined layout was renamed the MacKenzie Championship course in August 2015. Originally opened for play in 1927, the course is part of an extensive 45-hole golf complex at Hazlehead Golf Club which is operated by Sport Aberdeen on behalf of Aberdeen City Council.

Alister MacKenzie was appointed by Aberdeen Town Council as the architect for the city's new public course on 2nd October 1922, with his brother Charles acting as the main contractor for the build. Problems arose during construction of the layout, which didn't officially open for play until 3rd July 1927, years late and over budget.

Exactly a year earlier, The Aberdeen Press & Journal had reported that MacKenzie was “exceedingly indignant with the Town Council and certain of its officials for the way in which his work had been traduced and held up to public approbrium”. The architect then used the newspaper over several months to publish correspondence between him and the municipal officials.

Much of the acrimony could be blamed on the Aberdeen Town Council Finance Committee deciding on 7 December 1925 that MacKenzie "be paid the final instalment of £80 due to him, being the agreed-on rate of 6 per cent on £8000" It was deemed this would be the last payment and Mackenzie would not get any percentage on anything spent more than the contracted amount.

Set out within dense woodland close to Aberdeen city centre, the course isn’t all that long, measuring a modest 6,209 yards from the medal tees and playing to a par of 70. There are only two par fives on the scorecard and both of these holes appear close to the end of the round at the 15th and 17th.

Feature holes include the 391-yard 2nd (“Hazledene”), which plays to an elevated green, and the first of the par threes, the 174-yard 5th (“Garden”), where there’s a pronounced dip in the fairway between tee and green. On the back nine, the left doglegged 475-yard 17th (“Blackhill”) presents itself as a birdie opportunity near the end of the round.