The Good Doctor Returns: Alister MacKenzie Comes Back to Golf

Geoff Schackelford has done a wonderful job of bringing Dr Alister Mackenzie and his work back to life. I could feel the presence of the Good Doctor as if he were sitting and talking with me. I enjoyed walking Pendleton Golf Links as much as Doc's biting humor. Ever read anything and felt like you knew the person? Take a walk or find a good chair and enjoy yourself and learn about golf course architecture from a master architect and master writer!Craig Lock

This is a lot of fun to read and an interesting story. The ending is a suprise, but I'm not sure if I liked it, but it did not spoil the rest of the book and the creative way Mackenzie is brought back to life. Bringing the Doctor back to Augusta was great fun, and it makes you think about how much he might not like it, especially with all the changes made to the course this year.

Shackelford, through his young hero and his hero's 'reincarnated' mentor, bring the theory and practise of course architecture back to one of its basic tenents - when completed, the course should be a compliment to its beginnings, not a tricked-up monument to a designers ego. Not overly long, it can easily be consumed in one setting. But be prepared to laugh, cry, and be angry, sometimes all at once. If you're a golfer, serious or otherwise, you will enjoy MacKenzie's subtle dressing down of the popular gimmicks and signature styles of many of the popular designers. Enjoy, enjoy.

Geoff Shackelford, an expert on course architecture and particularly Alister MacKenzie, isn't above having fun with his favorite subject. His new novel, The Good Doctor Returns, answers the question, "What would happen if Dr. MacKenzie were around today?" It seems the old Scot - designer of Cypress Point, Augusta National, etc. - didn't die in 1934, but took some time off and has now returned, hoping to do one last course that will feature his naturalist style while showing up the modern, bulldozer happy architects. More than a fun read, the book offers clear explanations of design theory then and now, obviously coming down on the side of "then." Whether or not you agree, you'll spend a pleasurable few hours and learn, the easy way, about the man and his methods.Four and 1/2 stars April 1998 issue

If you love old golf courses but don't know why, this will explain it all and more. The best golf novel since Legend of Bagger Vance.