Tom Mackenzie
Profile
Tom Mackenzie is a partner in the Mackenzie & Ebert design company (with Martin Ebert) who have become one of the prominent golf course design firms in the UK and Europe in recent years, thanks largely to their restoration work at Open Championship venues and their redesign of several key holes at Trump Turnberry. In some ways they have superseded Martin Hawtree as redesigner of choice for the R&A.
Much of the work done by Mackenzie and Ebert on Open Championship venues has been in response to technological advances in the game, and largely at the behest of the R&A. They did build two new holes at Royal Portrush and redesigned a handful at Nairn in the Scottish Highlands. Changes to the par five 7th at Nairn were a disappointment for the manner in which the new bunkering has forced short hitters into a much tighter corner off the tee, than longer golfers who can carry the drive bunkers. The new green on the par three 14th at Nairn was much better.
To this point Mackenzie & Ebert are still without a world-class new course in their portfolio, but one suspects they will have plenty of opportunities in the years ahead to work on decent projects. They will also, no doubt, be given more prestigious 'championship' courses to redesign. In late 2022 it was announced that the company had been engaged to work on the golf course at New South Wales Golf Club, in Sydney.
Prior to forming their partnership Mackenzie & Ebert worked for many years as design associates of Donald Steel.
For an appraisal of the Mackenzie & Ebert portfolio please contact the Global Golf Group.
