Cypress Point Golf Club, the Masterpiece of Alister MacKenzie

My former secretary Lu Feng'an arranged my tour to the world-famous Monterey Peninsula during my visit to America in Nov. 2005. There is the complex of the four famous golf courses: Pebble Beach, Spyglass, Spanish Bay and Cypress Point. The first three are well-known public courses while Cypress Point is a private club course of long standing reputation as designed by Mr. MacKenzie, the British master designer in 1920s. I felt I was making a dialogue with the master on the course design and life philosophy when I talked about golf with my partner. I was appreciating the natural and harmonious design concept and the far-reaching connotation from Mr. MacKenzie. My partner gave me this book, which is about Mr. MacKenzie's design of the Cypress Point when I left. 

China Citic Press is going to publish Cypress Point Golf Club, the Masterpiece of Alister MacKenzie and I prefaced its Chinese version upon the invitation of the Press. We can find a lot of amazing phrases of Mr. MacKenzie on course design in the book. Some other figures and places mentioned in the book and Mr. MacKenzie himself are of great importance in the history of golf. 

Golf is different from other sports in many ways. In competitions of golf, you challenge yourself but not others despite of those strict rules as other sports may have. Your thoughts, disposition and strategy are crucial although skills are important as a miss is as good as a mile. Accomplishment and temperament are formed during the cultivation of cultural knowledge, personality and morality. It is true that Golf is like life. Behavior on the course shows a player's personality. 

Some top players believe that the rivals of payers are courses themselves. The exquisite conception and astonishing design made by designers bestow unpredictable variances that may be great danger or hidden opportunities. Great wit and remarkable moves are shown on the course from every layout, expedition, defense, loss from aggression, gain from let something go and so on. We can see such conception from the Cypress Point designed by Mr. McKenzie. I didn¡¯t know that he was a field surgeon though I have been appreciating the gifts of the master for long knowing his most courses are immortal classics. He merged military thoughts, e.g. camouflage, into the design of courses making the barriers mysteriously shift as real or imaginary challenging the wisdom, experience and mind. 

That's the very difference between masters and ordinary people. They can always find witty combinations from common things to create extensive charm that is hard to grasp or learn. The key course design concept of Mr. MacKenzie is the harmony between courses and nature, which makes courses seems borne the way it is without any trace of artificial work. Just as his words going, great courses are made by nature and then art; we also consider as the traceless integration of nature and art. One can never tell the functions of nature and art. That is the highest realm of course design. In my opinion, it is also the top world of aesthetics, i.e. the harmonious integration of human beings and nature. People create to merge into nature but not to resist or overtop nature. 

Nevertheless, the broad and clear course will reflect the mind, personality and accomplishment of a player when he/she stands on the course. It is a good vision of sincerity between the nature and human beings to keep elegance, perfection and sanctity. You will feel the surges in your heart and the harmony of man and nature on courses. Therefore, quite a few people consider golf as their lifelong hobby to keep their bodies fit and mental integrity. 

I admires Mr. MacKenzie a lot for his legendary life and design concept of return to nature although he has passed away long time ago. Nowadays most golf publications tell us how to play but few of them are about course design and architectural concepts. I have been longing for a book written by Mr. MacKenzie out of my admiration for him to know his words on golf especially those on design. It is good for mind and body of people from all circles to play golf, to have peaceful time on thinking about life and career and to release fickleness and impetus. This book takes the world top course as an example to show its design concept and to taste the life philosophy of the master. Golf fans and course construction and design professionals will revel in the charming scenes of the course and also gain enlightenment on the wisdom of life while enjoying the charming scenes. That is exactly the charm of top courses. The publication of this book will benefit golf players, course architects and designers and also those not engaged in the field of golf. I hereby strongly recommend you this book. 

The book has a great deal of descriptions on the grandness and artistic charm of Cypress Point that I needn't elaborate any further. Readers themselves can fully taste the work formed by the thoughts and ideas of the master to think about and realize what is implied in the book.