Martin Ebert

Martin Ebert trained in a landscape-related discipline and entered golf architecture with Donald Steel, one of the leading British figures of the post-war period. There he met Tom Mackenzie. The pair worked together on new courses and renovations before taking forward the design practice and founding Mackenzie & Ebert in 2005. Ebert became one of the principal specialists in Open Championship venues. Such work requires detailed historical understanding and the ability to anticipate elite trajectories, event infrastructure, safety and club expectations. At Royal Portrush the firm created two dramatic new dune holes that allowed The Open to return. At Royal Liverpool, Royal Troon, Carnoustie and Portmarnock, interventions have included tees, bunkers, greens and strategic lines. The transformation of Turnberry’s Ailsa Course is his most publicised project. Several coastal holes were completely reconsidered to make fuller use of rocks, sea and lighthouse. The new ninth, a par three across a bay, changed the course’s image while building on its historic landscape. It illustrates Ebert’s method: significant change is justified when it reveals a quality of the site that the former routing underused. Mackenzie & Ebert also creates new work. Dumbarnie Links occupies former coastal farmland in Scotland, while Adare Manor in Ireland represents an extensive reconstruction intended for the Ryder Cup. These demonstrate an ability to operate at different scales. Ebert favours detailed analysis, long-term masterplanning and close dialogue with clubs. His vision balances heritage, strategy and commercial requirements. A living architect, he has become a regular adviser to The R&A and major international clubs. His work should consistently be credited to the Mackenzie & Ebert partnership. Because a complete birth date is not institutionally published, the year is recorded cautiously.