The design of Lake Karrinyup has links back to the 1926 whirlwind visit made by Alister Mackenzie, which left such an indelible mark on the golfing landscape in Australia. A result of his quick 10-week stay was striking up a relationship with Alex Russell, who briefly partnered with Mackenzie and then went on to become an architect in his own right. With possibly the best strike rate of any designer in history, Russell's short but impressive resume includes the East Course at Royal Melbourne, Yarra Yarra, Paraparaumu in New Zealand and, of course, Lake Karrinyup.

In 2017 and 2018 we rebuilt all the greens and bunkers to improve the quality of the putting surfaces and return the Russell character to the hazards. OCM continue to consult to the club and recently completed a new Masterplan for the course.