In the ongoing search for sand, we find the ancestral spirit of the game. These are must-play links courses on both sides of the Tasman. 

Debate surrounding the best golf courses in Australia tends to favour those layouts with links-like qualities. Hard, fast, bouncy and true. Certainly, Australia’s fascination with links golf stems partly from the fact the Open Championship accounts for 10 of the nation’s 18 men’s major triumphs.

Five of those belong to Peter Thomson who subdued the Americans on what he called neutral ground – the bouncy links courses of Britain. Local folklore has it that Thomson would prepare at Flinders Golf Club on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula prior to departing for what was dubbed by
Mike Wolveridge as ‘The annual slaying of the lambs’.

Kel Nagle pipped Arnold Palmer to win the centenary Open in 1960. Greg Norman produced two of the finest rounds in major-championship history during his triumphs at Turnberry (1986) and Royal St George’s (1993). Ian Baker-Finch tore apart Royal Birkdale over the weekend to claim the 1991 title. And who can forget Cam Smith’s sublime back-nine finish to thwart Rory McIlroy at the 2022 Open?

For a comprehensive insight into our record, Aussies At The Open details our tales and triumphs. The book’s authors, Tony Webeck and Steve Keipert, have listed every Australian who competed in the first 150 years of the world’s oldest major championship.

Yet for the majority of last century, the local trend in golf-course architecture had steered towards treelined parkland layouts. Club presidents, captains and committees became preoccupied with beautifying golf courses with the planting of trees and lush vegetation.

It was in stark contrast to Australia’s golden age of course architecture from the 1920s during which Alister MacKenzie influenced the design of clubs in Victoria, New South Wales, South Australia and New Zealand’s North Island.

Three significant developments could be attributed to ushering in an exciting new era of golf-course design about the turn of the century: the renaissance of links golf.

Firstly, Norman’s assaults on The Open captured the imagination of Australian golfers. His flamboyant style and daring shot-making on the links of Britain were vividly brought to life on television screens across Australia.

The second of Norman’s Open conquests in 1993 coincided with the opening of Links Hope Island. Rarely has an Australian golf venue attracted the hype achieved by Hope Island [feature image]. Boasting the imprimatur of five-time Open champion Thomson, Hope Island featured the rounded, pot-shaped bunkers synonymous with the great links courses of Britain. Thomson even paid homage to the idiosyncrasies of links golf: a pot bunker or two in the middle of a fairway.

The concept was a fascinating dichotomy: a links-style layout in a humid subtropical climate amid the waterfront canal living of the northern Gold Coast, the home to the white-shoe brigade of flamboyant property developers.

Links Hope Island had a magnetic appeal with golfers, especially those from southern Australia during the winter months when mean daily maximum temperatures on the Gold Coast hovered near 21-22 degrees.

Now ranked No.51 on Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses, the Hope Island resort has since been rebranded Links Golf & Wellbeing to acknowledge how it is much more than a golf destination. Facilities include a contemporary day spa, fine dining, conference facilities and tranquil lakeside settings for hosting weddings.

The third and most influential factor in the links golf renaissance was Tony Cashmore’s redesign of The Dunes Golf Links on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula in 1997. It spawned a plethora of links courses on the Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas during the next quarter of a century. Meanwhile, leading clubs on the Melbourne Sandbelt embarked upon renovation work, seeking architects who were capable of restoring the linksy elements of the original design (Yarra Yarra Golf Club, Woodlands Golf Club, Commonwealth Golf Club).

EMBRACING LINKS GOLF

Elsewhere, the links-inspired layout at Pullman Magenta Shores Resort on the NSW Central Coast is a remarkable achievement, partially transformed from a former rubbish tip into a superb golf experience rated 35th on the Top 100.

On a relatively flat site, course architect Ross Watson threaded playing corridors through artificial sand dunes on a narrow isthmus of land north of The Entrance, just 90 minutes from Sydney’s CBD and 45 minutes from the Hunter Valley. Fast-running couch fairways, deep bunkers and fescue rough enhance its linksy character.

With 2.3 kilometres of beach frontage, tropical outdoor lagoon pools and the luxurious Vie Spa, the 5-star Pullman resort is NSW’s most lavish seaside golf resort. Hotel guests and residents at Magenta Shore have access to all the resort’s facilities.

The Tuncurry course at Forster Tuncurry Golf Club on NSW’s Mid North Coast fits the classic description of a links – a strip of sandy terrain from which the sea has receded to form a rolling piece of land conducive to the game. While native bushland obscures the immediate foreshore, most holes at Tuncurry are in such proximity to the water that the sound of crashing waves are a constant reminder of the vast Tasman Sea.

Professional-turned-course architect Craig Parry is responsible for ongoing work on the original layout designed by Kel Nagle and Mike Cooper and shaped by volunteer members (1984). Much attention has focused upon reducing the amount of overgrown vegetation (banksia and tee tree), which had been allowed to flourish and restrict the width of playing corridors. It’s a vast improvement to the 6,209-metre, par-72 layout, reflected by the fact it has re-entered Australia’s Top 100 at No.97.

REMOTE LINKS COURSES

Making the 290-kilometre trek west from Melbourne via the Great Ocean Road is a small inconvenience in order to play Port Fairy Golf Links on Victoria’s Shipwreck Coast. This hidden gem has achieved somewhat of a cult following after a 2007 renovation that now sees it ranked at a career-best No.50 on Australia’s Top 100.

Originally laid out by club members in the early 1960s, Port Fairy had the foresight to engage the team of Michael Clayton, Bruce Grant and John Sloan to enhance the links experience. It’s a terrific blend of holes through unspoilt sand dunes that Mother Nature gifted this enchanting part of the world. Although relatively short in length at 5,887 metres for a par 72, Port Fairy’s challenge is compounded by exposure to ever-present winds off the ocean.

The most remote golf course you’ve never been to is surely Albany Golf Club in the Great Southern region of Western Australia. It’s a 405-kilometre journey south-east of Perth – the world’s most remote capital city – however a longer scenic route affords an opportunity to discover red tingle forests, ancient Karri trees and the ‘Valley Of The Giants Tree Top Walk’ near Walpole.

Albany is thoroughly quirky with several raised ‘hogs-back’ kikuyu fairways and the squarish, flat greens with steep runoffs. William Henry Angove is credited with designing WA’s oldest course located on its original site (1898). The routing of the 6,068-metre, par-72 layout changed in 2001 after the opening of a contemporary clubhouse.

Now ranked No.99 on Australia’s Top 100, the panoramic views from Albany’s highest vantage points are breathtaking – especially so if you’re lucky enough to catch Southern Right whales breaching as close as 100 metres offshore in the waters of King George Sound.

ACROSS THE DITCH

The magnificent Tara Iti at Mangawhai on New Zealand’s North Island became an instant bucket-list course when it opened in 2015. The windswept links on a former pine plantation, about 100 kilometres north of Auckland, might just be the greatest accomplishment by revered American architect Tom Doak, who took advantage of the mesmerising scenery of Hauraki Gulf. While the exclusive Tara Iti is members-only and their guests, visitors can experience the Doak layout by applying for a ‘once-in-a-lifetime’ pass on the club’s website to play and stay at the property.

The success of Tara Iti was the catalyst for Te Arai Links, which boasts two pure-links courses on the beach just beyond its neighbour. Bill Coore constructed the first 18 in natural sand dunes where 16 holes feature ocean views, while eight holes have direct ocean frontage.

Doak’s Renaissance Golf Design added a second course at Te Arai, which opened last October. The North course is routed inland with seven of the 18 holes featuring ocean views. The green fee for Australians to play either course ranges between $NZ300 and $NZ425, depending on the season. One of the two courses is open to the public each day on an alternating basis.

For a fraction of the price, Muriwai Golf Links on the Auckland region’s rugged west coast offers superb value with a green fee of $NZ150 (for non-New Zealand affiliated golfers). Known for its black-sand surf beach emanating from the rich volcanic soil, Muriwai features the humps, swales and pot bunkers synonymous with links golf.

While not a classic links in the purist sense because of its kikuyu fairways, the turf maintenance is such that it plays with the hard, bouncy feel of a true links. Just 42 kilometres north-west of the Auckland city centre, Muriwai’s greatest virtue is an all-year playability due to the fast-draining nature of the sandy property. Away from the course, the local gannet colony draws visitors from afar. Piha Beach, horse riding and zip-lining are alternative tourist attractions. 

The post In Pursuit Of Links Golf appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Kauri Cliffs, Te Arai and the new golf drawcard north of Auckland

Ray Geffre, the director of golf at Kauri Cliffs Golf Club, has a message for Australia’s estimable cohort of travelling golfers: the course options north of Auckland are broader and better than you know.

“Think Queenstown of the North, with a warmer and wider selection of golf – at seaside,” says Geffre, whose Kauri Cliffs property also recently announced a discounted rate for Australian nationals. “We’ve always offered Kiwis a special domestic rate, but Australians deserve one of their own, to distinguish them from folks visiting from Europe, Asia and the US. And to better express how much we value their business here in the Northland.”

According to Geffre, international visitors to Kauri Cliffs will pay a green fee of $NZ850, while domestic fees remain at $NZ450 per golfer. The newly created green fee introduced specifically for Australian nationals is $NZ650.

American-born Geffre, who looks after Kauri Cliffs and its sister course 500 kilometres to the south, Cape Kidnappers, sees an entirely new golf reality taking shape north of Auckland – that portion of the North Island that Kiwis call the Northland. The golf course at Kauri Cliffs has, of course, proved a fixture in everyone’s world top 100 list, pretty much since the day it debuted in 2001. However, it takes two points to make a line, and the opening of Te Arai Links just south of Mangawhai has helped transform the Northland into a legitimate golf destination – anchored by two marquee venues, each ranked among the top 30 courses in the Asia-Pacific region.

Yet Geffre and his counterpart at Te Arai Links, Jon McCord, agree that few locals – Australians included – understand just how stellar and diverse the golf in the Northland can be. If one knows whom to ask and where to go.

There are wonderful lodging options across the top half of New Zealand’s North Island. Yet, if one stays at Kauri Cliffs [featured image] – perhaps in one of the resort’s new four-bedroom residences, designed specifically with the golf mates’ trip in mind – Geffre eagerly recommends two nearby courses that travelling golfers should not miss: Kataia Golf Club in Ahipara, on the way to Cape Reinga, and Waitangi Golf Club on a gorgeous, clover-shaped peninsula just down the road from Kauri, in Paihia.

“Not many folks from away appreciate just how good the golf is at Kataia, which I like to call ‘the Arrowtown of the North’,” Geffre says. “I honestly don’t want to wear out the Queenstown analogies, but Aussies and other internationals travel there so frequently – it’s a useful reference point. And Kataia Golf Club does serve up the same compelling brand of low-key-but-truly-excellent course design. However, unlike Arrowtown, Kataia’s an authentic links – and it’s located directly on 90 Mile Beach. The setting and the golf are out of this world.”

In case you think Geffre is engaging in a bit of local boosterism, check out what Aussie Darius Oliver – a former architecture editor of this magazine – had to say about Kataia on his website, Planet Golf: “Nothing like playing golf on a beautiful course right next to a world famous beach… a true 18-Hole
All Weather Links Course, one of the best in New Zealand, with undulating fairways and excellent greens… Magnificent views looking out over the Tasman Sea and the enormous sand dunes at Reef Point.”

According to McCord, the pickings closer to Te Arai are equally tasty. His recommendations include Waipu and Mangawhai golf clubs, with Waipu in particular offering some exceptional views of the South Pacific.

He also recommends South Head Golf Club, just an hour north of Auckland, where Tiger Woods caddied for Steve Williams ahead of the Kiwi’s wedding in 2006.

“South Head rightly enjoys a great reputation,” McCord says, “but my main message to Aussies or anyone else on golf safari: this part of the North Island is legitimately subtropical. Once you’ve played all that Te Arai Links [above, right] has to offer, you’d be crazy not to check out the region. The golfing terrain at Mangawhai is awesome. Waipu is breathtaking – one of my personal favourites – and they just invested in a new irrigation system, which has the golf course in better shape than ever.

“I guess that’s the other takeaway: Mangawhai, Kataia and Waipu are wonderful courses, but they’re [also] so casual, fun and affordable. If you can’t fashion a great week of golf from all we have on offer in the Northland, you’re just not trying very hard.” 

 Photos by Ricky Robinson

The post Where We Play: Calling All Aussies appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Plan your golf travels for the new year based on our advice about where to play and when during the next 12 months. 

Australian golfers are blessed with a wide variety of places to play and a mostly agreeable climate. You can always find good courses in whatever weather at any time of year. Yet while entirely possible, it probably doesn’t make sense to tour Tasmania in July or Tropical North Queensland in January. Both are desirable destinations, they’re just better experienced at the optimum time of year.

And ‘optimum’ can mean several things. It might be weather-related or perhaps to do with other events taking place. With that in mind, we’ve compiled a calendar to cover your golf travel in 2024. If you’re lucky enough to take 12 golf trips this year, consider your plans sorted (and we very much envy you!). But even if you’ve only got one or two trips in mind, this list will still give you options to choose from whenever you’re looking to take a break.

January: Melbourne

Granted, Melbourne in mid-summer can be excruciatingly hot. However, Melbourne’s vibrancy is at its peak in the first month of the year. The Australian Open tennis is on, the city is buzzing and the overall appeal of the place is palpably elevated in comparison to the winter months. We just recommend either sunrise tee-times or twilight rounds on those scorching hot days.

The best golf options are obvious – Sandbelt, Sandbelt, Sandbelt – so there’s no need to ‘sell’ that to you. In January, though, those courses are likely to be busy, so perhaps favour one of the city’s many other fine layouts or maybe a course you haven’t played before. One such option, a pleasant drive past the city’s northern suburbs, is Hidden Valley Resort.

It’s not difficult to work out how the resort got its name. The destination sits in a beautiful but sheltered little valley that doesn’t truly reveal itself until you’re in it. However, once there, the Hidden Valley Resort unfolds before you with an assortment of facilities and activities. For golfers, the Craig Parry-redesigned golf course is neat and tidy and measures a robust 6,498 metres from the back markers. The front nine is pleasant and does ease you in before the more spectacular back nine that includes Hidden Valley’s answer to ‘Amen Corner’, where holes 13-15 feature doglegs over and around large water hazards and require numerous strategic decisions to be made.

February: Victoria’s Mornington and Bellarine peninsulas

Forgive us for having a foot in both camps here, as it’s always a tough decision to make when venturing outside Melbourne with an appetite for golf. While the Mornington (think St Andrews Beach, Moonah Links, The Dunes, Bay Views) has traditionally outpunched its cross-bay peninsula, in more recent times the Bellarine (think 13th Beach, Barwon Heads, Lonsdale Links, Curlewis, Queenscliff) has improved its offerings to make it a much more even ‘match’. Plus, in February you have the Vic Open in the region, an event that might be unmatched for popularity within its immediate locale. You won’t get a game at 13th Beach that week, but you will be able to soak up the best tournament in Australia when you combine field quality, course calibre and gallery proximity to the players.

The reason we like February for the two peninsulas is because the peak holiday season has passed (both regions traditionally overflow with tourists in December and January), kids are back at school and the weather is usually ideal. A solid week of golf in either – or both – locations as the summer days slink towards autumn sounds like heaven to us.

March: New Zealand

There’s a reason why the New Zealand Open is held in March or very close to it – the weather is sublime and matches the scenery, especially when it’s held in Queenstown. The action-packed town on the stunning South Island is fantastic at any time of year, but as summer merges with the cooler months, all activities are in play. Wherever you book tee-times in New Zealand’s adventure capital, consider letting Remarkable Golf Tours piece together an itinerary that works for golf and non-golf activities, while in past visits we’ve stayed at Crowne Plaza Queenstown and Glebe Apartments. Either works brilliantly as a base to see the area and play golf in Queenstown and Arrowtown. Another recommendation: add a day or two to visit Christchurch and play golf at Clearwater Resort, another striking past New Zealand Open venue.

On the North Island, the start of autumn sees the likes of Titirangi and Muriwai in an array of colour and agreeable weather. The Titirangi course is a wonderful parkland excursion now faithfully restored to Dr Alister MacKenzie’s original sketches and just 15 minutes from the Auckland CBD. Meanwhile, the undulating terrain, mix of sand dunes, wind-whipped bush and visual splendour of the tumbling waves in the background at coastal Muriwai are matched by superb playing surfaces. North, South or both islands, New Zealand shines at this time of year.

April: Adelaide

There are two sets of golfers in Australia: those who attended LIV Golf’s Adelaide extravaganza last year and those who regret missing out. If you’re part of the first group, we don’t need to ‘sell’ the notion of being in the South Australian capital this April. It might have been the greatest sporting month in the city’s history – Easter, the AFL’s inaugural ‘Gather’ Round and LIV Golf filled three consecutive weekends in ideal mid-autumn weather.

This April, the calendar is not proving quite as kind. Easter is mostly in March and the Gather Round is separated from LIV’s return by three weeks, but the wildest golf tournament in Australian history is retaining its late April date – this time falling directly after Anzac Day. If you haven’t already booked flights and accommodation, fuel up the car and find a distant relative who lives in Adelaide with a spare room or a couch on which to crash for the week, because hotel rooms will be scarce.

And pack your clubs because there’s some fantastic autumn golf to be played. When friends have asked, I’ve been recommending organising tee-times at some of Adelaide’s good suburban clubs if the likes of Royal Adelaide, Kooyonga and Glenelg are out of reach or charging inflated green fees. Mt Osmond, Blackwood plus Links Lady Bay and Tanunda Pines are well worth exploring during your LIV visit.

May: Sydney

Selecting the best time of year for golf in Sydney is not as easy as you might think. There is some temptation to say September – after all, the 2000 Olympics were held in the second half of the ninth month for a reason – as it’s often the driest time of the year. However, Sydneysiders know spring is traditionally very windy, so we’ve instead opted for May. It’s a sneaky-good month in that you can often still feel a little warmth while walking the fairways, as it’s usually June before winter truly takes hold, and many couch-grass courses are yet to experience dormancy, meaning the playing surfaces are often stellar.

Much like Melbourne, the Harbour City offers vast geographical options for golfers, however it might be the courses you’re less familiar with that pique your attention. Fitting in that mould is Lakeside Camden. Originally designed by Peter Thomson, Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett in 1993 and then known as Camden Lakeside, it later absorbed members from neighbouring Camden Valley Golf Resort (née Rugby League Country Club) when its 27 holes were sold for property development. Course architect James Wilcher reconfigured the layout, as the new Lakeside features fast-running couch fairways that add a ‘linksy’ feel. Wilcher replaced the original flat putting surfaces with new creeping bentgrass greens while retaining the trademark pot-style bunkers synonymous with five-time Open champion Thomson.

June: Western Australia

It took until my fifth visit to WA before seeing it in winter, but now my last two visits have come during the cooler months. It is an underrated time of year to play golf in the west. Daylight hours might be short, but the cool (rather than cold) temperatures make Perth more pleasant mid-year. Whether you play public-access gems like Joondalup and The Vines or use reciprocal playing rights to get your way onto the likes of Lake Karrinyup, Cottesloe or the Western Australian, you’re sure to piece together a hit-list of great golf. Plus there’s the Swan Valley, Fremantle and Rottnest Island to fill in the non-golf days, as well as the Margaret River region for those with a little extra time to roam.

Another great reason to bring your golf clubs to WA is the stretch of courses south of Perth. Dotted along the next 90 or so kilometres of coastline are enough top-quality golf courses to comprise a golf destination in its own right. The pick of them – Links Kennedy Bay – is temporarily down to nine holes while it undergoes an extensive redesign that will be enticing to see once complete, while courses like The Cut, Meadow Springs and Secret Harbour offer diversity, challenge and interesting golf.

July: North Queensland

Anyone who has sweltered through a summer north of the Tropic of Capricorn will attest to the suffocating humidity and uncomfortable weather that can permeate your soul in the warmer months. So it’s no secret to suggest that the middle of the year is the best time to venture up and experience our most northern latitudes. What you might not know, however, is that the interior part of the Sunshine State is gaining a following and offers just as exotic a destination as the coast.

Part of the appeal stems from the Outback Queensland Masters (OQM), the five-year-old tournament spread across six weekends and six locations that’s gained more traction with each staging. Coined ‘a golf adventure of a different kind’, the OQM is Australia’s most remote golf tournament. This year’s event will take players from the edge of the Simpson Desert, teeing off at Birdville Dunes Golf Club on June 15, onto Boulia Golf Club in the land of the Min Min light, through dinosaur country in Winton and onto Barcaldine, Charleville and culminating on the red sand greens of Quilpie on July 21. One of the most enticing aspects of the OQM is the prospect of a lucrative ace. The first five locations each have a $10,000 hole-in-one opportunity, before players line up to take a shot at the $1 million hole-in-one finale.

Mt Isa Golf Club – a past OQM host venue – isn’t on the 2024 schedule but is well worth adding for its rugged beauty and a rarity in this part of Queensland: the course is the only one in the state’s north-west with grass greens. The 18-hole layout uses its barren environment to full effect, leading Mt Isa to be dubbed a friendly club in a region full of unfriendly landscapes.

August: South-East Queensland

It’s the same state but vastly different from the northern half. I remember the first time I toured some of the Gold Coast’s best resort courses in August. The weather was sunny and dry, with temperatures in the low to mid-20s and the courses in top condition. I recall thinking that you would not want it to be even one degree warmer than it was. Another reason to like South-East Queensland in the final month of, ahem, ‘winter’ is the crescendo of our football seasons. Both the AFL and NRL are approaching their respective finals series in August, meaning there is likely to be at least a few pivotal games taking place in Brisbane or ‘the Goldie’ across the two codes, giving you an obvious choice for night-time activities.

As with Melbourne and Sydney, though, we like the idea of finding an unheralded course that’s a little distance from the limelight. Kooralbyn Valley is known to many golfers familiar with the Gold Coast golf scene. Unfortunately, what’s also well known is how the Kooralbyn course spiralled into a state of decline some years ago. These days, however, it is back to its best and should be played if you haven’t been there for a while. Tour the resort layouts by all means; just don’t leave Kooralbyn off your itinerary.

September: NSW Hunter Valley

Here’s another location that could claim to fit into several months, but we’ve chosen the start of spring. Why? Budburst on the vines, warmer daytime temperatures amid nights still cool enough to justify cracking open a bottle of shiraz in front of an open fire, and golf courses becoming ever more verdant after emerging from the frostiest time of year. Many of the wineries in the region pledge that early spring is the best time of year to visit the area, and we’re not going to argue.

Whether you stick to the tried-and-tested valley courses of The Vintage and Cypress Lakes or venture closer to the coast for Pacific Dunes or Newcastle, the Hunter Valley is on song in spring.

Bonus tip: Your correspondent lived in various parts of the Hunter Valley for about seven years in the 1990s and still returns there regularly. There is a sneaky high number of good country courses up and down the valley. Muswellbrook Golf Club – about an hour from the heart of wine country, but also close to several of the best wineries in the Upper Hunter – is as good an 18-hole layout for a town of 12,000 people as you’ll find. But don’t forget that the Hunter region stretches north to Taree and includes most of Lake Macquarie to the south, too, which puts coastal gems like Belmont and the ever-improving Hawks Nest in the picture. The Hunter is like three golf destinations in one.

October: Murray River

The shoulder seasons are best on the Murray River, but you might just need a whole month to see all the best courses along the vast watercourse. Indeed, if you were to cover each one from the Mildura courses in the west to the Albury layouts in the east, it could take nearly all 31 days when accounting for travel between each ‘pocket’.

Yes, the Murray’s courses grew in pockets along the river including – heading from east to west – Albury and surrounds, the Yarrawonga area, the cluster closest to Melbourne at Echuca-Moama and the Swan Hill/Mildura area before the golf continues across the border into South Australia. There is a certain design style to the Murray courses. Like the river itself, almost everything about them is big: big greens, sprawling bunkers, towering trees and plenty of broad fairways, although subtle variations are evident as you traverse the region.

The Black Bull course and nearby 45-hole complex at Yarrawonga Mulwala offer convenient central locations from which you can ‘attack’ the river courses in both directions, while also placing 63 holes nearby. Black Bull is the top-ranked course along the river and is part of an ever-growing precinct that includes a thriving residential estate and a luxurious Sebel resort.

November: Tasmania

The much-vaunted Seven Mile Beach course on the edge of Hobart is due to open in November 2024, making this the perfect month to venture across Bass Strait. While the penultimate month of the year can serve up cold or warmth (golf in a jumper is still a distinct possibility), it is unlikely to be unbearably chilly and touring Tasmania in late spring is always stunning. The days are getting longer and warmer, and the feeling of being on the doorstep of summer is infectious.

Also catching is the notion that our island state is home to the best publicly accessible golf courses. Barnbougle Dunes, Lost Farm and Bougle Run in the north, Cape Wickham and Ocean Dunes on King Island and Royal Hobart in the state’s capital all rank in our Top 100 Courses – four of those first five in the top 15. And you can play them all. Yet what’s really lighting up Tasmania is the prospect of Seven Mile Beach opening, then the nearby Arm End course hopefully soon after, plus Five Mile Beach in the not-too-distant future. The golf pendulum in Tassie swung noticeably north 20 years ago with the advent of Barnbougle but now it’s set to swing south once more, making the entire island a captivating proposition for a week’s golf.

December: Home

Christmas is looming and chances are you’re planning a return to your home town or region to visit family, so why not use that time to get back in touch with your roots and return to the place where you probably started playing the game? Can you beat your previous best score around your home track? Are you a better golfer now than when the year began? The solutions to many things in life and in golf begin with a return to the start. 

The post Travel Special: A Golfer’s Dozen appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Te Arai Links, New Zealand’s newest seaside showstopper, might just be the new standard for stay-and-play golf moving forward.

When it comes to golf course design, sometimes a site is so good that you know if you don’t create something that’s extraordinary, you’ve failed as an architect. Such was the conundrum faced by American designer Bill Coore when he first set foot on the sprawling duneland of Te Arai Links, 90 minutes north of Auckland, to map out its jaw-dropping South course.

“It’s one of those extraordinary sites where, if you’re in the golf business, you could only wish for,” says Coore, one half of the dynamic Coore & Crenshaw design firm. “Obviously, Ben [Crenshaw] and I have been so fortunate through the years to get truly special sites to work with, and this is without question one of them.”

It was a similar scenario for Coore’s countryman Tom Doak, who was charged with adding a second batch of 18 holes on the same property just to the north. Naturally, Doak had to be prepared for the inevitable comparisons that would come his way while building the site’s North course.

“To be honest, for this course to be spoken of equally, alongside the South course, we felt we had to do more with the golf,” Doak reveals. “This is legitimately great inland terrain – pure sand and dunesy, with big undulations. But we couldn’t rely on that. We agreed that if we’re going to produce something different, we should probably be a bit edgier. The overall shaping, greens and fairways, speak to that, I think.”

Doak didn’t have anyone else to blame for such lofty expectations being put on the Te Arai Links project. Sitting a few minutes further down the beach is another otherworldly creation with his fingerprints all over it, which just happens to be New Zealand’s No.1-ranked golf course. Tara Iti, the ultra-private links wonderland that regularly features high on global rankings, was the inspiration for what will be a far more accessible alternative for golfers travelling from all corners of the globe. 

Build it and they will come

Te Arai (pronounced similar to “T-R-E”) is the vision of a group of investors led by Tara Iti founder Richard Kayne, founder and co-chairman of Kayne Anderson Capital Advisors, a Los Angeles-based manager of alternative investment strategies, and Jim Rohrstaff, a golf-industry veteran and Michigan native who relocated his family to Auckland. Both men are now fully fledged New Zealand citizens and, having sampled life in this part of the world, it’s not hard to see why.

Bordered by the Pacific Ocean, Te Arai is pure sand with dunes and gorgeous natural movement. As Coore puts it, “it’s highly, highly gifted for golf.”

Coore, of course, is familiar to many for his work at Lost Farm in Tasmania, Cabot Cliffs in Canada and American wonderlands Streamsong Red and Sand Hills. Suffice to say, he knows a thing or two about ambition.

“The potential of the site at Te Arai Links is so extreme that it carries with it a bit of stress and uncertainty, which is not a bad thing,” Coore said during the build.

Today, it occupies very real, established space in the golf world. Like Sand Hills, it’s scarcely possible for someone who plays the game to look at the property and not see golf. Like Tasmania’s latest project at Seven Mile Beach, removing hundreds of pine trees was like peeling back the curtain on the most incredible canvas for a golf artist.

At Te Arai, Coore walked the place repeatedly, as is his custom, to find the most interesting features and combination of holes that might maximise the “gifted” terrain. The section he chose runs primarily parallel to the coastline between the water’s edge and a large primary dune several hundred metres inland with the flow moving north and south. In the routing he assembled, all the holes but one, the par-4, Cape-like second, have some view of the sea, and most look right down on it.

“Unlike classic links courses, where the closer you get to the ocean the less you see of it because the large dunes close to the beach hide the view,” Coore says, “the dune formations at Te Arai cascade from high on down to the water, and you see the ocean from everywhere.”

Getting over the high dune from the inland clubhouse setting where the South course begins was challenging – there were no natural gaps or ways to flank it as there was at Bandon Trails in Oregon, for instance, where the routing turns sharply around the corner of a steep ridge as it breaks between the sixth and seventh holes. At Te Arai Links, the routing punches through the ridge at the short par-4 third that plays towards the base of the dune, then rises sharply upwards where Coore’s two primary shapers on the project, Riley Johns and John Hawker, carved out a punchbowl green, effectively creating passage. Players can lay up to the base of the hill and then pitch up to the green over the cornice, or swing away for the green from the tee. Coore says that anything that clears the high, front edge will rattle and roll around the bowl and probably end up on the green.

The next tee begins an epic three-hole stretch that had our editors coming back for more. The fourth hole might be one of the world’s great par 4s once those with ranking influence play it. A spectacular downhill, dogleg to the right with ocean in the distance and pines on either side is matched by a funky plateaued landing zone that makes your drive’s final resting position somewhat of a lottery. But boy it’s fun – and beautiful. 

When we stepped on the next tee – the par-3 fifth – we were greeted with a stunning rainbow, almost haloing the target ahead as if to say, ‘Welcome to golf heaven, friends.’ It proved a great omen – and memorable photo [image below].

Another thrilling shot awaits you on the sixth. Coore found a prominent natural finger of the primary dune, some 15 feet tall, that extended perpendicular towards the water. Johns and Hawker shaped a large Big Bertha bunker into the face of it – the terrifying but rewarding line of play on the drive is directly over the top. Such a strong, heroic feature was too good not to utilise. But other parts of the course are equally sublime, like the greens at the par-5 seventh and the par 3s at holes five and eight, which sit low and tie in with the natural grade.

“I remember different folks have talked about great sites, whether it’s the Sand Hills or the Bandon sites, and about not just how special they’ve been but how much fun it must be to work on them,” Coore says. “And there’s no question it’s a great deal of fun. But at the same time, sometimes the site is so good that you know if you don’t create something that’s extraordinary, you’ve failed.”

Thankfully, Coore scored an A+ with the South course, embodying all the desires for old-time golf and travel and anticipation that Sand Hills resurrected when it opened more than 25 years ago – timeless qualities that had nevertheless fallen dormant for a long period of time.

“You can’t help but go to a site like at Te Arai Links and not think about golf hundreds of years ago. If we’re not careful the worst thing we can do is diminish it,” he says. “We tried to build a course that’s at least equal to the site on which it’s located.”

Another diamond on Doak’s résumé

Most sequels fail to live up to the original. Doak and the team at Renaissance Golf Design set about bucking that trend by fashioning Te Arai Links’ North course in the shadow of their own work: Tara Iti Golf Club. 

But, while Tara Iti takes in some extraordinary ocean views and leaves you exposed to the elements, the North course channels more Pine Valley than Pebble Beach, with several holes taking you on a remarkable inland sojourn through towering pines and treacherous green complexes, before bringing you back towards the ‘money shot’ at the end. 

Arguably the most sought-after course architect in the world, Doak stands by his latest work and the decision to steer away from the spectacular coastline.

“It feels a bit weird to apologise for having seven holes on the ocean, especially when the rest of our North Course plays through terrain where the best comp. might be Pine Valley,” Doak says. “At Tara Iti, you’re looking at the Pacific Ocean from every hole. On Bill’s course, all but the first few holes play directly at seaside. That’s just the reality down here, yet everyone is pleased with the way the North course stands on its own, beside each of these world-class golf courses.

“We honestly didn’t feel we were competing with Tara Iti or the South course. But we did want the North course to be different – and fun. We’re quite certain that we succeeded on both counts.”

Indeed, he did. Doak’s 6,338-metre, par-71 North course opens and closes at seaside, with another sweep down to the Pacific Ocean at holes eight and nine. Elsewhere, the unique routing explores what had been a pine forest set on dunes high above the beach. Doak spent months on site – personally shaping green complexes and fairway features behind the controls of a bulldozer. Typically, the award-winning architect jets into a project, inspects and suggests for several days, then leaves the earthmoving to his long-time associates in the Renaissance shaping and construction crews. However, because the North course took shape during the COVID-19 pandemic, Doak travelled to New Zealand in the spring of 2022, and stayed for two full months. The upshot of this arrangement, as fans of his work might suspect, is out of this world.

“I’m still not that great on the dozer, but I do love it,” Doak says. “Some of the results are pretty wild, like the greens at seven and four. Maybe too severe at first glance. But in the end, they looked really cool and we all agreed: let’s keep that.”

The routing includes several world-class seaside holes – including the jaw-dropping par-3 17th, and a par-5 closer that tracks the shoreline all the way home. Throughout the routing, Doak and his fellow shapers Angela Moser, Clyde Johnson and lead associate Brian Slawnik (who also shaped Tara Iti) each managed to create exquisite, dramatic, flamboyant features.

When discussing the North course, however, the inland holes are what Doak hangs his hat on – especially those that occupy a massive valley in the middle of the routing.

“Before we moved any dirt, we all identified that natural bowl and I think we used it very well. I really like how the holes in there, four through seven, came out. All of them. Eight plays down to the water from the edge of that bowl, and I love the way nine comes back uphill into the bowl. Really cool, with a blind approach – over a road! The last 150 yards of that par 5 are just awesome.”

The reality is, everything on the North course remains very close to the ocean. On any given day, each of the 18 holes can play completely differently depending on wind direction. As Doak says, that’s what golf by the sea is all about.

Visitors will have more than great Doak holes to savour, too. They’ll even get a peek into the rich history of the land the North course sits on. Doak and his team discovered, preserved and now proudly showcase a former Māori fort, a defensive fortification known as a pa, between the fifth tee and sixth green. It’s one of the countless mind-blowing sights you’ll take in during your round.

Come for the golf, stay for something even better

Is it possible a property that may already boast the country’s two best public golf courses, be equally, if not more impressive off its fairways? The message from its owners is: watch this space.

The South course at Te Arai Links, the South Clubhouse, Ric’s Pizza Barn and The Playground – the resort’s huge, two-acre putting course and beating communal heart – have all been operational for a year now. The same is true for Te Arai’s collection of luxury two-bedroom cottages and suites, all of them deftly camouflaged by the surrounding dunescape.

But it’s what is still to come that should have travelling golfers licking their lips in anticipation. The North course’s recent opening underlined the concerted, ongoing development progress at Te Arai Links. A dedicated clubhouse serving the North course will open in October 2024. The Ocean Restaurant – overlooking the 18th hole on the South course – will be christened simultaneously. Fully accoutred halfway houses on both courses are scheduled to come online very soon, while the members-only Bunker Bar, buried in a dune on the North course’s 18th hole, will open in early 2024. There’s also private yoga and pilates classes, massage and beauty treatments, horse riding, fishing charters and a wide range of water sports available for guests. 

Te Arai Links also offers membership, where they and resort guests toggle between the two 18-hole layouts depending on the day of the week. 

All and all, it’s a project that’s coming together exactly as planned for Rohrstaff and his team. “The physical, linksland attributes of this property obviously enable what we’re creating here,” said Rohrstaff, who also owns Auckland-based real estate brokerage, Legacy Partners, and directs property matters at Te Arai Links and Tara Iti. 

“Other natural factors also play to our strengths: winter in the Northern Hemisphere is high summer down here, meaning longer, warmer days you just won’t find wintering in places like Palm Springs or Florida, for example. Folks may not realise that this portion of New Zealand’s North Island is sub-tropical, so even the ‘winter months’ of June, July and August feel pretty darned summery to anyone visiting from North America, East Asia or Europe. 

“And with the potential change in government, the idea of foreigners buying a slice of this paradise, here in New Zealand, could well become a reality.”

As for the golf itself, it’s mission accomplished.                                            

“It’s honestly a dream come true, for our entire team to have all 36 holes in play,” Rohrstaff adds. 

“Tom Doak, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have each done such incredible jobs designing these two golf courses. Their work has exceeded our expectations. Yet we’re equally proud of the casual, inclusive vibe that prevails here. We wanted Te Arai Links to feel different – to welcome and engage travelling golfers but also non-golfers, spouses and kids. It really does, and that’s rare.”

With two world-class courses on the menu, it begs the inevitable question of Te Arai Links patrons: “What’s your preference, North or South?” That’s a choice you can deliberate on over a meal at Ric’s restaurant or a slippery 10-footer on The Playground – the world’s largest putting green – with beverage in hand. On this important, potentially divisive matter, Rohrstaff offered up some sage, in-house counsel: “Play them both. Then decide for yourself.”

“We talk about it all the time,” Rohrstaff says before pausing over a trademark spicy margarita from the bar. “This is what God meant by golf land.” 

 Images by Ricky Robinson, Nick Wall

The post Travel Special: ‘This Is What God Meant By Golf Land’ appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

[PHOTO: Gary Lisbon]

The rising desire to annex golf-course land for housing appears to have claimed another ‘victim’, this time a high-profile layout in New Zealand.

Gulf Harbour Golf & Country Club, which occupies a stunning isthmus location on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula, north of Auckland, is facing an unwelcome fate in a similar manner to several suburban courses in Australia. The New Zealand Herald reports that the Robert Trent Jones Jnr-designed course closed in July and in the four months since has been left to slide into a state of disrepair.

The Gulf Harbour situation comes at a time when two Sydney courses – Moore Park and Cammeray – are facing partial reduction or closure, with a similar noose potentially hanging around the neck of Melbourne’s Oakleigh course – although in each instance due to council input rather than an owner/developer.

The course that Australian Golf Digest ranked as the 18th-best in New Zealand before its closure is now a shadow of its former glory, which was impressive enough to see Gulf Harbour host the 1998 World Cup of Golf and successive New Zealand Opens in 2005 and 2006.

The New Zealand Herald quoted Frazer Bond, Gulf Harbour’s former director of golf, who shared photos and painted a troubling picture of the golf course.

Photo: Frazer Bond

“To see how fast it went downhill is unreal,” Bond said. “When you go from a strong membership of around 600 or 700 to see just no one there, it was nuts. [The grass] is long as, but I saw a few people playing out there when I went out.

“It’s unreal. Those indoor photos, it just looks like people walked out one day like when we had the COVID lockdowns. A bunch of suppliers have come and grabbed all their stuff and some companies got as much as they could like two or three days after [it closed] and then they locked the doors.”

The decline began when current owner Greg Olliver took over Gulf Harbour in 2021 and reached its nadir this July when he shut the course. The closure was announced by Wayne Bailey, the director appointed to control Olliver’s company, Long River Investments. Bailey said he had been “unable to make the running of the club viable” and that it would shut “with immediate effect”.

Photo: Gary Lisbon

New Zealand news website stuff.co.nz reported in August that locals on the Whangaparāoa Peninsula suspected it was part of Olliver’s plan all along to transform the 92-hectare golf course into a residential enclave of about 3,000 houses.

Shortly after Olliver purchased Gulf Harbour, he was banned from being a company director for four years by the Registrar of Companies over an $NZ836,000 earthworks bill that went unpaid, stuff.co.nz reported.

Writing in a blog on thegolfcompany.co.nz, star amateur-turned author Geoff Saunders opined: “Looking back over the troubled 25-year history of the course, permanent closure of Gulf Harbour may have been inevitable. From inception, Gulf Harbour has suffered under a series of owners with little genuine interest in either golf or the members. Deferred maintenance and faulty membership structures have not helped the cause. In 1997, Mr Goh established the club. Member shareholders paid $25,000 for a membership interest and carried a subscription liability in perpetuity.

“Gulf Harbour may be in the right place but is fast becoming a monument to the wrong owners arriving on the scene at the wrong time.”

The post Auckland’s famed Gulf Harbour course facing a bleak future appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Positioned alongside a pristine piece of New Zealand coastline, Te Arai Links is arguably the world’s best new golf destination.

Boasting two pure links golf courses – the South course designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw that’s been open for little more than a year, and the recently opened North course designed by Tom Doak – this incredible property is just 90 minutes from Auckland and will leave you breathless at every turn.

Doak and the team at Renaissance Golf Design have fashioned the North course in the shadow of their own work: the ultra-private Tara Iti Golf Club just up the beach, a layout routinely ranked among the top courses on Earth. Add the spectacular South course and it makes for an incredible 1-2-3 punch for this stretch of beachfront.

Yet, as perhaps the most sought-after course architect in the world, Doak remains unbowed by these glittering stablemates and the high expectations they create.

 “It feels a bit weird to apologise for having seven holes on the ocean, especially when the rest of our North course plays through terrain where the best comparison might be Pine Valley,” Doak says. “At Tara Iti, you’re looking at the Pacific Ocean from every hole. On Bill’s course, all but the first few holes play directly at the seaside. That’s just the reality down here, yet everyone is pleased with the way the North course stands on its own, beside each of these world-class golf courses. We honestly didn’t feel we were competing with Tara Iti or the South course. But we did want the North course to be different – and fun. We’re quite certain that we succeeded on both counts.”

 The South course at Te Arai Links, the South Clubhouse, Ric’s Pizza Barn and The Playground – the resort’s huge, two-acre putting course and beating communal heart – have all been operational for a year now. The same is true for Te Arai’s collection of luxury two-bedroom cottages and suites, all of them deftly camouflaged by the surrounding dunescape.

Managing partner Jim Rohrstaff believes Te Arai Links is rapidly evolving into a dreamy links destination with few peers in either hemisphere.

 “The physical, linksland attributes of this property obviously enable what we’re creating here,” Rohrstaff says. “Folks may not realise that this portion of New Zealand’s North Island is sub-tropical, so even the ‘winter months’ of June, July and August feel pretty darned summery to anyone visiting from North America, East Asia or Europe. And with the potential change in government, the idea of foreigners buying a slice of this paradise, here in New Zealand, could well become a reality.

“It’s honestly a dream come true for our entire team to have all 36 holes in play. Tom Doak, Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw have each done such incredible jobs designing these two golf courses. Their work has exceeded our expectations. Yet we’re equally proud of the casual, inclusive vibe that prevails here.”

Additional accommodation and dining options, member amenities (including a spa) and a second clubhouse, are all poised to open in the next 12 months, beside 36 dreamy golf holes.

“We wanted Te Arai Links to feel different – to welcome and engage travelling golfers but also non-golfers, spouses and kids,” Rohrstaff adds. “It really does, and that’s rare.”

For more details, visit tearai.com 

 Photo by Ricky Robinson

The post Where We Play: Te Arai Links, New Zealand appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Pack your bags – and clubs – for that mid-year vacation or long weekend. A number of forward-thinking golf clubs have initiated improvements to become even better play-and-stay destinations. 

Club Callala

For a family vacation in a secluded coastal town, Club Callala on the New South Wales South Coast is a relatively hidden gem. Situated two-and-a-half hours from both Sydney and Canberra, Callala Beach features the crystal blue waters and fine white sand synonymous with Jervis Bay and which popularised Hyams Beach to the south.

With golf, lawn bowls, a children’s playground and outdoor facilities, Club Callala is the focal point for the township of 2,200 residents. It’s currently rebranding from its previous incarnation as an RSL. Land sub-divisions are changing the demographic of the seaside community from older retirees to young families. The par-68 course is also undergoing an overhaul with an injection of funds to improve the scenic bushland layout.

On-site accommodation has recently been added through Beach & Bay Stay where 22 rooms are just 400 metres from Callala Beach. It’s an ideal hub to explore Jervis Bay National Park, which has plenty of vantage points on land and at sea to view migrating humpback and southern right whales from September to late November (peak season).

Cypress Lakes

Oaks Cypress Lakes Resort is basking in the glory of successfully staging TPS Hunter Valley after this summer’s PGA Tour of Australasia event survived a torrential downpour on tournament eve. Some 130 millimetres fell, saturating the golf course with a month’s rainfall in a single day.

That the Pokolbin course was back in play within 24 hours is testament to the maintenance crew of just six. It also justified the foresight of Oaks Hotels, Resorts & Suites to fund a major water storage, collection, irrigation and recycling project. The new bunker-drainage system can collect more than 7.5 million litres of stormwater.

New sealed cartpaths are now being added across Cypress Lakes, while the hotel operator is embarking on a major refurbishment of the resort’s lobby, bar and bistro, which is scheduled for completion later this year.

That’s great news for regular visitors and newcomers who make the 90-minute journey up the M1 from Sydney to the iconic resort that has more than 300 villas, two restaurants, two bars and convenient access to the Lower Hunter’s many wineries.

Narooma

Less than three hours from Canberra, and about five hours from Sydney, lies the enchanting Narooma Golf Club. Ranked 85th on Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses, Narooma is a dramatic contrast of design styles. Six of the opening nine holes skirt the coastline with breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean before the routing ventures into a woodland experience for the second nine.

Narooma has nearly completed installing its first-ever irrigation system to utilise the 45-megalitre capacity of water held in its three dams. Rain Bird irrigation has been laid on 13 of the 18 holes that will eventually protect all greens and kikuyu fairways during lengthy dry summer spells when maintenance staff had been forced to hand water.

The club is self-funding the entire $1.2-million project after pleas to Eurobodalla Shire Council fell on deaf ears. That’s despite invaluable assistance Narooma Golf Club provided to the community during the devastating 2019-2020 bushfires.

Accommodating 50,000 rounds annually, Narooma general manager Dominic Connaugton lauds the course conditioning, saying: “It’s the best I’ve ever seen it.”

Mollymook

While Mollymook Golf Club’s Hilltop course has drawn tourists to the NSW South Coast for decades, it’s now the Beachside layout winning plenty of new admirers since its re-opening last year.

Golf architect Justin Trott redesigned and shortened Mollymook’s nine-hole Beachside course to solve safety issues. The new layout is just 1,200 metres and plays to a par of 28. That suits beginners and families, while many golfers enjoy playing 18 holes in an hour and 45 minutes or less.

The new tees and bentgrass greens with zoysia surrounds are in magnificent condition, according to Mollymook golf manager Barry West. So much so, the Beachside course is tracking for 35,000 rounds this financial year – approximately 50 percent more rounds than played on the original par-33 layout (2,102 metres).

The Beachside course is an ideal accompaniment to Mollymook’s Hilltop layout that has stood the test of time and is ranked 92nd on Australia’s Top 100 Courses. Three hours’ drive from Sydney, Mollymook Beach has multiple accommodation options. Directly across the road from the Beachside clubhouse is what’s known colloquially as ‘The Golden Triangle’ with a bunch of motels.

Ocean Shores

Ocean Shores Country Club has recovered well from severe floods that impacted the NSW Northern Rivers last year. The Ocean Shores community in north Byron Shire was decimated by the floods with low-lying areas of town inundated with water.

Insurance payouts have allowed the club to invest $500,000 in new machinery. The club has also engaged golf architect Richard Chamberlain to prepare a course masterplan focusing on bunker quantity and positioning. The plan is to make Ocean Shores more playable and not as penal for less-accomplished golfers without compromising the challenge for better players.

Established as Australia’s first residential golf estate in 1972, Ocean Shores is about a 30-minute drive from both Coolangatta and Ballina airports. Blessed with a subtropical climate, Ocean Shores is known for its chilled environment – much like what Byron Bay used to be three decades ago.

Ocean Shores and neighbouring Brunswick Heads have seven kilometres of ocean frontage. Surfing and water sports are popular as well as trekking in the Byron hinterland. And for cyclists, a 24-kilometre stretch of the Northern Rivers Rail Trail from Murwillumbah opened in March. The track will extend 132km to Casino when finished.

Wauchope

Severe floods in 2021 affected Wauchope Country Club, 20 kilometres west of Port Macquarie on the NSW Mid North Coast. But in a sign of its resilience, the picturesque layout has recovered well and continues to lure golfers who take the initiative and detour off the Pacific Highway to discover this hidden gem.

For non-golfers and day trippers, popular attractions around Wauchope/Port Macquarie/Laurieton include fishing on the Hastings River, fruit picking at Ricardoes Tomatoes & Strawberries, Bago Maze and Winery and Timbertown Heritage Theme Park. Wauchope (pronounced ‘war-hope’) has a long association with the forestry industry and its timber was used in construction of the Sydney Opera House.

Twin Creeks

Located approximately 10 kilometres from Western Sydney’s proposed new airport at Badgerys Creek, Twin Creeks Golf & Country Club has plans for a membership drive and course improvements as it seeks to re-enter Australia’s Top 100 Courses.

In the past 12 months, the Chinese owner has pumped more than $150,000 into clubhouse improvements, upgrading the reception, bar, lounge and dining areas. The current owner is also looking to introduce a new investor to provide funding for golf-club operations. That includes more capital expenditure on the golf course, additional greenkeeping staff and even a seasonal dining menu.

Sydney’s second international airport at Badgerys Creek will be a boon for the area. Residents in the 177-lot Twin Creeks community have realised substantial capital gains on their properties. Many block sizes are 4,000 square metres and a property recently sold for more than $7 million.

Meanwhile, Twin Creeks members have reached out to original course architect Graham Marsh for assistance with bunker-drainage issues. Heavy rainfall events during the past four years have exposed flood-prone areas on the 11th and 12th holes. Marsh has proposed a wetlands area to replace the series of bunkers on the driveable par-4 12th, which used to be a spectacular risk-reward challenge.

Lakeside GC Camden

The Macarthur region and its golf courses will also benefit from their proximity to Sydney’s second international airport. In the south-west growth corridor 50 minutes from Sydney’s CBD, Lakeside Golf Club Camden is surging ahead after its acquisition by Wests Group Macarthur.

Prior to the COVID-pandemic in 2019, Lakeside won Metropolitan Golf Club of the Year at the Golf NSW industry awards. Wests Group Macarthur continues to invest heavily into Lakeside, which has undergone a vast transformation both on and away from the golf course. The original 18-hole layout by Thomson Wolveridge has been reconfigured to accommodate housing with golf-course frontage in the fashionable Gledswood Hills residential community developed by Sekisui House/Stocklands. Fast-running fairways and pot bunkers remain a feature at Lakeside, however the contoured greens and new routing have made it a must-play destination.

Brookwater

Half an hour west of Brisbane’s CBD, Brookwater Golf & Country Club at Springfield recently celebrated 30 years since the original purchase of 2,860 hectares of land. Greater Springfield is Australia’s first master-planned city since Canberra and now has 53,000 residents in six suburbs.

Marketed as ‘A rare kind of lifestyle’, Brookwater has set a benchmark for residential golf estates in south-east Queensland. Tennis champion Ash Barty is one of many young professionals to call Brookwater home for its outstanding facilities.

The Greg Norman/Bob Harrison-designed golf course is the focal point of the community. The Brookwater course is epic in magnitude with towering trees and dramatic elevation rises and falls. At No.34, Brookwater is Queensland’s third highest-ranked layout.

Mount Isa

Mount Isa holds the distinction as the birthplace of Australia’s greatest-ever golfer, Greg Norman. Now buoyed by the success of hosting the Outback Queensland Masters, Mount Isa Golf Club is marketing itself as a golf destination as the town celebrates its 100-year milestone.

Since its inception in 2019, the Outback Queensland Masters has been a consummate success, attracting thousands of golfers – specifically seniors seeking a new adventure. Over six consecutive weekends, golfers have the option of playing at St George, Cunnamulla, Quilpie, Richmond, Karumba in the Gulf of Carpentaria and the series finale at Mount Isa, 1,826 kilometres north-west of Brisbane. This year’s highlight will be the Million-Dollar Hole-in-One Challenge hosted by Mount Isa Golf Club.

In recognition of its appeal, the Outback Queensland Masters captured an excellence gong at this year’s Australian Tourism Awards in the Festivals and Events Category.

“The event encourages people to travel through the region, stopping longer and spending more in our remote towns, and enjoying world-class entertainment, unique golf courses and community connection along the way,” says Andrew Martin, chair of the Outback Queensland Tourism Association.

The 2023 Outback Queensland Masters runs from June 17 to July 23. For more information, visit outbackqldmasters.com

Sanctuary Cove

An $11-million facelift is cause for golfers to re-acquaint themselves with InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort, the iconic Gold Coast retreat that set a benchmark for Australian residential golf communities when it opened in 1988.

The Arnold Palmer-co-designed Sanctuary Cove Pines layout recently underwent a $5 million transformation that included restoration of greens, rebuilding of tees and installation of a new irrigation system. Open only to members and resort guests, The Pines rose to 42nd on Australia’s Top 100 Courses. Its larger TifEagle Bermuda greens now match the putting surfaces of The Palms (ranked 74th), redesigned in 2011 by Ross Watson.

Meanwhile, resort owner Mulpha Australia has refurbished all 251 rooms and suites at the InterContinental hotel as well as breakfast eatery Cove Café. The new-look rooms have been styled with a tropical aesthetic and feature contemporary finishes at a cost of $6 million. Sanctuary Cove village has also expanded, along with the marina to accommodate ‘super-yachts’, while a new mix of multi-bedroom apartments have been released for sale in the Harbour One waterfront precinct.

Black Bull

The Sebel Yarrawonga is a logical choice to stay and explore the Murray River’s golf courses and Rutherglen wineries. The 5-star Sebel hotel is part of a $35 million recreational hub where the Black Bull Golf Course is the focal point of the Silverwoods Golf and Lifestyle Resort.

In testament to the quality of accommodation facilities, The Sebel Yarrawonga recently won best Luxury Lakeside Resort for Australia/Oceania at the World Luxury Hotel Awards. Situated on the bank of Lake Mulwala, the Sebel features a heated infinity swimming pool, health spa, gymnasium, restaurants and the Thomson Perrett-designed Black Bull golf course.

Hotel guests have access to 162 holes of golf within 40 minutes’ drive: Black Bull (18), Yarrawonga Mulwala (45), Corowa (27), Cobram Barooga (36) and Tocumwal (36). The play-and-stay market is continuing to grow with Yarrawonga drawing visitors from Melbourne (a three-hour drive), Canberra (four hours), Sydney (six hours) and Adelaide (eight to 10 hours).

Meanwhile, the 900-lot Silverwoods community by Lotus Living continues to flourish. Silverwoods was a finalist for best Masterplanned Communities at the 2023 Urban Development Institute of Australia Awards for Excellence. It beat all of Melbourne’s residential estates to be Victoria’s nominee.

All the existing land at Silverwoods has been sold, however Lotus Living has 80 new apartments to be released. Another $100 million is planned to deliver 60 more hotel rooms and an extended conference facility, plus a brewery, distillery and tavern behind the 18th green on the lake’s edge.

Curlewis

Days away from bankruptcy in 2015, Curlewis Golf Club on Victoria’s Bellarine Peninsula has been re-invented as a boutique play-and-stay offering by hospitality pioneers Lyndsay and David Sharp.

Since taking over the embattled golf club, the Sharps have cleverly integrated business operations by utilising their entrepreneurial skills as winery and cider brewery owners (Leura Park Estate, Jack Rabbit Vineyard, Yes said the Seal and Flying Brick Cider Co.).

Firstly, they engaged golf architect Mike Clayton to improve the Curlewis course. Next, they poured $8 million into building a huge entertainment complex. The Range @ Curlewis has 18 indoor/outdoor driving bays, Victoria’s first Toptracer Range technology installation, two-tiered mini-golf, X-Golf simulators, function and conference rooms, plus a beautiful, north-facing food/beverage deck.

As custodians of the golf club and realising the Bellarine was in short supply of comfortable lodgings, the Sharps then set about further integrating their investment. They put $20 million into construction of a new clubhouse and accommodation facility. They demolished the original clubhouse and built a commanding new building with an award-winning signature restaurant (Claribeaux), casual dining area (Ivor’s Spike Bar) and fashionable pro shop. The spectacular new clubhouse embraces every available panoramic option with fairway vistas and glimpses of water.

In conjunction, they opened Accommodation @ Curlewis in March 2022. The 60-unit motel adjacent to the golf club sleeps up to 126 people. Each room features cool, eco-suite installations and exquisite furnishings (accommodationatcurlewis.com.au).

Moonah Links

For a pure golf experience, Peppers Moonah Links Resort at Rye on Victoria’s Mornington Peninsula has everything a serious golfer could ask for in a golf facility: 36 cleverly designed holes, a spacious practice range, superb short-game facility, luxurious on-site accommodation, outdoor solar-heated pool and fine dining.

As the name suggests, links golf is at the heart of Moonah Links. Peter Thomson’s Open course is a seasoned tournament venue while Ross Perrett’s Legends layout offers a more forgiving test.

The Peppers resort, a 70-minute drive south of Melbourne, is a perfect base from which to explore the peninsula’s 10 layouts ranked in Australia’s Top 100 Courses: Moonah Links (two), The National Golf Club (three), The Dunes, St Andrews Beach, Portsea, Sorrento and RACV Cape Schanck. With regard to après golf, Peninsula Hot Springs, St Andrews Beach Brewery and The Cups Estate winery are all just minutes away.

Busselton

Hard work and forward thinking have paid off for Busselton Golf Club after it was recognised as the best presented course in country Western Australia. Busselton won best Regional Golf Course and Regional Golf Facility of the Year at the Golf WA Awards after a period “that saw significant membership increases and successful renovation work”.

The groundstaff led by Busselton superintendent Lance Knox has transformed the course, rebuilding green/bunker complexes, constructing a new bentgrass nursery and upgrading the maintenance facility. The club has also adhered to strict guidelines with its water usage, while improving water efficiency around the course.

On the doorstop of the Margaret River wine region, 220 kilometres south-west of Perth, Busselton is known as a holiday destination. Its major attraction is the 1.8km, heritage-listed, timber-piled jetty that features an underwater observatory at its tip to view patterned, coral reef fish in the turquoise waters of Geographe Bay.

Royal Auckland and Grange

Across the Tasman, Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club is flourishing on the back of a $60 million redesign. After the amalgamation of Royal Auckland and The Grange in 2015, their two 18-hole golf courses have been transformed into a new 27-hole facility with the intention of becoming Auckland’s pre-eminent club.

The third and final nine holes by Nicklaus Design opened last year to much acclaim. Award-winning photographer Gary Lisbon described the Pure Distinction bentgrass greens as “probably the best putting surfaces I have played on throughout the world”.

Guests can have the ‘Royal’ treatment with full clubhouse and locker-room access. They have the option of playing as a single or in a group. Or they can savour an authentic member-hosting program initiated by the club to provide a more intimate experience. Away from the course, it would be remiss to spend less than two days enjoying the sights around Auckland and the scenic beaches of Waiheke Island.

TitirangI

Titirangi Golf Club has the distinction of being the only New Zealand course with the imprimatur of legendary architect Alister MacKenzie. The British doctor visited Auckland on his 1926 visit to the Antipodes when he also provided design input to some of Australia’s most revered golf courses.

MacKenzie spent two weeks at Titirangi, offering suggestions for all 18 holes before departing, never to return. In the late 1990s, architect Chris Pitman restored many of the MacKenzie features that had been lost over time.

In 2016, Titirangi engaged Clyde Johnson – a MacKenzie disciple from St Andrews – to resolve boundary-safety issues and interpret the original drawings/plans as part of the restoration work. The continuing work aims to ensure Titirangi sits comfortably in illustrious company as a MacKenzie masterpiece alongside Augusta National, Cypress Point and Royal Melbourne. 

The post Drive, Play & Stay appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

If it’s world-class golf you’re after, two of the best new courses in the world lie in the north of New Zealand’s North Island. They lead the pack when it comes to our ranking of the best layouts ‘across the ditch’.

In modern golf design, great courses rarely emerge alone. Environmental and economic realities mean that new ventures are frequently mapped out with more than one great creation in mind. The environmental aspect often means that the characteristics of the land for one golf course are shared by the adjoining space, giving rise to the possibility of more than 18 holes, while the economic part can require more than one set of player traffic to be commercially viable. It’s a tremendous happenstance for the game and for golfers – a two- (or more) for-one deal that increases the enjoyment and wonder.

And so it is for New Zealand’s two leading layouts, which share the same stretch of coastline on the Hauraki Gulf where the Greater Auckland region meets Northland. In our third ranking of New Zealand’s Top 50 Courses, Tara Iti retains the top spot it held in both the two previous rankings (2016 and 2019), with its sister layout – the South course at Te Arai Links – seeing just enough play in the few months since it has been open to rank second. With the North course at Te Arai set to open this October, it’s not difficult to envisage all three new layouts occupying lofty rankings next time around.

Youth has certainly been served in New Zealand golf in recent years. Tara Iti is a mere seven years old, while Te Arai is brand new. Likewise, none of Kinloch, Kauri Cliffs, Cape Kidnappers, Jack’s Point or The Hills – all ranked in the top eight here – existed when the 1990s became the 2000s. Couple that with the additions to and renovation of Millbrook to become 36 holes and the redesign of Royal Auckland & Grange, and you have a decidedly youthful feel to the pointy end of the ranking. Yet the inherent beauty in any assessment of the best courses in New Zealand is how older, traditional layouts sit comfortably among the newer ones.

It’s this intoxicating cocktail of old and new that draws golfers from around the world. Imagine an itinerary that takes in the old-world delights of Titirangi or the quirks of Arrowtown meshing with relative newcomers like Kauri or Kinloch. Any geographic logistics aside, it’s the kind of mix that gets the pulse racing faster than a bungy jump into a Queenstown stream.

As ever, ranking lists are subjective. Thanks to COVID, our New Zealand judging panel spent an additional year compiling scores for this ranking but were just as thorough as in the past, if not more so. Use this list to plan your next venture to the Land of the Long White Cloud and there’s no chance of you returning disappointed.

Two becomes three

Public and private courses sitting adjacent is not a new thing, but operationally it is rare. Tara Iti is largely the domain of its members and will remain so, however visitors can secure a tee-time – just once – by staying in the on-site accommodation. Nowhere else in golf does the cliché “once in a lifetime” feel more real. Things are different at neighbouring Te Arai Links, though. Access is split between members and non-members and will become more defined when the North course opens. Once Te Arai has its full 36 holes open, one of the two courses will always be open to the public each day on an alternating basis. So visitors can stay for two days knowing both courses will be available to them during their two-day stay.

Tara Iti opened to great acclaim in 2015 and instantly became a hit for New Zealand and the South Pacific region. Tom Doak masterminded a golf course that looks even more perfect than if the land had been left untouched. Golf-wise, it’s a strategic gem – the kind of course likely to out-fox you mentally without absorbing your supply of golf balls. Doak’s layout revealed the natural undulations in the land (which was previously covered in pine trees) and used them to great effect in creating a course where the ground game rules. To catch it in the low light of the early morning or evening is to see even more character in the shapes. It’s a layout that will never become boring, such is the subtlety in the contours and the in-built variety evident in the green complexes and available pin positions.

Te Arai Links sits a mere three kilometres away yet is markedly different. Bill Coore, another celebrated course architect, was chosen to pen the layout of the South course, an ideal fit for a man with a magnificent résumé of drawing great golf from such sites.

Coore recalls a lot of dune clean-up along the ocean, surmising that the government planted a lot of pine trees many years ago to stabilise the dunes. At some point a fire ripped through, so there was burnt wood and stumps that needed cleaning up. In the course-construction process, a lot of the dune vegetation disappeared and is now revegetated with flora other than marram – all approved dunes vegetation, he says.

“They don’t have cliffs there – the dunes rumble down,” Coore enthused to Australian Golf Digest last May before drawing a comparison to his other creation in this part of the world. “It’s amazing… [at Barnbougle Lost Farm] you’re much closer to the ocean but you feel much further away because of the primary dune. [Te Arai South] is more like Ireland or Scotland as there you kind of feel like you’re right on the ocean even though you’re set back from it.”

Some Tara Iti members were playing 12 holes at Te Arai on a restricted basis last autumn ahead of the full course opening last October.

Much interest, from an architectural perspective, lies in the differences between the two – and soon to be three – courses (Doak is the designer of the North course at Te Arai). Those differences are both subtle and overt, a fact noted by those closest to the broader project.

“What separates the three courses?” muses Jim Rohrstaff, managing director of Te Arai Links and Tara Iti. “The land. Even though it’s the same stretch of coast, the land is dramatically different on each property. People are stunned when they see it the first time. This summer, we’ve got a bunch of our Tara Iti members who haven’t been down here for three years – they were finally able to come back – and they’re just blown away at how different the land is. When the topography is different and the land is different, that allows them to change up the look and the aesthetics in an easier way than if it were the same crumpled dunes all over the place.”

An example is evident early in the round at Te Arai South where Coore encountered a dramatic ridgeline that he sought to incorporate into the routing. In deciding whether to go around it or over it, he called upon his considerable architectural nous. The result is that the third hole plays up the rise to a blind punchbowl target, then the fourth is a monster par 4 that cascades down the hill and around the corner.

“He really navigated this huge ridgeline brilliantly,” Rohrstaff says. “He managed it in back-to-back holes, and that was his biggest piece of the puzzle with the routing – ‘How do I get over this ridgeline sensibly?’”

The elevation change is dramatic. The fourth tee is the highest part of the course, perhaps 40 metres above sea level, while the tee at the par-3 fifth is no more than 10 metres above sea level. For context, the famously downhill 10th hole at Augusta National descends approximately the same distance, 30-odd metres.

“He solved it in a way that was absolutely genius,” Rohrstaff says. “One of the biggest changes on the course was the fourth and fifth holes, from pre-reconstruction. Before, four was going to be a par 3 and then five was a par 4, and he made a last-minute change and made four a big sweeping par 4 of almost 500 yards from the back tee and made five a par 3. It was a far, far better solution. Once he said, ‘This is what we’re gonna do,’ it was like, Oh, this makes all the sense in the world, but it was not obvious at all prior to him coming out with them.”

The land is different, but the briefs given to Doak at Tara Iti and Coore at Te Arai differed only slightly. The former is a very small, very private club, so architecturally you can ‘get away with’ more. Design quirks are revered rather than maligned and elements that some might perceive to be complicated or more difficult instead have their place. “The two architects have somewhat similar philosophies and they’re called – not by themselves, but by others – minimalist in their work and the way they go about designing and their architectural style,” Rohrstaff says.

He recalls providing Doak and Coore with similar, simple briefs – written on sticky notes, of all things – comprising three bullet points. First was to create the best course in the world possible on each piece of property. Second, make it fun and fair. Lastly, it had to be a golf course where the four-hour round could be revived. Pace of play is important at Tara Iti and Te Arai, but the design aids the quest. Even an 18-handicapper or higher stands an excellent chance of not having to dip into the ball pouch of their golf bag for another sphere mid-round.

“We view Te Arai Links as our opportunity to recreate 17-Mile Drive in the Southern Hemisphere,” Rohrstaff says. “I love Pebble and Spyglass and all the courses [along that part of the California coastline]. And of course I love Cypress Point and Monterey Peninsula Country Club, but those are highly, highly private. Pebble – Pebble’s a five-and-a-half-hour round. Who wants that? So we refused to accept that that’s OK.”

While our ranking makes a decision (for 2023, at least) as to which course is superior of the two to open so far, the members’ collective take is certainly valid. The sample size will become deeper with time, and Tara Iti had the head start when it came to garnering members’ affection, yet much like the birth of a second child, the love is now falling equally.

“They love and have raved about the South course and love that it’s so much different than Tara Iti and gives them soon-to-be three courses to play,” Rohrstaff says. “Every day when they wake up and go, ‘Where do we want to play golf today?’ it’s a pretty good little group of options that we have, but they’re vastly different from one another.”

Next come the viewpoints of those who have only ventured to the region for the first time in recent months, since Te Arai South opened. Anecdotally, these fresh perspectives are close to an even split between the two courses, which will make the three-pronged decision even more interesting and intricate later this year.

“When we set out, we said to Tom and then to Bill and Ben [Crenshaw], ‘We want three courses that are distinctly different, so that somebody could play the three of them each one time, and they will never ever confuse which is which.’ But we also want them all to be good enough that they can sit down and have a burger and a beer and argue and debate over which is better and why. And if we can get anywhere close to that, we’ve hit an absolute home run. And I think that’s where we’re heading.”

Shuffles and slides

Elsewhere on the ranking, curiously, there were far more falls than rises, although few slides represented major descents. Tieke Estate, near Hamilton on the North Island, was the only other brand-new course to enter the list, doing so in 19th place. Royal Auckland & Grange returned to the ranking (in 15th) after its deliberate omission last time due to the scope of the redesign work taking place. And Millbrook officially became a 36-hole resort last year, giving it two courses on our list (11th and 20th) from now on.

The rest of the list saw mostly minor dips, driven largely by the inclusion of new and returning courses in the top 20, along with the occasional uptick. Ever-popular Paraparaumu Beach bucked the trend to leap from eighth to third, while Arrowtown and Muriwai continue to have legions of supporters, including on our judging panel.

An important section of the ranking is the part most golfers might view in a cursory fashion: the final 10. Our original list included just the 40 best layouts in New Zealand before we expanded it to the Top 50 Courses in 2019. We’ve maintained the range this time and note that, while there was movement within the 50 courses, only Whakatane on the Bay of Plenty came from outside the Top 50 in 2019 to make the 2023 list. Which isn’t to say the leading 50 are set in stone – that just happens to be the way it played out this time. The courses to fall just outside the list are absent by only small numerical margins.

It’s an exciting time in New Zealand golf. A change in prime minister hopefully means a more dedicated approach to showcasing the nation’s finest golf courses to the rest of the world. However, if that proves not to be the case, there is still no disputing the extraordinarily high calibre of golf courses from the tip of the North Island to the southern realms of the South. Golf in New Zealand has so much to offer and a magnificent collection of courses about which to feel immensely proud. 

How the ranking was compiled

Our judging panel visits and scores courses using seven criteria:

Shot Options (score out of 20): How well does the course present a variety of options involving risks and rewards and require a wide range of shots?

Challenge (out of 10): How challenging, while still being fair, is the course for a typical scratch golfer playing from the tees designated as back tees for everyday play (not from seldom-used championship tees)?

Layout Variety (out of 10): How varied is the physical layout of the course in terms of differing lengths (long, medium and short par 3s, 4s and 5s), configurations (straight holes, doglegs left and right), hazard placements, green shapes and green contours?

Distinctiveness (out of 10): How individual is each hole when compared to all others on this course? Additionally, how fun and enjoyable for all levels of golfers would this course be to play on a regular basis?

Character (out of 10): How well does the course design exude ingenuity and uniqueness and possess profound characteristics that you would consider outstanding for its era?

Aesthetics (out of 10): How well do the scenic values of the course (including landscaping, vegetation, water features and backdrops) add to the pleasure of a round?

Conditioning (out of 10): How firm, fast and rolling were the fairways? How firm yet receptive were the greens? How true were the rolls of putts?

To arrive at a course’s final score, we total its averages in the seven categories, doubling Shot Options to create a score out of 80.

For their time and input, we thank our panel of judges: Scott Ball, Ginny Bolderston, Steve Brent, Bob Brereton, Geoff Burns, Ian Charlton, Terry Cochrane, Dan Crook, Paul Dunn, Ray Ellis, Ryan Green, Nicholas Healy, Tolan Henderson, Raymond Hinton, Macaulay Howell, Chris Hunt, Andrew Jackson, Regan Johnston, Ray Jones, Erik Jorgensen, Loren Justins, Devon Kay, Steve Keipert, William Leipnik, Kerry Manderson, Regan McCaffery, Richard Middleton, John Murcott, William Owen, James Pearson, Gerald Ponsford, Mike Reid, David Ross, Tim Ross, Dave Saunders, Andrew Sloane, Jonathan Smith, Mike Smith, Tom Starr, Mike Wharepouri, Anaru White, Adam Williams and Brendon Williams, along with Ryan Brandeburg who assisted in a non-voting capacity.

*Millbrook didn’t have 36 holes in 2019 when just the premier 18 holes was considered (and ranked ninth).

**Royal Auckland & Grange was intentionally omitted last time, due to the scope of the redesign work taking place at the time.
Whakatane came from outside the Top 50 in 2019 to make the 2023 list.

The post 2023/2024 New Zealand Top 50 Courses appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

Queenstown, Christchurch and Dunedin combine to offer southern-latitude golf in exceptional and unique environments.

If you are searching for an affordable yet world-class golf trip in New Zealand, look no further than the nation’s stunning South Island. To the south-west of the island on the shores of Lake Wakatipu lies Queenstown, one of the most strikingly beautiful towns on earth, and about six hours’ drive away on the east coast is the historically captivating city of Christchurch. Golfers can build an enviable itinerary at either destination, and it won’t cost you an arm and a leg.

QUEENSTOWN

Thrill-seekers have long converged on Queenstown in Otago for its abundant ski resorts and water sports, though the town’s reputation for sublime golf courses is a more recent phenomenon.

“It’s sort of a cross between alpine golf and desert golf,” says former tour professional Greg Turner, who is now among New Zealand’s most revered golf-course designers.

In this magazine’s new ranking of New Zealand’s Top 50 Courses [see page 68], six of the top 35 belonged to Queenstown: Jack’s Point (ranked fifth), The Hills (eighth), Arrowtown (ninth), Millbrook (11th and 20th) and, at No.32, Queenstown Golf Club.

“They’re resort-style with a New Zealand twist and magnificent turf quality – as good a turf quality as you’ll get anywhere in the world. Right up there with Melbourne,” Turner says. “It’s a stunning alpine environment. You fly two-and-a-half hours from Melbourne and you’re in a different world.”

Twenty-five minutes is the most time you will spend in a car getting to any of Queenstown’s golf courses, which leaves plenty of time to discover everything else the famous town has to offer.

Jack’s Point

Can you think of a golf course on clifftops with panoramic views of a vast lake and set against the backdrop of an imposing mountain range? It might sound too good to be true, but that’s exactly what you experience at Jack’s Point – the top-ranked course on the South Island – which is wedged between Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables.

Set on rugged and wildly undulating terrain, the fairways meander between rock formations. The highlight of the round is the four-hole stretch beginning at the dogleg-right, par-5 fifth where the green is set on one of the high points of the course overlooking Lake Wakatipu. The short par-4 sixth can be reached with less than driver by longer hitters, though the threat of the gorse-covered cliff to the left looms large. The sharply downhill par-3 seventh is just a flick wedge for some as your ball descends against the backdrop of the lake, and the uphill par-5 eighth features a double-dogleg and a blind lay-up before a steep climb to the green.

Another highlight at Jack’s Point is the dramatic downhill par-4 16th where you drive towards the Remarkables, which are several kilometres away but feel much closer in the moments while your ball is descending against them.

Queenstown Golf Club

Located on a peninsula of land surrounded on three sides by the lake, Queenstown Golf Club provides an enviable setting and doesn’t get the credit it deserves. Formerly known as Wakatipu Golf Club, Queenstown’s current layout opened for play in 1975.

Hundreds of magnificent pine trees dot the property, although you wonder whether the superb views might be even better if the fairways were less treelined. The standout hole at Queenstown is the sweeping dogleg-left fifth, which frames the lake and dares golfers to drive over it for the shortest route to the green.

Arrowtown Golf Club

There is no fanfare at the charming Arrowtown, which is like going back in time. Barely more than 5,400 metres in length, the par-71 course is short, most of the fairways are narrow and the major obstacles include a public road dividing the course into two nines, countless hills and mounds with exposed rock and wacky natural slopes on many of the greens. There appears to have been no attempt to move earth at Arrowtown, which was originally a nine-hole layout until the early 1970s.

“I think people are really attracted to the fact that it doesn’t feel like it’s manufactured, that it’s a really interesting piece of terrain and it’s just great fun,” Turner says. “A lot of people who play there don’t realise that there’s not a bunker on the golf course because it doesn’t need a bunker.”

The modest clubhouse was built in the 1950s and only adds to Arrowtown’s appeal. The narrow outdoor deck overlooking the 11th hole below and mountains beyond is the place to be after your round.

Millbrook Resort

While Arrowtown appeals to the old-fashioned golfer, Millbrook will attract those wanting a golf experience with modern luxury. Home to the 2023 New Zealand Open, Millbrook now features two 18-hole courses – Remarkables and Coronet – with five sets of tees on every hole and a world-class resort to enjoy when you’re not on the golf course.

Previously a 27-hole hole venue, Millbrook opened nine new holes in early 2022 – designed by Turner and Scott Macpherson – to complete the Coronet layout and this month’s NZ Open will be the first time the event has been staged exclusively at the resort.

The Hills Golf Club

As such, this year will be the first since 2012 that The Hills’ spectacular 18-hole course has not co-hosted the New Zealand Open with Millbrook. A private club, The Hills offers limited tee-times to the public.

In 2019, The Hills opened ‘The Farm’ – a bunkerless, nine-hole short course – though the venue’s most unusual feature is its vast collection of sculptures on display throughout the course.

Queenstown’s appeal extends far beyond just golf, especially during the high season of October to March. Jet-boat rides on the lake and through ravines on nearby rivers will give you a burst of adrenaline. If you’re attracted to rough waters, then you’ll fancy whitewater rafting and river surfing while more relaxed options include canoeing and kayaking tours. For a mind-blowing view high atop the town, take a ride 450 metres up Skyline Queenstown – the steepest cable car in the Southern Hemisphere.

Otago is well-known for its pinot noir and wine lovers can get lost among the many tours available. If you like gin, check out Altitude Wine Tours, which launched the world’s first ‘heli-gin’ tour – transporting customers in luxury to three cellar doors in six hours.

At night, take your pick from a plethora of premium dining options in the centre of Queenstown, including Botswana Butchery, Little Aosta, Nest Kitchen at Kamana Lakehouse, Eichardt’s Grille or Tanoshi Cow Lane. If you’re looking for a drink, try Little Mez or Rhinos Ski Shack in Queenstown, while your best bet in Arrowtown is the recently opened Hyde, Liquor & Social.

Recommended accommodation options include The Glebe apartments and Queenstown House. The Glebe has a wide selection of living spaces, from studios to four-bedroom apartments, and six penthouses, available for any type of getaway for couples or large families. Located close to the starting points of Queenstown’s popular activities, such as jetboating, rafting, bungy-jumping, hiking, cycling, wine tours and fly fishing, The Glebe is the perfect place to plan your next holiday. 

For more than 40 years, Queenstown House has been an iconic and luxurious bed-and-breakfast accommodation provider. Located a short walk from the heart of Queenstown, this property offers stunning views of the township, Lake Wakatipu and Walter Peak Station. 

Guests can choose from a range of luxurious rooms, from three-bedroom apartments with fireplaces and sweeping views, to the more intimate king rooms in the main house.

CHRISTCHURCH

The flight from Queenstown to Christchurch is only 55 minutes while the drive is about six-and-a-half hours, including stops. 

One way to break up the drive about 50 minutes into the trip is a visit to Cromwell Golf Club, which is an inland links-style layout that hosted the final qualifying event for the New Zealand Open in February and bears a resemblance to the layout at Arrowtown.

Once you’re in Christchurch, there’s an impressive suite of golf courses to consider, while we recommend staying at the gorgeous Pavilions Hotel, which is right near an elbow in the River Avon. 

With 90 rooms, suites, apartments and cottages, the Pavilions Hotel Christchurch is a dynamic social hub where guests and visitors can work, relax and take in some old-fashioned Kiwi hospitality.

Christchurch Golf Club

Dating back to 1873, Christchurch is the second oldest golf club in New Zealand. Only 20 minutes from the airport, Christchurch was redesigned by the late Peter Thomson with pot-style bunkers, creeks and ponds adding to its challenge. Christchurch is also the home club of Kiwi golf legend Sir Bob Charles.

The clubhouse was rebuilt after the 2011 earthquake and re-opened in 2016. Upstairs, the Sir Bob Charles Gallery pays homage to the 1963 Open champion.

Christchurch has staged the New Zealand Open 11 times – second only to Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club – and in 1990 staged amateur golf’s most prestigious men’s teams events, the Eisenhower Trophy.

Clearwater Resort

Situated in the city’s northern outskirts, Clearwater has been a prolific host of professional golf tournaments this century, including seven New Zealand PGA Championships, two New Zealand Opens and five New Zealand Women’s Opens.

The resort-style course is best known for providing the launching pad for Lydia Ko’s extraordinary career. The 25-year-old shot to international fame by winning the 2013 Open at Clearwater as a 15-year-old amateur before she hoisted the trophy there twice more in 2015 and 2016.

Water features prominently at Clearwater, particularly at the long par-4 18th, where a lake framing the entire left side ensures a nerve-jangling finish.

Fable Terrace Downs Resort

An hour or so west of the city in Canterbury’s high country, Fable Terrace Downs is a destination in its own right. Twenty-five luxury villas complement the golf course, which offers parkland golf on the front nine and more open expanses on the closing side.

The views of the nearby Southern Alps and Rakaia River are sensational, and four sets of tees provide options for both seasoned and beginner golfers.

Harewood Golf Club

This year marks 100 years since Harewood Golf Club was originally formed. Previously a 36-hole facility, the club sold land in 2008 to make way for the expansion of Christchurch International Airport. The funds from the sale paved the way for a comprehensive revamp of Harewood’s Woodlands course in 2012 by Turner Macpherson Golf Design. New greens and tees were built while native areas were regenerated.

“I’m really happy with what we managed to achieve there,” Turner says. “With as little elevation change that exists across the site, I think it plays with a lot more undulation change than people expect.”

Pegasus Golf & Sports Club

Half an hour north of Christchurch, Pegasus is a three-time host of the New Zealand Women’s Open and staged the NZ PGA Championship in 2019. The golf course is modern with plenty of water to trick you up if you miss the generous fairways and greens.

Pegasus’ points of difference from most other Christchurch venues are its off-course facilities, which include a partially undercover driving range, tennis courts and gymnasium.

Russley Golf Club

Known for its impeccable conditioning, Russley’s parkland layout built much of its reputation in the 1970s as the host venue of the Garden City Golf Classic, while it also staged the 1985 New Zealand Open.

Turner Macpherson redesigned the back nine at Russley, intent on adding variety and reinstating playability to what were demanding playing corridors.

“Trees don’t only grow up, they grow out,” Turner says. “What felt like the right width of avenues 40 years ago gets really, really, really narrow [over time]. We were able to add, over certainly nine or 10 holes, a bit more space and a bit more strategic golf.”

Of course, golf on the South Island is much more than just Queenstown and Christchurch. Dunedin – where Turner grew up – is home to New Zealand’s oldest golf club, Otago Golf Club, and the rugged clifftop layout at Chisholm Links.

“[Otago] is a quite hilly inland course whereas Chisholm’s a true links so they were a nice combination of golf styles to grow up playing,” Turner says. “In Dunedin, golf is relatively inexpensive.”

At opposite ends of the South Island are two more courses worth exploring, Nelson Golf Club to the north and Invercargill Golf Club to the south. However you choose to divide your time on the South Island, the golf will leave you more than satisfied. 

The post New Zealand: Alpine wonders appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.

The late Julian Robertson – visionary American billionaire and philanthropist who founded New Zealand’s famed Kauri Cliffs – had a saying he used tongue-in-cheek when explaining why there was an unsealed gravel road leading up to his wildly opulent resort on the North Island: “You need to go through rough times to get to paradise.”

Robertson was joking about the road, but there was wisdom in his words. The journey to a happy place often includes dark times, and the origins of Kauri Cliffs are no different.

The North Carolinian wanted to leave the United States in the early 1990s despite creating one of the biggest hedge funds in the world, New York’s Tiger Management. Crime was soaring across America, Los Angeles had rioted after the violent arrest of Rodney King in 1992, and the World Trade Center experienced its first terrorist attack in 1993.

Having already spent some time in New Zealand in the 1970s, Robertson and his wife, Josie, purchased a 2,500-hectare farm on the ocean at Matauri Bay, almost 300 kilometres north of Auckland. Robertson, who Forbes estimated to have a $4 billion fortune, commissioned Florida’s David Harman to build a golf course at the subtropical Northland site for visiting American friends to play. But Josie convinced her husband to convert it into an operational, high-end golf resort.

Kauri Cliffs opened in 2001 and quickly developed international acclaim. That success laid the foundation for a sister property on the North Island – Cape Kidnappers. It’s a stunning, rustic estate perched high above the wine country of Hawke’s Bay with a course designed by Tom Doak. Then came Matakauri Lodge, an unfathomably opulent resort, sans golf course, in Queenstown that once welcomed Prince Harry. Pouring fuel on the hype was a handful of iconic aerial photos showing Cape Kidnappers’ collection of holes that run along a series of cliffs high above the sea. To this day, they still float on social media but have been superseded by drone photography.

The meteoric rise of the lodges was also fuelled by their public accessibility. Yes, the price may add exclusivity, but anyone who can afford the premium rates can stay and play. “Julian Robertson built Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers because he loved New Zealand and wanted to attract more people there,” Doak tells Australian Golf Digest. “The fact the course was open to the public was key to it getting so much attention. If it were private, the golf magazines wouldn’t run all those pictures of the course because the readers couldn’t go there.”

What did finally render the two courses inaccessible, at least to foreigners, was the global COVID-19 pandemic. New Zealand’s strict international border closures forced Robertson Lodges to think outside the square given their properties are usually 70 percent occupied by American guests. The remaining guests are mainly from Australia, with Europe and Asia a small percentage. Australians love the discounted lodge rates in the shoulder seasons of autumn and spring, as well as winter. Americans populate the lodges during summer (their winter).

The pandemic resembled the tough times Robertson often alluded to; all three properties were closed for at least six months in 2020. In 2021, only domestic travellers could visit the lodges. Even then, Auckland residents couldn’t leave the city limits. But Robertson Lodges saw an opportunity to undergo significant maintenance work at Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers. Kauri Cliffs now has brand new greens and restored fairways, while the near-20-year-old greens at Cape Kidnappers were restored to their original perimeters. Greens staff then resurfaced the bentgrass greens and fairways.

“We’ve utilised COVID to re-imagine and upgrade the infrastructure,” says Callum Farnell, director of hospitality at Robertson Lodges. “Both courses had a significant amount of money invested in them. The feedback has been phenomenal.”

A return to paradise

It’s January 2023, and the rough times seem to be in the rear-view mirror. Kauri Cliffs’ timber exterior has the look and feel of a mansion in the Hamptons. It’s bustling with well-heeled guests, mostly Americans looking to escape the Northern Hemisphere winter.

From the deck of this palatial lodge, the view down the golf course, through the scattered patches of rainforest and across Matauri Bay, are a picturesque reminder that this writer has also navigated through a tough period to get back to paradise.

Paradise, for me, is doing what I love and what I love doing is writing about golf. Mostly that’s golf news, but sometimes there’s travel writing. From 2016 to 2020, I was the golf correspondent in the US covering the PGA Tour and LPGA Tour for the Australian Associated Press (AAP) newswire as well as Australian Golf Digest. It was the dream job. But in February 2020, just before COVID
kicked off, AAP’s major shareholders withdrew. The newswire very nearly closed and had to slash its newsroom in half. That meant no more golf writers on the PGA Tour.

I had to move back to Australia, where I took a job with News Corp covering general news: crime, COVID and everything in between. When the world picked back up in late 2021, Australian Golf Digest offered me a return to the magazine and sent me back to the US. This New Zealand work trip was a bonus while back in Australia for Christmas.

Kauri Cliffs had not changed since my first visit in 2015. The front nine is still as majestic as I remembered. Golfers begin the round high up on the property and zigzag down the valley towards the ocean. There are no weak holes before the turn. Stopping to take photos is irresistible; particularly at the fourth hole, a par 5 named “Cambo” after 2005 US Open winner and proud Maori man, Michael Campbell, as well as the beautiful and daunting par 3s at the fifth and seventh. The former is a downhill wedge shot but the latter requires a 160-metre carry across a cliff to a green perched right on the edge of the property, with the enchanting Cavalii Islands directly behind. While holes 10 to 13 are relatively mediocre, they set up a thrilling finish. The par-3 14th begins an exhilarating four-hole stretch full of twists, turns and hero tee shots high above the sea. All up, 15 holes at Kauri Cliffs face the South Pacific Ocean; six traversing tall cliffs that plunge to the water below.

What had changed – or evolved – since 2015 was my understanding of Kauri Cliffs as an American-style golf resort now that I live in the US. It’s built for relaxation and comfort and that is reflected in the resort-style course: all the trouble is visible and the bunkers are manageable. Providing one plays from the correct tees, it’s a relatively forgiving layout. The views, topography and routing are awe-inspiring, but architecturally the course can’t compete with Cape Kidnappers. In a way, Kauri Cliffs is like Pebble Beach Golf Links or the Plantation and Bay courses at Kapalua Resort in Hawaii (though Kauri Cliffs has far superior accommodation). Cape Kidnappers is more comparable to Pinehurst or Bandon Dunes. Both Kauri and Cape regularly feature in the top 100 courses in the world, with Cape Kidnappers reaching as high as 16th. But playing both on your trip provides a wonderful contrast; their sum is greater than the individual parts.

The overall experience is more quintessentially and wonderfully American at Kauri Cliffs than at Cape Kidnappers. That’s evident in the traditional Hamptons feel inside the lodge, restaurant and villas. But the resort has a pure New Zealand twist; when they’re not playing golf, guests are hiking up to a forest, to marvel at a 900-year-old Kauri tree and then down farmland to a waterfall. This is no gentle stream; it’s a raging miniature version of Niagara Falls. Families are also fishing on the resort’s handful of private beaches, including the very tranquil Pink Beach, or riding horses along the mesmerising ridges.

Although Kauri Cliffs is the original property, the star of the portfolio is Cape Kidnappers. There’s a heightened sophistication found in the golf course, the atmosphere, the service and the rare local wines.

The centrepiece of Cape Kidnappers is the golf course, which ranks high among Doak’s finest architectural achievements. That is saying something for a sought-after designer from Michigan whose stable includes Pacific Dunes at Bandon in Oregon; Tara Iti, a course located two hours north of Auckland ranked No.2 in the world; and the wildly popular Barnbougle Dunes in Tasmania. To build and route a world-class layout on the difficult site Doak was given at Cape Kidnappers is perhaps forgotten among the dramatic aerial imagery of the property.

“Cape Kidnappers was an interesting routing to do,” Doak says. “The topography insisted on routing holes north and south on the fingers of the land. Going out along those fingers was obviously super-dramatic; the golfer is playing towards the ocean and generally hugging a deep valley on one side of the hole. Those valleys were too deep to play east-west across them.”

Cape Kidnappers may not have quite as many holes with ocean views as Kauri Cliffs, but it does more with its panoramas and finds intriguing solutions to its inland holes. To achieve that, Doak employed design principles similar to Barnbougle Dunes or layouts on the Melbourne Sandbelt, like Yarra Yarra, which he recently restored: there’s always more room off the tee than the eye can see. The fairways are generous but have sides from which hitting the green can be either straightforward or nearly impossible; and the ground game is encouraged on most approach shots. There are also elements of links golf in the many blind shots you’ll hit.

“From the cliffs at Cape Kidnappers, you look down at Hawke’s Bay 130 metres below, and the waves coming to shore look like the ripples after you’ve thrown a pebble into a pond,” Doak once wrote on his website about the land. “We could not compete with such drama, so instead we tried to use it as best we could.”

Several stetches at Cape Kidnappers showcase Doak’s thoughtful use of the land. After three dramatic ocean holes – the par-5 fourth to the par-3 sixth – the course turns south back towards the clubhouse. There, Doak took the rolling valleys and created three exciting holes starting at the short par-4 seventh. The elevation changes, perched greens and rugged bunkering give the trio the appearance of a San Francisco-area course like the California Club.

“That was the difficult part; finding a variety of ways to use the topography to create interest on the holes that played back to the south without much view,” says Doak.

Holes 10, 11, 12, 13 and 15 are the stars of the back nine. The par-4 12th has a green positioned cleverly between a flat fairway and the horizon to give the golfer the feeling of putting on the edge of the earth. “It’s the natural tilt of the land towards Hawke’s Bay that gives the greens their infinity backdrop, and also makes it hard to get your approach to stay on them,” Doak wrote.

The par-3 13th is a brilliant uphill one-shotter with the ocean left and a concealed, rugged bunker more on the cliff-face than the green. “There are only 40 bunkers on the course, and many of them are unseen, hanging down into a valley well below the fairway or green,” Doak writes.

The par-5 15th [see page 94], called “Plank”, is Cape Kidnappers’ most famous hole. At nearly 600 metres, this three-shotter runs almost as straight as an airport runway along a cape with a 50-metre drop to the ocean on either side. But the driveable par-4 14th before that – which is wide open from the tee but incredibly demanding on approaches hit from inside 70 metres – is just as much fun. The course ends deservingly on a classy trio of inland holes.

Cape Kidnappers had long enjoyed the mantle of New Zealand’s best course before it was usurped in 2016 by Doak’s other New Zealand masterpiece, Tara Iti. But the man himself says Cape Kidnappers is probably the most unique course he’s designed.

“While people may like the vibe of links golf at Tara Iti better, there are lots of links courses in other parts of the world that [Tara Iti] has to compete with for attention,” Doak says. “There is really no other course with the setting of Cape Kidnappers in the USA, or in the UK, or Australia. You’ve got to go to New Zealand for that.”

One also must go to New Zealand for the food at Cape Kidnappers. Without exaggeration, it alone is worth the trip. Head chef James Honore and his team harvest an abundance of crops from the resort’s own vegetable, fruit and herb gardens. Combined with incredible New Zealand meats and freshly caught seafood, the fine dining menus are as memorable as the golf course. Some of the highlights of these seasonal summer dishes included a Middle Eastern lentil salad with candied walnuts, a Thai curry of kingfish and a ribeye with red wine jus and beetroot puree.

The food at Cape Kidnappers is expertly paired with incredible local wines, some of which you may never have heard of, and would struggle to purchase in Australia. That’s because the celebrated Hawke’s Bay wine region is at the doorstep of Cape Kidnappers. It’s the second-largest wine producing region in New Zealand. Hawke’s Bay’s gravely soil and extended growing season allow for rich red blends, as well as merlot, spicy syrah and pinot noirs. For whites, there’s also delightful full-bodied chardonnays, oaky sauvignon blancs, crisp viogniers and aromatic pinot gris. Almost daily, Cape Kidnappers’ sommelier visits the cellar doors after hearing from the chefs about the menu and collects wines to complement the ever-changing dishes. During our stay, the highlights came from Hawke’s Bay winemakers like Topsy Turvey, Te Mata, Church Road, Smith & Sheth (which is at Havelock North) and the more heralded Craggy Range.

Where all this delectable food and wine is consumed within the Cape Kidnappers main lodge adds to the experience. The dining room has floor-to-ceiling glass doors that look over the garden and Hawke’s Bay towards Napier. There are also private dining rooms like The Snug – a cylindrical room within a red silo – creating the feeling guests are inside the barn of a billionaire’s ranch in Colorado or Montana. While the oak and stone transports guests to the American Rocky Mountains, there’s also an array of furniture pieces that add to Cape Kidnappers’ cosmopolitan décor. There are coffee bean barrels from Indonesia, the “divorce chandelier” bought from Bruce Willis and Demi Moore’s property auction when the actor couple split, and Ralph Lauren tobacco leather sling chairs.

And then there’s the accommodation. Both Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs could make a claim to have the best accommodation in world golf. Both have been widely celebrated in annual awards by non-golf travel media, like Conde Nast Traveler and Travel + Leisure, among others. The inconceivably plush villas at both properties range from suites to the Owners Cottages (Kauri Cliffs even has four-bedroom apartments called The Residences). The rooms are as breathtaking as the courses they gaze over. Kauri Cliffs’ suites have a coastal retreat atmosphere courtesy of blue and white tones, while those at Cape Kidnappers have a rustic look, an example being horse saddles hung from the walls.

This is all capped off by world-class service from an international array of hospitality virtuosos. It’s no wonder why billionaire Microsoft founder Bill Gates has previously hired the entire Kauri Cliffs resort, or why The Beatles icon Paul McCartney rented the Owners Cottage at Cape Kidnappers during a 2017 visit.

Hospitality director Farnell says it wasn’t just the two golf courses that put New Zealand on the map. He’d know, being a veteran hotelier who has previously worked in luxury lodges throughout New Zealand and even the Savoy Hotel in London. Farnell asserts that Robertson Lodges forced New Zealand’s entire luxury industry to elevate its food, accommodation and service.

“It wasn’t just golf in terms of how much the Robertson Lodges lifted the bar for re-imagining what a luxury lodge means in New Zealand,” Farnell says from inside the library at Cape Kidnappers. “These properties really set a benchmark. I’ve been in the industry for 30 years, and I’ve seen [New Zealand] elevate itself beyond being just a great country that had some good food and good service. But the infrastructure was never really there. These properties made New Zealand’s luxury sector lift its game tenfold. New Zealand really came of age when the Robertsons first launched Kauri Cliffs and many other properties have aspired to follow in its footsteps.”

As Farnell speaks, I notice a curious artwork on one of the library shelves. Farnell turns around and reveals it’s an original Picasso. The late Robertson passionately collected artworks from iconic artists like Pablo Picasso, Salvador Dali and Henri Matisse. Before Robertson died last August, he donated 15 masterpieces to the Auckland Art Gallery worth an estimated $300 million. It was part of Robertson’s philanthropic efforts to give back to a country that gave him so much. The artwork is nice, but it could be argued Robertson’s greatest gift to New Zealand was putting its golf industry on the map.

Did you know?

Autumn is the best-value period for Australians to visit Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, with Robertson Lodges offering Australian guests unlimited green fees per person (golf carts additional) included in their lodge rate. This offer is valid from April 1 to May 31, 2023.

Rates: Suites $1,035+GST per person, per night. Deluxe suites $1,160+GST per person, per night.

Standard inclusions apply, including breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as pre-dinner cocktail hour and the unlimited green fees per person offer. Visit robertsonlodges.com/ for more.

The post New Zealand: The immortals appeared first on Australian Golf Digest.