Golf New Zealand Issue One

ISSUE ONE APRIL 2017 WINDROSS FARM | WANAKA | WAINUI WITH COMPLIMENTS

THE ALL-NEW FAMILY. DESIGNED TO MAKE YOUR BEST EVEN BETTER.

DUSTIN JOHNSON BALL SPEED

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©2017 Taylor Made Golf Company, Inc. #1 Driver and Fairway in Golf claims based on combined 2016 usage on the PGA, European, Japan Golf, Web.com, Champions and LPGA Tours, as reported by the Darrell Survey Co. and Sports Marketing Surveys, Inc

Contents

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WINDROSS FARM

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WANAKA

WAINUI

A-Z

DIRECTORY OF NZ

GOLF COURSES

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CALENDAR

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The New Windross Farm KO LIGHTS WAY TO AUCKLAND FOR HISTORIC LPGA TOURNAMENT

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Windross Farm

‘OUR LYDS’ CONTINUES TO MAKE HEADLINES AS SHE SPEARHEADED, THE ANNOUNCEMENT THAT NEW ZEALAND WILL HOST ITS FIRST LPGA TOURNAMENT, THE 2017 NEW ZEALAND WOMEN’S OPEN. Ko has already entered the event, to be held at Windross Farm Golf Course in Auckland on September 28 to October 1. Other top women players are expected to follow suit, competing for a share of the US$1.3 million purse.

The LPGA, New Zealand Golf, NZ Golf promoter The Clubhouse (NZ) Limited, and Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) are collaborating to support the event’s success. McKayson, a Seoul-based company with a developing apparel and accessories sports brand, is the major sponsor for the 2017 championship.

Ko was ‘beamed’ in from Florida where the LPGA made the announcement after its final 2016 season tournament. The world number-one made it clear that she is looking forward to playing in her home city while defending her 2016 NZ title, as well as welcoming many LPGA friends to her country. www.parnz.co.nz

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Windross Clubhouse

The LPGA has widened its horizons since it was formed in 1950. American Babe Zaharias dominated early on, winning eight of the 15 tournaments held that first year, and earning total prize money of US$14,800.

The 2016 LPGA season comprised 35 tournaments worldwide including 18 in the US. Prize pools for each event ranged from US$1 million, for the Citibanamex Lorena Ochoa Invitational in Mexico, to US$4.5 million, for the prestigious US Open in California.

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the newly-sanctioned Women’s Open is an opportunity to convert strong international interest into wider economic benefits. The event is expected to deliver up to 13,000 visitors and generate up to NZ$1.3 million a year of new money for Auckland’s economy, with additional value from significant international media exposure.

The 2017 New Zealand Women’s Open will also be a forerunner to the 2017 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, to be held at Royal Wellington on October 23-27.

On the green at Windross

New Zealand has never hosted an LPGA or PGA Tour event, despite producing many outstanding professional golfers and golf courses.

Back in December 2016, PaR nz Golfing Holidays reported on some growing golf and tourism trends in this country. New Zealand Golf CEO Dean Murphy also remarked on this at the launch, commenting that inbound golf tourism brought in $329 million to New Zealand in the year ended August 2016 – a 23 per cent increase over the previous year.

“The LPGA international platform

will allow Auckland and New Zealand a unique opportunity to promote ourselves to a worldwide audience in over 150 countries with over eight hours of television coverage,” he said.

Auckland Mayor Phil Goff was also enthusiastic about the four-day event: “This will be a great showcase for Auckland, taking our city to millions of people in high-value tourism markets in China, Australia, the US and UK. “Golf is a huge passion across Asia, the US and Australia, and golfers are a priority special-interest travel market segment for Auckland.” www.parnz.co.nz

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15th The Windross Farm Golf Club, near Ardmore in southern Auckland, was only recently opened to members and members’ guests. It resulted from the proceeds of a ‘buyout’ and residential development of former Manukau Golf Course land.

Brett Thomson from RBT Design designed the course with Phil Tataurangi as consultant. It is promoted as a links course over former farmland, and has a traditional 18-hole format in that there are four par-three holes and four par-five holes – two of each on both nines.

Water, in many forms, is a striking feature, with four large man-made lakes interlaced with numerous burns, or streams. The course presents undulating greens, 38 bunkers, few trees, and both impressive and imposing wetland areas.

Early reports are that prevailing winds will make Windross Farm a tough proposition for the 2017 NZ Women’s Open field.

It is bound to be an exciting 8

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tournament and a great moment for golf in New Zealand. It is also a chance to show off the growing number of our golf courses attracting world acclaim.

So the 2016 New Zealand golf year finished with Lydia Ko remaining the world number-one female player, a historic LPGA tournament set for 2017 along with New Zealand hosting the 2017 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship.

What could be better?

For tee times and all golf packages contact the PaR nz Golfing Holidays team on +64 (9) 486 1077 or email cian@parnz.co.nz , denise@parnz.co.nz or kim@parnz.co.nz

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Windross

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Wanaka

EXCITING TIMES AHEAD

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Glendhu Bluff Autumn View towards Parkins Bay

MUCH PUBLIC AND MEDIA ATTENTION IS FOCUSED ON NEW ZEALAND TOURISM HOTSPOT QUEENSTOWN, BUT NEIGHBOURING WANAKA AND THE WIDER OTAGO REGION ARE ALSO HUMMING. Wanaka MP Jacqui Dean recently commented on how increased visitor numbers were boosting business development and economic growth.

Wanaka Golf Club is doing its bit for the region’s prosperity, committing to hosting the 2017 New Zealand Mixed Foursomes.

The club hosted the national golf tournament earlier this year, and in 2015. The dates for 2017 are set for October 21-22 with on-line entry forms available on www.parnz.co.nz. The event’s revised programme includes happy hours, breakfast and lunch, and a prize-giving ceremony.

It is also worth keeping a watchful eye on the development of another Wanaka golf course known as Parkins Bay. It is the dream of Bob and Pam McRae, who own Glendhu Station on the south-western shores of Lake Wanaka, to have a worldrenowned golf resort sympathetic to its awe-inspiring lake and mountain surrounds.

The McRaes live and work on their high-country sheep station, along with their son John, the third generation to do so. John Darby of Darby Partners www.parnz.co.nz

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has made the families plan to secure a business venture that addresses farm succession possible. The course and entire project enables the generation of an ongoing income for their three children and the generations to follow.

It also restricts large-scale housing developments on the lakefront, they so cherish.

Both passionate golfers, Bob and Pam asked golfing great Sir Bob Charles to look over the land in 2005, seeking his opinion on its potential as a

Glendhu Parkins Bay

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golf course. After further research, the family formed a partnership with John Darby, who designed Queenstown’s Jack’s Point and The Hills.

Avid supporters of the Wanaka Golf Course, Bob and Pam McRae competed in both the 2015 and 2016 New Zealand Mixed Foursomes, as a pair. The McRae whanau, or extended family, also have a long association with the sport.

Bob’s brother Jim married a local, Liz Purvis, whose mother Molly was

an outstanding golfer in her day.

Liz has recorded more than 130 representative outings for Otago, 100 at the elite interprovincial level. Pam’s grandfather, John Lethbridge, was made a life member in recognition for his services to the Wanaka Club.

Their connections with the land run deep. Bob’s parents were pastoral famers in Canterbury, and Pam’s Lethbridge family farmed in the Cardrona Valley and Tarras. In working the land, the McRaes have hosted

many home stays and weddings on their stunning piece of the waterfront.

Now at the end of 2016, the course is still waiting to be completed, well, started actually. Final resource consent was made public in August 2012, and since then land has been cleared and lines and fairways plotted ahead of scheduled construction work set for 2017, but not much more at the time of writing.

Local newspapers have reported on the delays, with no less than 86 articles

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Wanaka

Wanaka Golf Course

Wanaka

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Glendhu Bay published over the past 11 years.

Resource consent processes and opposition to the development have hindered progress, but the McRaes have not lost heart.

The development partnerships and land ownership have changed since the initial agreement in 2005. John Darby, of Darby Partners, who was involved in the recently opened the Tara Iti golf course north of Auckland, now own’s the main area of land that will be the golf course. The McRaes have retained the lakefront land designated for the clubhouse and main reception area, luxury lodge and lake jetty.

The team at PaR nz Golfing Holidays have had the pleasure of a tour of the site, and the land and views are outstanding. When Parkins Bay opens for business it will complement the world-renowned Queenstown courses of Millbrook, The Hills and Jack’s Point, and will be a major boost to the Wanaka economy.

The hint is in the figures Wanaka MP Jacqui Dean highlighted recently, when she said: “Statistics NZ’s Commercial

Accommodation Monitor tells us there were a record 794,840 bed nights in Wanaka in the year ending July, 13.7 per cent up on 2015, but Lake Wanaka Tourism’s James Helmore tells me that Spark’s new cell phone data-tracking venture, Qrious, suggests at least 1.2 million visitors have come into the area.”

Don’t forget Wanaka, we say. The town already has a great members’ course and PaR nz Golfing Holidays predict that when Parkins Bay opens, the golfing dynamics of the Otago region will change for the better – with Wanaka firmly on visiting golfers’ minds. Watch this space.

For tee times and all golf packages contact the PaR nz Golfing Holidays team on +64 (9) 486 1077 or email cian@parnz.co.nz , denise@parnz.co.nz or kim@parnz.co.nz

www.parnz.co.nz

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Wainui

WAINUI GOLF COURSE OPENS

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15th

AFTER WHAT SEEMS AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVAL – MORE THAN SEVEN YEARS IN FACT – THE PENINSULA GOLF CLUB IN NORTHERN AUCKLAND HAS A NEW HOME, A NEW NAME AND PLENTY OF NEW ON-COURSE CHALLENGES FOR PLAYERS. The 60-year-old club, now known as the Wainui Golf Club, opened for members-only play in early August 2016, inviting green fee players from October last year.

The club’s relocation from suburban Red Beach-Orewa to a rural setting 30 minutes’ north of Auckland CBD along the Northern Motorway can be viewed as a natural consequence of the city’s rapid population growth and demand for new housing. Though potentially very lucrative for the golf club, the transition process has not been painless.

Peninsula Land Development Limited (PLDL), about eight years ago, offered to ‘swap’ the Peninsula Golf Club’s existing site, clubhouse and course for a new course that would be developed as a world-class golfing facility. It proposed a new clubhouse, driving range, 18-hole and nine-hole courses, and pro-shop facilities on the new, 81-hectare site. The understanding was that the project would take about four years to complete.

The club’s membership voted on the offer in 2009 at a special annual www.parnz.co.nz

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Early morning at Wainui general meeting, and 83 per cent said ‘yes’. This opened the way for PLDL to develop the club’s original site to accommodate 600 new houses. With today’s average house price in greater Auckland about $1 million, that roughly equates to $600 million of potential sales. The new Wainui course and clubhouse cost an estimated $62 million.

The golf club would have new facilities and a new course with cash considerations to boot. A publicised $12 million was destined to make the club cash-rich after the exercise.

The only hitch being that various 18

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resource consents and other planning constraints took years longer than anticipated to be worked through and the move was finalised almost eight years after the idea was first mooted.

In the meantime, members had to muddle through much uncertainty, playing on a reduced nine-hole track for several months, and holding discussions about possible new membership fees. There was also heightened media coverage and much local resentment, submissions and public protests against the club’s 44 hectares of green space being turned into a residential development. Staff

members were asked to re-apply for positions, and a new name was adopted, despite some opposition to losing the Peninsula identity.

The wait was worth it. Course designer Grant Puddicombe and his team at Puddicombe Golf have come up with a design masterpiece that fits in well with the rolling hills of Wainui.

The golf course design and construction company has worked on New Zealand’s Remuera, Lakes Resort, Russley, Terrace Downs, and North Shore Golf clubs and is also known for its international projects.

Spring Hill Country Club in Oregon

and the President Country Club in Gunma, Japan, are examples.

What struck the PaR nz Golfing Holidays team most on their initial visits to the new Wainui course were the tight lies off many tees often coupled with tight approaches to well-guarded greens. To top it off, many holes feature tricky doglegs, so accuracy is the key to negotiating this course well.

The adjoining nine-hole ‘genuine’ par-3 course due to be opened will give golfers the chance to fine-tune their skills before taking on the new challenge of Wainui. Though many

Wainui

12th/13th

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members are electing to walk the lengthy 6500 metre course, (and that’s just the hole lengths) it’s not easy. Cart play is a must for many.

Bunkering is not extreme but water hazards do come into play. True to its Maori name, Wainui has plenty of water features, including a lake, which has to be negotiated on the eighth, ninth and 18th holes and which provides run-off to streams encountered throughout the course.

The tee markers and course names add interest and variety. Rather than typical gender-specific blue, white, red and yellow course names and tee markings for men and women,

Wainui panorama

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Wainui describes the tees and course by length and invites players to choose their own. For instance, the 45 tee and course denotes a course of approximately 4500 metres, the 55 indicates 5500 metres, and so on.

The new set-up is impressive from the moment you arrive at the course entrance, which is only five minutes off the motorway. Visitors pass through a stunning reception area through to the main club area, which is the top floor of the new clubhouse by Grant Harris, of Harris Butt Architecture.

The firm’s portfolio of award-winning work includes sports stadiums, commercial offices, the Waitangi

Museum and Education Centre, and the distinctive Knoll Ridge CafĂŠ at Whakapapa Ski Field, Mt Ruapehu.

You straight away feel connected to the first tee and are provided with a commanding view of your golf challenge. An entrance via the lower level, which includes the pro shop, also gives you an expansive view of the course.

There are multiple function areas, which can be divided or expanded for differing room sizes and activities.

The mono-pitched roof slopes towards the south to maximise direct sunlight into the building from the

north, while large overhangs are designed for shade in summer. The new Wainui Golf Club is certainly worth a look, and you’re sure to find a relaxing place to unwind for that all important 19th-hole drink after play.

For tee times and all golf packages contact the PaR nz Golfing Holidays team on +64 (9) 486 1077 or email cian@parnz.co.nz , denise@parnz.co.nz or kim@parnz.co.nz

www.parnz.co.nz

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A to Z

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PAR NZ GOLFING HOLIDAYS TOP PICKS

ARROWTOWN GOLF CLUB

BAY OF ISLANDS GOLF CLUB

LOCATION Arrowtown, Otago (www.arrowtowngolf.co.nz) RANKING Rated #13 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1911 (originally 6 holes).

INTERESTING FACT Arrowtown Golf Club is unique featuring fairways guarded by rocky outcrops, and no bunkers! It is set in one of New Zealand’s most historic and scenic regions. The course is surrounded by the Remarkables and Coronet mountain ranges.

PAR NZ COMMENT “A little hidden gem of a course that you must play if in the region.”

LOCATION Kerikeri, Northland (www.bayofislandsgolf.co.nz) ESTABLISHED The original club was formed in 1936 and operated until 1941 when it went into recess due to World War II. The members played at Waitangi during this time and resurrected the club in 1969.

INTERESTING FACT Previously known as Kerikeri Golf Club, the club changed its name to the Bay of Islands Golf Club to promote the area that it is located in.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Chosen again to work with us having hosted many tournaments in the past, the Bay of Islands GC will host the 2018 New Zealand Women’s Senior Championship managed by PaR nz Golfing Holidays.”

GOLF NEW ZEALAND #1 APRIL 2017

CAPE KIDNAPPERS GOLF COURSE LOCATION Cape Kidnappers, Hawkes Bay (www.capekidnappers.com) RANKING Currently rated #16 in Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Courses, 2016-2017 and #3 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digets (2016).

ESTABLISHED 2004, designed by American golf architect Tom Doak.

INTERESTING FACT Cape Kidnappers is the home of the largest, most

CLEARWATER GOLF CLUB LOCATION Christchurch, Canterbury (www.clearwatergolf.co.nz)

accessible mainland gannet colony in the world. Gannets are an impressive species ranging in size between a seagull and an albatross. One of the most photographed holes is known as the ‘Pirates Plank’.

PAR NZ COMMENT “A special must play course…check out PaR nz Golfing Holiday’s Hawkes Bay 4 Course Golf and Wine Classic, held in November, for a special deal to play this masterpiece.”

RANKING Voted #1 golf course in Oceania at the 2016 World Golf Awards.

ESTABLISHED 1998, designed by New Zealand’s Sir Bob Charles and John Darby.

INTERESTING FACT Here’s a course where you can both fish and golf over and around in an unique waterway system.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Don’t miss the chance to play the course that has hosted the New Zealand Women’s Open 3 years in a row. You never know you may see Sir Bob walking the down the fairways from his home overlooking the course he designed.” www.parnz.co.nz

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GULF HARBOUR COUNTRY CLUB LOCATION Whangaparaoa Peninsula, North Auckland (www.gulfharbourcountryclub.co.nz) RANKING Rated #16 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 1997 and designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr. INTERESTING FACT Home club of

Lydia Ko and host to the 1998 World Cup of Golf. Chance to travel to golf by ferry from the centre of Auckland, enjoying views of the gulf. Host of the 2005 & 2006 New Zealand Open.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Look out for the 12th hole where John Daly drove over the green at the 1998 World Cup of Golf.”

CROMWELL GOLF CLUB LOCATION Cromwell, Otago (www.cromwellgolf.co.nz) RANKING Rated #38 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED Originally designed in 1903, a redevelopment programme was undertaken in 2009 by New Zealand’s Greg Turner, with an impressive $1 million budget.

INTERESTING FACT One of the hazard’s was an old mine shaft.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Situated in the heart of Central Otago’s growing wine region, stop off for a glass of bubbles or Pinot at the Akarua winery after your game.”

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HAMILTON GOLF CLUB

HASTINGS GOLF CLUB

LOCATION Hamilton, Waikato (www.standrews.co.nz) RANKING Rated #32 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 1903 INTERESTING FACT Also known as St. Andrews Golf Club due to its location on St. Andrews Terrace.

PAR NZ COMMENT “One of a select group of golf clubs partnered with PaR nz Golfing Holidays. A must play while in the Waikato region… close by to the world renown Hobbiton”.

LOCATION Hastings, Hawkes Bay (www.hastingsgolfclub.co.nz) RANKING Rated #27 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 1912 INTERESTING FACT This is the home of New Zealand’s greatest amateur player Stuart Jones who won the national amateur championship, a record 7 times. They have also hosted every major New Zealand Championship since its inception in 1912.

PAR NZ COMMENT “This is a quintessential, must play championship course in the region and is included in our 2017 Hawkes Bay 4 Course Golf and Wine Classic, come join us in November!”

HAWKES BAY GOLF CLUB LOCATION Hastings, Hawkes Bay (www.hawkesbaygolfclub.co.nz) INTERESTING FACT Originally known as Flaxmere, this is the youngest of the 4 major clubs in the Bay. PAR NZ COMMENT “One of the friendliest courses in the Hawkes Bay and co-host to PaR nz Golfing Holidays 2017 Hawkes Bay 4 Course Golf and Wine Classic.” www.parnz.co.nz

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JACK’S POINT LOCATION Queenstown, Otago (www.jackspoint.com) RANKING Currently ranked #2 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 2008 and designed by New Zealand’s John Darby.

INTERESTING FACT This course is often rated by international visitors as one of their most scenic and

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exhilarating golf challenges with views over Lake Wakatipu and Queenstown.

PAR NZ COMMENT “This is a must play course and is a course of choice for PaR nz Golfing Holidays hosting two international tournaments in 2017, the Queenstown 4BBB Tournament and the 2017 Millbrook Masters”.

KAURI CLIFFS GOLF COURSE LOCATION Matauri Bay, Northland (www.kauricliffs.com) RANKING Rated #49 in the world by Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Courses, 2016-2017.

ESTABLISHED 2001 and designed by David Harmon which has had a 2013 makeover by golf architect Rees Jones.

INTERESTING FACT Hosted Shell’s

Wonderful World of Golf 2003 match between Michael Campbell and Freddie Couples.

PAR NZ COMMENT “It’s an unbelievable day out, one that cannot be rivalled anywhere in the world. Look out for the PaR nz Golfing Holidays Kauri Cliffs Corporate Cup Day in December every year”.

MARAENUI GOLF CLUB LOCATION Napier, Hawkes Bay (www.maraenuigolf.co.nz) INTERESTING FACT Promoted as ‘the friendly club’ it is a challenge for golfers of all levels. It offers both a championship 18 hole course and public 9 hole course.

PAR NZ COMMENT: “Looking forward to returning to ‘The Nui’ for PaR nz Golfing Holidays 2017 Hawke’s Bay 4 Course Golf and Wine Classic, come join us in November”. www.parnz.co.nz

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MILLBROOK RESORT LOCATION Arrowntown, Otago (www.millbrook.co.nz) RANKING: Rated #8 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED Original 18 holes designed in 1992 by Sir Bob Charles with a significant redevelopment by Greg Turner in 2010 including an additional 9 holes. There are plans for a further 9 holes to make it a 36hole challenge!

INTERESTING FACT Co-host to the 2017 New Zealand Open won by New Zealand’s Michael Hendry.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Keep an eye on this fantastic resort, a long-time

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golf partner of PaR nz Golfing Holidays. The resort constantly receives worldwide recognition for its hotel, spa and restaurants. PaR nz Golfing Holidays will be back again to Millbrook with two tournaments, the Queenstown 4BBB in April and the 2017 Millbrook Masters in October”.

NAPIER GOLF CLUB LOCATION Napier, Hawkes Bay (www.napiergolf.co.nz) RANKING Rated #50 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED The oldest golf club in Hawkes Bay established in the late 19th century.

INTERESTING FACT Host to the first New Zealand Open in 1907.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Known as Waiohiki, Napier presents an interesting golf course that weaves its way over three roadways. Look out for the distinctive Maori carvings and historic ancient Maori graves on the course. Co-host to the PaR nz Golfing Holidays 2017 Hawkes Bay 4 Course Golf and Wine Classic 2017.”

NEW PLYMOUTH GOLF CLUB LOCATION New Plymouth, Taranaki (www.newplymouthgolf.co.nz) RANKING Rated number #28 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED Originally laid out in the 1930’s.

INTERESTING FACT Four New Zealand Opens have been played there and Phil Tataurangi won the New Zealand Amateur Championship at New Plymouth in 1993.

PAR NZ COMMENT “A highlight of any golfing visit to Taranaki. New Plymouth Golf Club will work with PaR nz Golfing holidays to host the 2017 New Zealand Women’s Senior Foursomes Championship.”

OMANU GOLF CLUB LOCATION Mount Maunganui, Bay of Plenty (www.omanugolf.co.nz) ESTABLISHED 1971 INTERESTING FACT A famous cabbage tree used to be situated 100m from the green in the centre of the 6th fairway. This was the bane of many approach shots, but in 1992 the tree died in mysterious circumstances. The only record of the tree is a painting done by a member. The painting now hangs in the Bar. PAR NZ COMMENT “Some challenging dog leg holes, with firm but true putting surfaces. The PaR nz Golfing Holidays Team will return in 2018 for the Mid-Amateur Championship, for the second consecutive year.”

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PARAPARAUMU BEACH GOLF CLUB LOCATION Paraparaumu Beach, Kapiti Coast (www.paraparaumubeachgolfclub.co.nz) RANKING Rated #3 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 1949 INTERESTING FACT: Has hosted the New Zealand Open a record 12 times including the infamous event in 2002 when Tiger Woods competed.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Recognised as the best links course in New Zealand, with undulating sand dunes only 100 metres from the sea”.

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QUEENSTOWN GOLF CLUB LOCATION Queenstown, Otago (www.queenstowngolf.co.nz) RANKING: Rated #39 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1915 INTERESTING FACT This is the fourth home of the formerly known Wakatipu Golf Club now located at Kelvin Heights, directly across the lake from the Queenstown, and accessible by water taxi.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Before the resort courses of Millbrook and Jack’s Point this was the course to play. A PaR nz Golfing Holidays recommendation and worth a visit.”

ROYAL WELLINGTON GOLF CLUB LOCATION Upper Hutt, Wellington (www.royalwellington.com) RANKING Rated #18 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1908 and redesigned

by Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson in 2013.

INTERESTING FACT The first club in New Zealand to be awarded Royal

ROYAL AUCKLAND AND GRANGE GOLF CLUB LOCATION Middlemore, Auckland (www.royalaucklandgolfclub.co.nz) RANKING Royal Auckland is rated #18 by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

status in 2004, the year of the Royal & Ancient’s 250th anniversary.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Look out for the 2017 Asia Pacific Amateur Championship, one of the biggest golf events the country has ever seen. No expense will be spared with Augusta representatives organising the tournament.”

A new ranking has yet to be released since the amalgamation of the two courses in 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1894 INTERESTING FACT One of New Zealand’s most private members club which was awarded its Royal status in 2010, and was amalgamated with the adjacent Grange Golf Club in 2016, to the surprise of many. The planned re-development will be undertaken

by Jack Nicklaus Design, along with a new clubhouse.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Watch this space… new course, new clubhouse and new fairways – an exciting course of the future.” www.parnz.co.nz

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TARA ITI LOCATION Mangawhai, North Auckland (www.taraiti.com) RANKING Currently ranked #1 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 2016 and designed

by Tom Doak.

INTERESTING FACT Within weeks of opening, Tara Iti was recognised as New Zealand’s Top Course.

Membership is exclusive with an undisclosed membership fee, believed to be at least 6 figures.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Tara Iti is tipped to make the 2017 edition of Golf Digest’s World’s 100 Greatest Courses.

If you can get a tee-time, this is a course to be experienced!”

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TERRACE DOWNS GOLF COURSE LOCATION Lake Coleridge, Canterbury (www.terracedowns.co.nz) RANKING Rated #18 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 2001 INTERESTING FACT: Voted New Zealand’s Best Golf Hotel at the 2015 World Travel Awards.

PAR NZ COMMENT “At the foothills of the Southern Alps, above the Rokaia Gorge, Terrace Downs offers two quite different 9 hole challenges. 11 lakes and 70 bunkers, it’s worth a visit!”

THE HILLS LOCATION Arrowtown, Otago (www.thehills.co.nz) RANKING Ranked #6 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 2002 and designed by New Zealand’s John Darby.

INTERESTING FACT Owned by the New Zealand millionaire jeweller Sir Michael Hill, who has established an art and golf experience with unique sculptures dotted around the course.

PAR NZ COMMENT “An incredible experience but one that your bank account won’t forget in a hurry. Joint host of three New Zealand Opens.”

THE KINLOCH CLUB LOCATION Taupo, Bay of Plenty (www.thekinlochclub.com) RANKING Recognised in 2007 as one of the top 10 best new courses in the world by US Travel and Leisure magazine. Currently ranked #5 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 2007 and designed

by Jack Nicklaus.

INTERESTING FACT The only Jack Nicklaus signature course in New Zealand. In designing the course, The Bear often allowed for some time off, trout fishing at Lake Taupo.

PAR NZ COMMENT “This is typical risk and reward by ‘The Bear’, a great golfing challenge, with amazing views over Kinloch and Lake Taupo”.

TITIRANGI GOLF CLUB LOCATION Titirangi, Auckland (www.titirangigolf.co.nz) RANKING Ranked #12 in New Zealand by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1909 by the late Dr. Alister MacKenzie.

INTERESTING FACT One of four MacKenzie courses in the Southern Hemisphere along with Royal Adelaide and Royal Melbourne, and the Jockey Club in Argentina.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Four par 3’s facing each direction of the compass is a characteristic of all MacKenzie-

designed courses. Have a go at the MacKenzies Titirangi Par 3 challenge and see if you can make a par on each.”

www.parnz.co.nz

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WAIRAKEI GOLF & SANCTUARY LOCATION Taupo, Bay of Plenty (www.wairakeigolfcourse.co.nz) RANKING Previously recognised as the #1 course in New Zealand.

Currently Rated #9 in New Zealand

by Australian Golf Digest, 2016.

ESTABLISHED 1970, designed by Commander John Harris, Michael Wolveridge & Peter Thomson.

INTERESTING FACT One of New Zealand’s first courses to gain international fame and which has subsequently been developed into

a predator free wildlife sanctuary, inside the golf course! This includes 25,000 native trees, 5,000 exotic plants and a breeding programme for Takahe and Kiwi birds.

PAR NZ COMMENT “This is New Zealand’s most beautiful parkland course, always maintained to a very high standard. Look out for the most famous 14th Rogue-hole. Wairakei is a favourite of the team from PaR nz Golfing Holidays”.

WAINUI GOLF CLUB LOCATION Wainui, North Auckland (www.wainui.online) RANKING Rated #9 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 2016, designed by Sid Puddicomb and Associates.

INTERESTING FACT The tee markers are numbered (65, 59, 55, 50, 45) rather than the traditional colours (blue, black, white, red). The idea being to promote the respective courses for all golfers at all ability levels, rather than stereotypes associated with tee colours, e.g. women play off the red tee. Each number represents the length of the course, e.g. 65 is 6,500 metres.

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GOLF NEW ZEALAND #1 APRIL 2017

PAR NZ COMMENT “Exciting new course that offers both an 18-hole championship challenge, an additional 9-hole par 3 course and modern clubhouse - worth the drive up the motorway for a look at this new golf offering.”

WANAKA GOLF CLUB LOCATION Wanaka, Otago (www.wanakagolf.co.nz) ESTABLISHED 1922 INTERESTING FACT Wanaka Golf Club is another course that presents two quite different nines. The back nine is flat while the front nine is undulating with picturesque views over the town and lake.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Dramatic golf just an hour away from Queenstown. Wanaka will host for the 3rd consecutive year, the 2017 New Zealand Mixed Foursomes Championship managed with PaR nz Golfing Holidays.”

WINDROSS FARM GOLF CLUB LOCATION Ardmore, South Auckland (www.windrossfarm.co.nz) RANKING Rated #23 by www.top100golfcourses.com ESTABLISHED 2016, designed by Brett Thomson in consultation with Phil Tataurangi.

INTERESTING FACT Within weeks of opening it was announced as the host of the LPGA Tour 2017 McKayson New Zealand Women’s Open.

PAR NZ COMMENT “Take the opporunity as soon as you can with PaR nz Golfing Holidays to play this links-styled course that World #1 Lydia Ko will play in September 2017, returning to defend her title.”

www.parnz.co.nz

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PAR NZ GOLFING HOLIDAYS 2017 CALENDAR

19

APR

04

MAY

04

JUN

25

JUN

27

AUG

03

SEP

21

OCT

23

OCT

30

OCT

20

NOV

01

DEC

INAUGURAL 4BBB QUEENSTOWN April 19 & 20 / Millbrook & Jack’s Point FLORIDA GRAND TOUR May 04 – 20 CANADIAN ROCKIES GOLF TOUR #1 June 04 – 21 CANADIAN ROCKIES GOLF TOUR #2 June 25 – 12 July SHERATON FIJI DENARAU WOMEN’S GOLF CLASSIC August 27 – 02 September / Fiji SHERATON FIJI VILLA TEAMS CHALLENGE September 03 – 09 / Fiji NEW ZEALAND MIXED FOURSOMES CHAMPIONSHIPS October 21 & 22 / Wanaka 2017 MILLBROOK MASTERS Including Jack’s Point October 23 – 28

HAWKES BAY 4 COURSE GOLF & WINE CLASSIC October 30 – 03 November / Hastings, Maraenui, Napier & Hawkes Bay NEW ZEALAND WOMEN’S SENIOR FOURSOMES November 20 – 23 / New Plymouth 2017 KAURI CLIFFS CUP - CORPORATE CHALLENGE December 01

GOLF NEW ZEALAND #1 APRIL 2017

Contact: www.parnz.co.nz | Ph: +64 9 486 1077