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— Explore New Zealand 18 Holes at a Time — |
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Photos courtesy Jack's Point Golf Club. |
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New Zealand has fallen in love with golf. Again. Originally, it was a longing for the old country that inspired the Kiwis to build golf courses in almost every hamlet and town across the length of the new country. Don’t be surprised that the ratio of golf courses to humans is no higher anywhere than in Scotland (pop. 5million) and New Zealand (pop. 4.2million), each with more than 400 courses. When the original New Zealand colonists arrived from England and Scotland, they envisioned recreating many of the things they loved about Britain half a world away in the South Pacific. As New Zealand became settled, |
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traditionally styled British golf courses dotted the Kiwi countryside
and the coasts. |
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New money has found New Zealand, or, properly, parts of New Zealand. And the country has become a magnet for new golf resorts: they have sprung up across New Zealand like volcanoes used to. Up in subtropical far Northland American hedge fund manager Julian Robertson bought up a pristine piece of coastline and built himself a great folly of a golf course: Kauri Cliffs. Robertson liked the feeling so well he found another imitable property—this time in nouveau riche Hawkes Bay wine country—and converted the bizarre geography of Cape Kidnappers from wild and free to wildly expensive. |
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Not new. The list of New Zealand golf resorts in the American
or international style (with amenities, remember) already included
examples in other prosperous locales around the country:
Auckland,
Rotorua/Taupo,
Christchurch, and
Queenstown. Such is the life expectancy
of resort golf that some of New Zealand’s original resort courses are
nearing their shelf life expectancy. No matter—they’ll build more. |
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Queenstown’s most recent course (the very private course called The Hills, owned by international jewel merchant Michael Hill, sporting the unique boast to have hosted the New Zealand Open in its inaugural year of 2007), it seems strangely soon that Queenstown announces another grand opening. In Queenstown, however, taking big chances has become a lifestyle. A consortium led by developer John Darby has taken the latest gamble: a 15-year, two billion New Zealand dollars (that’s more than US$1billion, or more than US$250 for every resident of New Zealand) investment in turning 3,000 acres of scenic ranchland a few miles southwest of Queenstown into a nearly self-contained golf community of nearly half-million dollar (US) homes. Built around the 18-hole championship Jack’s Point Golf Course, the resort community hopes to lure Aussies and Americans looking for a golf-oriented retirement or second-home. |
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While much of the proposed community remains undeveloped at this writing (February 2009), the Jack’s Point Golf Course opened last December to rave reviews. Running almost 7,000 yards, the par-72 course is long and open, and, unusually, an out-and-back course. Developers brag that they have followed the natural contours, features, and hazards of the land and made minimal changes to make the golf course fit the property. Such an approach to golf course design, if true, would be a refreshing return to 19th century course architecture and a rejection of modern, resort golf theatrics. Starting at the clubhouse by small, manmade Lake Tewa and winding clockwise almost to the shore of big Lake Wakatipu, the ninth hole is the |
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most distant from home, so, if you do play Jack’s Point, plan to play
all 18. |
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Despite its upper middle-class draw, golf isn’t too pricey at Jack’s Point. Visitors currently pay NZ110 (about US$60, at the moment) for 18 holes during the high season (October through May), and NZ$70 (US$38) from June through September. Electric carts (NZ$15/person), clubs (NZ$60/executive & NZ$35/corporate) and shoes (NZ$10) may be rented. A full round of high season golf for two visitors with cart, shoes, and club rental works out to a reasonable US$90/person, not too much higher than at the nearby (and also lakeside and incredibly scenic) Queenstown Golf Club (US$70) at Kelvin Heights, and substantially less than at the Millbrook resort course (NZ$137) about ten miles away at Arrowtown. However, if you are a casual golfer who appreciates a local course for its economy as well as its challenge, don’t pass up the Arrowtown Golf Club, where the golf is good, the scenery lovely, the members welcoming, and the price a bargain at under US$50 (18 holes, electric cart, and clubs, but bring your own shoes). |
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Traveling to Queenstown just to play golf is a little like going to the Swiss Alps just for the chocolate. There’s much more to see and do in Queenstown than play golf. Queenstown carries its reputation as the world capital of extreme sports on its sleeve. Golf is not counted among the extreme variety, but bungy jumping (invented here), jet boating, mountain biking, white-water rafting, mountaineering, and several other adrenaline-fueled activities make the local list. Winter skiing occurs as close as atop the Remarkables behind Jack’s Point, which should be playable during much of the winter. Two great national parks—Fiordland and Mt. Aspiring—meet west of Queenstown forming much of the UNESCO listed World Heritage Site called Te Wahipounamu, offering great hiking and unique sightseeing by air, land, and water. And Queenstown itself is lots of fun, in a hip, frantic, relaxed, youthful, gung-ho to burned-out kind of way. Eclectic and electric are adjectives for everything Queenstown from its shops to its discos to its restaurant to its activities. |
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Jack’s Point has been paying attention. The clubhouse restaurant has hired away a top local chef from one of Queenstown’s trendiest bistros. Already, twelve miles of walking and biking trails and bridle paths are open on the property and the 12-acre Lake Tewa is ready for recreation. Construction on the shopping village should start soon, pending financial stability of the overall project. |
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With the crashing world economy, the NZ dollar has lost considerable strength versus its US counterpart. The cost of Jack’s Point houses has dropped more than 20% in recent months, but the houses are selling very slowly, fueling speculation that the project may be in jeopardy and raising questions like: if the housing project fails, does the golf course fail, too? |
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Don’t dare a Queenstownie unless you are prepared to pay up. With the local success of Arrowtown Golf Club, followed by the regional triumph of Queenstown (Kelvin Heights) Golf Club, followed by the international acclaim of Millbrook Resort (Bill Clinton played here, while President), followed by the instant fame of The Hills (the NZ Open returns in March 2009), the advent of Jack’s Point Golf Club (& golf resort village) only ups the ante. |
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Greens Fees per ROUND:
Booking Tee-Times:
Facilities:
Other Golf in the region:
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