New Zealand draws visitors for its breathtaking scenery, so it only makes sense that golf is seeking a slice of the action.
With a mild climate, more sheep than humans and miles of high-quality grasses, New Zealand trails only Scotland for most golf courses per capita of any country in the world. And one of its leading promoters is an American.
Before making his money on Wall Street, Julian Robertson spent time in New Zealand writing novels. His passion for the land and people never left him and, drawing on his U.S. roots, he developed resort properties with Americans in mind. The combination of luxury accommodations and premium golf blend beautifully at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers and the Matakauri Lodge, two Robertson sites on the North Island and South Island, respectively. Cape Kidnappers has a golf course on site, while Matakauri has affiliations with nearby courses.
Located in Hawke’s Bay on the east coast of the North Island and its rugged ridges and cliffs, the Cape Kidnappers layout is so stunning, pristine and challenging that PGA Tour star Brandt Snedeker once referred to it as “Pebble Beach on steroids.”
Jonathan McCord, the resort’s head golf professional who’s also a U.S. native, knows he’s not in Kansas anymore when going to work each day.
“This is a beautiful part of the world,” said McCord, who actually hails from Iowa. “Each hole here is incredibly different in how it plays, but there is a continuity. Holes 12 through 16 is one of the better stretches in the world.”
The start of the five-hole stretch has a green perched above Hawkes Bay, followed by No. 13, a short par-3 along the cliff. It’s called Al’s Ace in honor of Robertson’s son, Alex, who made a hole-in-one there just prior to the course opening. That’s followed by a par-4 with a green reminiscent of the Road Hole at St. Andrews, which leads to the 15th, known as Pirate’s Plank because of its long and pencil-straight fairway. But No. 16 is perhaps the most stunning of the bunch.
“It has one of the penultimate tee boxes in the world,” McCord said of the stretch’s closer. “You’re perched about 450 feet above the bay and you can literally take a step and peer right down the cliff. It’s a sheer 450-foot drop down to Hawkes Bay, which heads out to the Pacific Ocean.”
New Zealand’s climate sets up for year-round play, but even avid golfers need to spend time off the links to explore the region.
“We offer horse riding and an off-road Can-Am tour that takes you across the property,” said Kris Shepherd, lodge manager at The Farm at Cape Kidnappers. “There are custom events such as Maori cultural experiences and helicopter journeys, a fitness center, spa, clay shooting, mountain bike trails, fly fishing, great hiking trails, wine tours, even shopping and lunch via helicopter. We’ve done some amazing things. If you can dream it up, just ask.”
With seasons opposite those of the U.S., the lodge’s busiest season is November through April, Sheperd said, with “Christmas a great time because we’re in the middle of our summer.”
No matter the season, Queenstown on the South Island is a year-round sports haven, with activities such as bungee jumping, skydiving, jet boating and rock climbing part of the action. The variety of outdoor fun is one of the appealing factors for active American vacationers, said Stephen McAteer, manager of Matakauri Lodge on the edge of Lake Wakatipu and below The Remarkables mountain range.
“From June to September, most of our guests are golfing in the morning and skiing in the afternoon and occasionally mixing in some fly fishing,” McAteer said. “Not many places in the world offer golf and skiing within a 20-minute drive of each other. So Cal golfers can catch an overnight flight and play a round the next afternoon. We offer year-round golf, which is pretty unusual for a snow-capped region. The greens are some of the best in the world. They run true
Two of the nearby courses – Millbrook and The Hills – have a relationship with Matakauri and co-hosted the New Zealand Open this year.
“There are some fabulous courses down here,” said McAteer, who sports a 6-handicap. “Queenstown, The Hills, Jack’s Point, Arrowtown, Millbrook. For such a comparatively small urban area (fewer than 14,000 people) there are some world-class golf opportunities our guests have access to.”
