"currently battling with my dear friend, the Silverstripe CMS" - 18 hours ago
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We have just finished a couple of 18 hour days down here at the Open and this is the first opportunity I have had to reconnect with my macbook. (Catching breath now).
The 30th of the month we played at Arrowtown Golf Club. Donning the wet weather gear with a sluggish head after a night out with the Colliers and BNZ lads it looked like it might be a long round. Even more so after two pure shanks on the second hole resulted in a double bogey. Fortunately the weather and golf quickly improved after that!
Each hole at Arrowtown funnels through natural terrain characterised by huge undulations and schist rock formations sprouting out from the grass. Every other course around here has clearly taken inspiration from Arrowtown with the Hills, the new Coronet 9 at Millbrook and Jack's Point all showing shades of its rustic, rugged charm. It is also a sign of good design that the courses have not tried to look ‘resorty’ and instead have embraced the natural landscapes of this area and worked with that.
The features of Arrowtown that have been replicated are the use of rocks as an obstacle (as opposed to bunkers, of which there are none) and spectacular elevated tees sitting atop rocky outcrops, enticing you to have a crack at a short par 4.
We played again with Roger from the Australian Financial Review and like the previous day were fortunate to be hosted by NZ Tourism, along with the various other international media personnel. At the conclusion of the round the consensus was that Arrowtown was a beautiful little course and great fun to play. In my mind it has to be one of the best country courses in New Zealand.
Our golf was just steady until I managed to hit my second shot to the par 5 10th to about a foot of the cup and recorded puregolf2010’s first eagle of the year. Stoked. And worthy of a cheeky glove punch (normally reserved for when JP and I both make birdies on a hole - also a rare occasion). That seemed to spark something as I hit all bar two greens on the back nine and even with the putting wobbles managed a 34. Enough to beat Jamie by 4&3 (scores 73/80) to take the matchplay lead for the first time – 15.5 plays 14.5.
Arrowtown was mint – and another course in the region with ludicrously cheap membership at $440 a year! Greens were good, fairways good and great fun to play.
We then went to the Hills for lunch and to watch the golf, meet a few media chaps and catch up with some good friends. We were having a couple of beers in the Colliers tent when JP got a call from Phil Leishman who had managed a couple of tickets to the NZ golf awards dinner. So it was a quick smart trip into town, a 30 second shower, and a minute trying to rustle up some respectable looking clothes (which I in particular struggled with) to attend the semi formal awards dinner. The awards dinner was an awards dinner, and I would say that a few of the golfers could learn a thing or two about speeches (perhaps from Robert Gates who gave a pearler after winning the NZ Open). A highlight of the dinner was the ‘fireside chat’ that the MC Phil Leishman (champion) had with Peter Alliss and Peter Thompson – two legendary figures of the golf world. Peter Alliss is a classic human whose gravely voice keeps viewers entertained for hours on end. In Uni days we used to sit up all night watching the last round of the Open and his commentary was a huge contributor to our insomnia.
M
Jack's Point is one of those rare beasts; one of those courses that beats the hell out of you, spits you out, and yet you still love it. This morning's game was a fitting way to conclude puregolf2010's maiden month, and an amazing 5 days in what must be New Zealand's golf mecca, Queenstown.
To get a sense of just how spectacular this place is, you'll need to check out the photos in our gallery. They may not do Jack's Point justice, but at least they'll give you a flavour. Quite simply it's a stunning piece of land (3,500 acres, in total), overlooking the deep blue Lake Wakatipu. This here be mountain country, and the rustic charm of the Wakatipu Basin comes through strongly when you play at Jack's Point (as it does at the other courses we have profiled in the previous few days). Tussocks and shabby bunkers play a starring role in this monster of a course, as do rocky outcrops and glassy greens. Expect a few lost balls, a few 3 putts, and a few heart palpatations.
I'd love to wax lyrical about the day, but we must now set our compass and head north to Chrstchurch, for a flying visit before we trek up to the North Island again. In the meantime, we'll leave you with a little vid that Mike has put together, which hopefully gives you an idea of just how epic Jack's Point is. A more full analysis / commentary will come shortly.
Take care for now, JP
P.S. The matchplay score for month 1 was Michael 16.5; Jamie 14.5 (after being 13-5 up!). February we'll play a stableford format, and hopefully try to play more against each course than against each other!
14 brief thoughts for the day:
1) Queenstown is the golfing capital of NZ. I may have said this yesterday, but it’s worth reiterating. The capital. ‘nuf said.
2) Millbrook has the most amazing ambience of any golfing resort in New Zealand – the buildings are stunning, the setting serene and the service first class. I could think of worse places to spend my days… If life goes well for the next 40 years I’m buying a retirement place there.
3) My 7 iron is not my friend. Jamie and his putter have been on better terms.
4) Greg Turner is a nice chap. He also gave Millbrook some teeth with the new ‘Coronet Nine’. Fairways tarted up with slates of schist; drivable risk and reward par 4’s; and tricky short par 3’s made the new 9 an absolute pleasure. (It easily pushes Kelvin Heights out of 4th spot in my books, but too early to make a call on how high up the NZ rankings it sits for me.) 460m par fours and 570m par fives are immense. And the acres of knee high brown top grass suit their purpose.
5) Putting on perfect greens is a treat, but it is even better when a couple of 40 footers sneak in (during the first couple of holes, no less). Green staff at Millbrook take a bow.
6) We managed to play the Coronet 9 before John Key officially opens it on Sunday. I hope JK also gets slammed by the black tees like we did (although he’s more likely to be playing on the woofter tees).
7) I have the worst golfing tan…
8) We have had a fair few photographs from various media taken today. It is hard to keep the smile on, so Jamie says some truly unprintable things to make me laugh.
9) You can see why golf takes 5 hours when there are million dollar views on every hole.
10) How much better is scoring when you get lucky and find a couple of balls in the long grass! Even better when you snap slice it (twice) onto the opposite fairway and make an easy par… I am happy to admit I was a bandit golfer today.
11) A huge thanks to Millbrook and Tourism NZ for hosting us, along with the international media contingent, today. The service, facilities, golf course and meal were all first rate. Day couldn’t have been any better.
12) Jamie and I are now level on the matchplay scores at 14.5 each. We are going to play stableford next month (as it promotes playing the course as opposed to each other). Thus there are only two days of matchplay left, for the winner to take out this month’s award (oh if we had sponsors to offer some golf balls, gloves, (or even food) to the winner).
13) There may be a few punters walking around The Hills with sore heads tomorrow, it sounds like Queenstown is already going off.
14) Go Tataurangi! Two more good rounds mate!
We are in the golfing mecca of New Zealand. Queenstown during the NZ Open weekend is golf mad (in fact, mad generally), so we are definitely in the right spot!
This morning we were hosted by the Queenstown Golf Club, commonly known as Kelvin Heights. The course sits atop the Frankton Peninsula and overlooks Lake Wakatipu. Quite stunning, really. Locals are friendly as friendly can be too - on arrival we were greeted by Johnny & Gav, the resident pros. They set us up with Bun (a member, of Japanese extraction) and his mate Matt (a chef and all round good punter). Stars were aligned for a good day from the start; early on we knew it was going to get hot, and the course was in good nick. Lovely.
Here is a big call...Kelvin Heights comes in as my number 4 best course to date (behind Kinloch, Kauri Cliffs and Wairakei). The course has the most amazing views across the lake, towards Walter and Cecil Peaks, and up to the famous Remarkables. It is a traditional course, with no bells and whistles, but fun holes that keep you honest. To boot there are the great greens and well manicured fairways. Play well and you can score well. Get distracted by the outrageously beautiful views though and you'll find your scorecard can get messy.
Severe undulations come into play on many holes, and are a notable feature of the course. The fairways are generally not flat, and this needs to be taken into account when standing on the tee. Once on the short stuff, the greens are relatively easy to hit. HOWEVER, there are gnarly slopes on most dance floors, so 3 putts are always a possibility (I had a few).
Kelvin Heights boasts some great holes. Number 5 sticks in the mind for me (as it probably does for most people) as a signature hole. The fairway snakes around the lake, and the second shot (hopefully) played to an elevated green. Other holes are equally spectacular: the downhill second played to the 9th green must be on a postcard or two somewhere - it looks like the lake is floating behind the pin (however I can assure that this is not the case as we learnt when Jamie airmailed the green and found his ball, playable); the 109m 10th hole – played downhill to a very shallow green flanked by a tranquil little lake (pleasant for those who don’t hit into it); the 15th also played downhill as a risk reward par 4, with a hugely sloping green, which was today where our match ended 4&3.
Poor Jamie hit the ball well but shaved the hole a number of times. I think it's karma because usually it's his putting that digs him out of trouble. Not today though, and hopefully not tomorrow! In the morning we play Millbrook with journos from Asia - should be a lot of fun. Hopefully we'll get to play the new layout, which is being formally opened by Mr Key on Sunday. Unlikely. Either way, I'm sure the course will be stunning, and we'll head off to The Hills afterwards to see how the real golfers play. Should be another good day in paradise.
Thanks to Queenstown GC for hosting us - we loved it. (The ludicrously cheap $500 membership fee may be enough to persuade us to move down permanently). Thanks also to Bun and Matt, who were great company.
MG
Shinnecock
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