Tara Iti Golf Club

Tara Iti was the first course I have played in NZ, actually, on the same day as I landed, since it is only about two hours drive from Auckland International, you can reach it quite comfortably and quickly. Another story is, finding the course. GPS does not really telly you how to get there and I had to ask few people on the way for directions. It quickly becomes clear why that is. The fact of the matter is, Tara Iti is not, and as it seams, does not want to become just another golf course on the map, it actually tries to stay off it. And that, amongst other things, is what makes it special. Most people who will play this course will not have the same problem as is had, to find it, simply, because, they will either driven or flown in by people who know the location very well. The privacy and its benefits quickly become apparent when you arrive. The welcoming staff is highly trained, charming and friendly, more importantly, they are not overloaded can dedicate the visitor their full focus, in the welcoming area (a lodge below the clubhouse), clubhouse, on the range and when you are escorted to your accommodation. All in all, a very pleasant experience.

In order to play the course, you are requested to spend at least one night at the resort and I would imagine, even though, there are a lot of activities besides golf that you can do (biking, hiking, a really nice beach, horse riding...) for most visitors, it is just a night, or maybe two. The accommodations (lodges) are beautiful. The build standard of the lodges is very high, they are tastefully decorated and well stocked, most important, they offer privacy. I imagine, you can easily spend a few days there and not be bothered by your neighbours, or, if you wish, have a wonderful garden barbecue with them, you do have all the necessary equipment for it at your disposal. In contrast, the accommodation facilities that I saw on other golf courses in NZ in this price range, fall quite a bit short of the ones provided by Tara Iti GC.

The practice facilities, when I was visiting, the main range was under repair, so was offered to utilise the "auxiliary one". It was excellent, fully functional, all you need and more (by this I mean the fully equipped, what I assume is a training/fitting room, latest technology and well positioned).

Regarding the course, and not writhing all the effort that went into removing and repositioning such amount of material (even though, if you ask me, I would not mind if there was a tree or two more on the course), the thing I liked most, was how beautifully fluent and connected the course appears. On most golf courses I played on, actually, on all of them, you have a clear distinction and lines between the greens, fairways and roughs. On Tara Iti, you do not, the entire course just kind of seams to flow like a see of green with whitish patches (sand taps). The thing is, as I was explained, hopefully correctly, the grass used for greens and fairways is the same and also cut on the same (or almost same) length, the difference is only in how hard it is rolled on the actual green. It creates a beautiful affect. Truth be told, the course is not very difficult or physically demanding to play (or at least I did not think it was), you can get around it pretty quickly, especially since you would likely have it for yourself (I think I spend more time waving to green-keepers maintaining the course - even though I have no idea what there was to maintain, it is in perfect condition, then other golfers). The layout is fun though, interesting holes, a few up and downs, some fun doglegs etc... just enough dynamic to keep you engaged and still easy enough for a new golfer to have fun and not having to carry 20 balls with him (which BTW is a good idea if you plan on playing Kinloch GC and go more than 20 cm of the fairway).

All in all, visiting Tara Iti was a great idea, I am glad that I did it, I enjoyed it tremendously and would recommend the visit to any golf enthusiast (or a lover of fine hospitality, nature and peace), but will likely not repeat it again for the next 20 years, then, it will be well worth another visit to see how the course will look like once it matures and settles a bit.

If you are going to NZ specifically for golfing, go to Tara Iti first. It has this mysterious New Zealand vibe to it!

A true masterpiece and one of the best golf experiences you can have. Course is designed by legendary golf architect Tom Doak and is a walking-only golf course. The whole location is very private, almost no houses. From your arrival it's unique in every way, we even saw some dolphins that were out swimming during our round. When you walk off the greens you are almost standing on the next tee and I really like that. And the fact it's only fairway and waste areas is something I love. Fairway seem to seamlessly transform into the greens and all sand are considered to be waste areas. No semi-rough. The whole experience and concept here is a clear 10 for me.

Als de golfhemel op aarde bestaat is het hier. Een fantastische puur natuur golfbaan doorheen een woest duinenlandschap naast de oceaan. Teeboxen, fairways en greens lopen gewoon dooreen. Geen bunkers maar zand-wasteland langsheen brede fairways. Greens ontzettend moeilijk. Wind immer aanwezig. Tom Doak tekende een meesterwerk.

Heaven on earth for golfers.