Renovations at The Hills will goal to make the course extra walker-friendly.
Ricky Robinson
Distant golf is all the craze nowadays, and it hardly will get extra distant — or extra destination-worthy — than New Zealand.
In recent times, the different land Down Beneath has turn into a hotbed of high-end golf growth, and a magnet for globe-trotting lovers of the sport.
Now, the duo behind two of New Zealand’s most heralded golf equipment have introduced yet one more headline venture. Jim Rohrstaff and Ric Kayne, the enterprise companions who propelled Te Arai Hyperlinks (public) and Tara Iti (personal) to worldwide prominence, have teamed up for a multimillion greenback redevelopment of The Hills.
For the uninitiated, The Hills, which is located on the South Island, has a reputation that hints at its pedigree. It was delivered to being by Sir Michael Hill, one of many richest males in New Zealand, on an outdated deer farm within the former gold mining neighborhood of Arrowtown. The unique 18, designed by Darby Companions, opened in 2007 and has hosted a number of iterations of the New Zealand Open. A par-3 format, designed by Darius Oliver, was added to the property in 2019.
Quite a lot of golf websites in New Zealand are fairly sufficient to cross as postcards. The Hills is not any exception. It sits roughly 20 minutes from famously scenic Queenstown, a serious international middle for journey sports activities.
The renovations are supposed to be a complete refresh, with the design work dealt with by main Australian golf course design agency Ogilvy, Cocking & Mead (OCM). As a part of the venture, OCM will reroute the primary 18 to make it extra walkable. However plans additionally name for a bunch of different upgrades and additions, together with a golf coaching facility, a health middle, on-site lodging and luxurious actual property, in addition to a transformed clubhouse and a brand new professional store. In its reimagined type, The Hills will function as an upscale, personal membership with restricted memberships, just like the Tara Iti mannequin.
The work is slated to happen over back-to-back winters, beginning in April 2026, and to be wrapped up in 2028. That’s lots of advance discover. Then once more, it’s an extended approach to go.
