‘If Cape Kidnappers were a book, it would be an epic.’
With these words, acclaimed American course designer Tom Doak concisely, yet accurately, sums up what is arguably the most spectacular golf course built anywhere in the world in the past 50 years. With each hole you play at Cape Kidnappers – about 20 minutes’ drive from Napier Airport, and another 20-minute trek to the clubhouse from the property’s front gate – comes another twist in the plot. Cape Kidnappers is one book you will never want to put down.
This magnificent 6000-acre estate, which overlooks Hawke’s Bay and remains a working sheep station, was bought nearly a decade ago by Wall Street hedge fund guru Julian Robertson. His plan was to build a course that would make the golfing world’s jaw drop. He commissioned Doak to create his masterpiece. The rest is history.
Doak’s minimalist design draws plenty out of the location and provides every golfer who tees up with a thrill-ride they shall never forget. Faced with having to route the course along, and across, fingers of land surrounded by jagged cliffs that stretch 150 metres above the Pacific Ocean, Doak has created holes that are not merely playable – nearly all the long holes run with the prevailing wind – but fun to play.
‘You’ll never play golf like this anywhere else,’ is Doak’s own verdict. ‘Our goal was to create interesting holes you wouldn’t find anywhere else. And that wasn’t hard to do at Cape Kidnappers, because the site is not like anywhere else. Cape Kidnappers is not true links terrain, with the wrinkles of sand dunes; instead, the land tilts towards the sea as a series of ridges jutting out to the edge of the cliffs. Yet it plays like seaside golf at its finest.’
Cape Kidnappers has no weak holes. While the cliff-top holes of the back nine are understandably heralded as the stars of the show, the inland holes are worthy of equal-top billing. The par-four opening hole is a tough one, and it gives a hint of the challenge that lies ahead. The right half of the dogleg-right fairway offers a better angle and shorter journey to the green 400 metres away. But try cutting the corner of the dogleg and you risk landing in a deep gully.
Doak is the master of par-three design and he doesn’t disappoint at Cape Kidnappers. There are three, unusually, on the front nine – testament to Doak’s willingness to let the land, not a bulldozer, dictate the hole that goes there. The best of these is the 166-metre 8th, known as ‘Backstop’. Your tee shot must negotiate a tree-filled gully and carry all the way to a slightly elevated green. The only good position to miss this green is a patch of fairway just right of the putting surface – and invisible to those on the tee.
Heading into the back nine, the excitement grows with each hole, as they head out and back on manicured fingers of turf, with cliffs to both sides. The 12th is a long and narrow par-four where bogey is a good score. The 13th, the shortest par-three at Cape Kidnappers, pushes the course right to the edge of the cliffs. The backs of four bunkers guarding the left of the green are only a metre or so from a 150-metre drop to the ocean. Fast-forward to the 594-metre, par-five 15th, and the reason why they call this hole ‘Pirate’s Plank’ becomes immediately obvious. Any shot venturing slightly left or right of the fairway will disappear for good.
The high cost of green fees and its isolated location combine to keep player numbers down at Cape Kidnappers. If you are willing to pay up to NZ$400 for a round here, chances are you will have the course to yourself.
|
MEMORABLE HOLES 6th, 7th, 8th, 12th, 13th, 14th, 15th and 16th WHERE TO GO 446 Clifton Rd, Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay BOOK A ROUND (06) 873 1018, www.capekidnappers.com OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY Wairakei International (167 km), Kinloch (188 km), Paraparaumu Beach (269 km) WHERE TO STAY The Farm at Cape Kidnappers is on site and offers panoramic views of the course and the ocean. You can choose between the award-winning main lodge and 18 additional five-star suites, as well as the four-bedroom Owner’s Cottage. BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND Hawke’s Bay is NZ’s oldest wine region and home to more than 70 vineyards. Clearview Estate is near Cape Kidnappers and has great chardonnays, Bordeaux-style reds and an acclaimed restaurant. |