Jack’s Point, one of New Zealand’s newest courses, is destined to be mentioned in the same breath as Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs as more and more golfers discover its delights. Laid out over dramatically undulating terrain, between the 2300-metre-high Remarkables mountain range and the cliff tops above Lake Wakatipu, Jack’s Point is a spectacular layout set amid equally spectacular surrounds.
This Queenstown course, officially opened for play in 2009, is the latest design of John Darby, who also created The Hills Golf Club at nearby Arrowtown. The Hills has gained plenty of attention as host of the NZ Open. But Jack’s Point will surely become the yardstick by which all Darby’s future creations are measured. For Jack’s Point is simply outstanding. ‘Jack’s Point is founded much more on the wild landscape character of the site,’ Darby himself has noted. ‘It’s in a raw, rugged and wild land setting, whereas The Hills is a more refined and gentrified landscape.’
From the clubhouse, holes weave out and over a ridge, bringing the lake into view. Boulders dot the edges of fairways, and huge rocks peek through the slopes of mounds and between steep banks, many of which are covered in unwelcoming clumps of thorny bush. Darby’s routing skirts sheep-grazing paddocks enclosed by handmade rock walls – inspired, clearly, by the walls that crisscross some of the traditional links courses of Scotland and Ireland. The stone used for the walls was quarried on site. Each hole has been carefully aligned to make the most of the course’s magnificent backdrop, offering golfers a 360-degree experience of the surrounding wetlands, the native matagouri bushes and the high-country landscape.
Standing on the tee of the 135-metre 7th, you get your first panoramic view of the lake. It’s a short, steep and fabulous downhill par-three, with a couple of bunkers positioned well before the putting surface. A visual illusion from the tee makes you think they are closer to the green than they are. No more than an eight-iron is required to find the green, perched high on a bluff above the lake. Don’t use too much club from the tee, as any shot sailing over the back will plunge into the lake below.
The 8th, a 487-metre par-five, is already a signature hole, one of several. The fairway climbs gradually uphill to a massive green that once again sits beside the edge of a steep bluff, offering uninterrupted views across the lake towards Queenstown. The incline to the putting surface is sharp enough to make it reachable in two shots – but only by brave, or foolhardy, long hitters.
One of the more demanding holes, for all hitters, is the 362-metre, par-four 9th. Darby’s routing of Jack’s Point takes a lead from the home of golf, St Andrews, in that the course doesn’t return to the clubhouse until you reach the 18th green. The 9th, therefore, is the furthest hole from the clubhouse and brings you face to face with the buttress of The Remarkables looming above. Upon hitting your drive, the ball seemingly hangs in the air forever, lost in the recesses of the mountains off in the distance. The fairway, bordered on both sides by thorny 400-year-old matagouri bush, gets narrower the closer you get to the green. So long hitters need to play smart here.
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MEMORABLE HOLES 3rd, 7th, 8th, 9th, 14th, 15th and 18th WHERE TO GO McAdams Dr, Jack’s Point, Queenstown BOOK A ROUND (03) 450 2050, www.jackspoint.com OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY Queenstown (13.7 km), Arrowtown (23.8 km), The Hills (24.3 km), Millbrook Resort (29.8 km) WHERE TO STAY Central Queenstown is 16 km from the golf course and offers a huge range of accommodation options, from holiday parks to five-star resorts. BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND Queenstown is NZ’s adventure capital. The most famous adrenalin-pumping activity here is the A. J. Hackett Bungy from the Kawarau Bridge, about 40 metres above the Kawarau River. If that doesn’t seem high enough for you, try the Ledge Sky Swing, which lets you hang 400 metres above Queenstown. |