Carrington Resort’s seaside location might have you expecting to find a links-style course. Surprisingly, this stunning layout on the Karikari Peninsula, beside the Pacific Ocean, is more like an inland course, with large, naturally occurring water hazards and a rolling landscape dictating the flow of the holes.
Developed by American investment banker Paul Kelly, New Zealand’s northernmost resort course was extensively remodelled by Matt Dye and opened for play in December 2003. Dye is a third-generation member of the acclaimed Dye family of US course designers. Following the family tradition established and maintained by his grandfather Paul, his late father Roy and his uncle Pete, Matt Dye went into the design business himself in 2002. Carrington was his first solo project – and he has been receiving accolades for his work ever since.
The golf course is part of a 3000-acre property that is also home to a vineyard, a Black Angus beef stud farm and four spectacular kilometres of secluded white sand. From the course, especially the clubhouse, the views towards 15-metre-high sand dunes backing on to Karikari Beach and Great Exhibition Bay are breathtaking.
The natural contours of the land and the length of the layout – 6429 metres from the ‘tiger’ tees – combine to pose a stern challenge for good players. Casual players can choose one of two alternative teeing ground options. While the length is demanding, especially on windy days, of which there are many, some of Carrington’s short holes are the ones that impress the most.
The 5th, a 301-metre par-four, is a wonderfully strategic hole where the fairway cascades dramatically down from tee to green. Depending on the wind direction, you can hit any club from a driver to a mid-iron to find the plateau en route to the putting surface.
The par-four 6th and par-three 7th holes skirt a large lake, bringing water into play. At the 350-metre 6th your tee shot has to carry the lake for a brief distance to find a narrow stretch of fairway. Though it’s 75 metres shorter than the longest par-four, this slight dogleg-left hole rates as Carrington’s hardest.
Moving forward to the 7th, your tee shot must this time clear the entire width of the lake to safely reach the green, which is two-thirds surrounded by water. From the closest tee it is but a short iron of 113 metres; from the back tee a solid blow of 165 metres is required.
Far fewer trees line the fairways of the back nine. Instead Dye uses creative bunkering, and the original creeks and watercourses uncovered during the construction process, to punctuate each journey between tee and green. A standout hole on the trek back to the clubhouse is the 403-metre, par-four 15th. This is a fantastic driving hole where the longest and straightest drives are rewarded with a relatively easy approach to the green. The key is to pick a driving line that will successfully carry a deep gully, which extends down the entire left half of the dogleg-left fairway. The best, and shortest, approach to the green is from this left side – hence the temptation to risk all from the tee in a bid to get over the gully.
This impressive layout has been a big improver recently in terms of its presentation. The tightly cropped fairways are a joy to hit off, while the large bent-grass greens are among the best in New Zealand.
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MEMORABLE HOLES 5th, 6th, 7th, 12th, 13th and 15th WHERE TO GO Maitai Bay Rd, Karikari Peninsula, RD3, Kaitaia BOOK A ROUND (09) 408 7222, www.heritagehotels.co.nz/carrington-resort OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY Kauri Cliffs (77.9 km) WHERE TO STAY Carrington Resort offers lodges and villas. The lodges have wide verandahs looking out across the golf course and towards the ocean. BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND The award-winning Karikari Estate winery lies within the resort: 40 hectares of syrah, merlot, cabernet sauvignon, malbec, pinotage, chardonnay and viognier. The cellar door is open every day for tastings. |