Gulf Harbour is the only New Zealand design of the esteemed American designer Robert Trent Jones Jnr, whose name instantly invokes thoughts of a dramatic landscape adorned with creative bunkers and imaginatively routed holes. Perched on the tip of the Whangaparoa Peninsula, a 35-minute drive north of Auckland, the views across Waitemata Harbour and back to the city of sails are stunning, especially from behind the 12th green. These postcard images are merely the entree for the visual feast a few holes later, as the layout winds its way to and across the tops of cliffs, before heading back inland and lurching towards the clubhouse.
It is a high-class Jones Jnr design, with the beautifully rolling terrain of the outward holes turning more dramatic on the inward half. Gulf Harbour hosted the 1998 World Cup of Golf within months of opening, and has since staged two NZ Opens. There are five sets of tees on every hole, so players can effectively select the course that most closely matches their game. The blue markers, just forward of the back markers, are the suggested tee for most players.
This can prove helpful on some holes, such as the 285-metre 11th, a dramatic and novel short par-four that is contained within a valley. It provides the setting for one of the most nerve-racking approach shots of the round. The green sits on top of a narrow ridge – where you will be greeted by a spectacular vista of the surrounding ocean – but to get there you must first execute a short-iron uphill approach, and to do that, especially in windy conditions, requires astute and precise club selection.
Among the closing half-dozen holes are two par-threes, and neither can be considered a pushover. The scorecard says the 13th is 167 metres from the back markers. But the green sits on a hill more than 12 metres above the tee level. This adds nearly 50 metres – maybe more, if the wind is blowing in your face – to a tee shot that must clear a deep bunker to find the punchbowl green.
The 15th is a downhill one-shotter of 169 metres, the first of three oceanfront holes. Native vegetation and mature pines help make for a memorable setting. The flag position dictates your club selection here, as the green is one of the deepest on the course. The difference between a front and back pin location is at least three to four clubs.
A short walk from the back of the 15th green has you standing on the edge of a cliff, with the 405-metre, par-four 16th laid out before you. This sharp dogleg-right is Gulf Harbour’s hardest and best hole. A sloping fairway is bordered by cliffs to the right, not unlike the famous 8th hole at Pebble Beach or the 17th at Cypress Point. Instead of driving across a rugged ravine, long hitters can opt to smash their tee shot straight over the cliffs in an attempt to shorten the approach. It’s a risky strategy, and anything less than a perfect strike will finish up in the harbour. This didn’t stop the enigmatic John Daly from trying it during the 1998 World Cup. He successfully carried his drive more than 250 metres over the cliffs and the ocean, leaving himself a short pitch away from a green that rests at the point of a narrow peninsula.
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MEMORABLE HOLES 7th, 12th, 13th, 15th, 16th and 17th WHERE TO GO 180 Gulf Harbour Dr, Gulf Harbour, Whangaparaoa BOOK A ROUND (09) 428 1380, www.gulfharbourcountryclub.co.nz OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY Titirangi (57.3 km), Muriwai (60.8 km), The Grange (63.5 km), Royal Auckland (63.7 km) WHERE TO STAY Stylish Gulf Harbour Lodge, which overlooks a magnificent marina, is a few minutes’ drive from the course. BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND Whangaparaoa is Maori for ‘Bay of Whales’. Pods of orca and dolphin are regularly spotted in the neighbouring waters of the Whangaparaoa Peninsula. Whale and dolphin-watching tours depart daily from the city. |