Of all the golf courses Jack Nicklaus has created, his Mona Lisa lies in the heart of New Zealand’s North Island. Nicklaus has personally designed more than 270 courses in 34 countries, and when he isn’t designing or playing on golf courses he likes to get away and go fishing. He once, in the mid-’70s, played an exhibition match at Wairakei International, and so taken was he by the outstanding fly-fishing to be had in Lake Taupo that he returned many times over the following years in search of more trout.
When the opportunity arose to design a golf course in the area, Nicklaus already knew full well what the land was like. He’d fished at Kinloch on plenty of occasions. ‘I want to be involved with the project,’ Nicklaus announced, accepting the commission. ‘The site has the views and all the contours needed . . . It will turn out to be a very special and enjoyable golf course.’
He was right. Kinloch, 20 minutes’ drive from the tourist town of Taupo, is unquestionably one of Nicklaus’s finest creations.
It is also a significant departure from his traditional design approach. Instead of building the trademark American parkland-style course that he has taken around the globe, Nicklaus sought to create a Scottish links. The bunkering is rugged and varies greatly in shape, depth and size, while the rolling fairways of the front nine become progressively more dramatic in their elevation changes. The course, which opened for 18-hole play in 2007, is laid out beneath a steep, cattle-covered range. Nicklaus tried to reflect that same rugged majesty in the golf course he built.
Kinloch has few if any weak holes. Standing on the 1st tee, you get a taste of what lies ahead. The rippled fairway of this 436-metre par-four lies at a 70-degree angle to your approaching drive. With the green off in the distance to the right, you must negotiate your way past 13 bunkers before finding sanctuary on the putting surface.
Several front nine holes will live long in your memory. The 5th and 6th are dynamic short par-fours, while the 512-metre 8th will over time gain a reputation as one of the best par-fives in New Zealand. The driving zone here is flanked by sand, then the fairway splits in two – a high route and a low route – on its way to the green, which though quite wide, is only 26 metres at its deepest.
The quality doesn’t stop on the back nine. It begins with a brutally long par-four – at 432 metres from the tournament tees, this is a beast into a headwind – and finishes with an equally challenging par-five of 523 metres, where a lake borders most of the left side and eight large bunkers lie between tee and green.
The hole most people will never ever forget is the last of the par-threes: the downhill 224-metre 15th. With Lake Taupo a gorgeous backdrop, this par-three often plays into the wind, turning it almost into a short par-four. A deep pot bunker and some heavy rough on a steep slope are waiting for you left of the green. Another massive sandy pit will catch any mishit right. It’s a gem of a hole, one Nicklaus should be proud of.
The Kinloch Club is open for play six days a week and closed on Mondays for course maintenance.
|
MEMORABLE HOLES 1st, 5th, 6th, 8th, 10th, 15th and 18th WHERE TO GO 261 Kinloch Rd, Kinloch, Taupo BOOK A ROUND (07) 377 8484, www.kinloch-golf.com OTHER 120 GREAT COURSES NEARBY Wairakei International (24.3 km), Cape Kidnappers (188 km) WHERE TO STAY Dunalistair House is a four-bedroom home adjacent to the 3rd hole, with stunning views towards the hills beyond Kinloch and Lake Taupo. BEFORE/AFTER YOUR ROUND Follow Jack Nicklaus’s lead and go trout fishing. Taupo is world-famous for its trout: not just the quantity, but also the size of the trout. Book a fly-fishing guide and he will have you hooked up to a fish on your first day. Also, if you take your catch into one of the many local restaurants they will cook it for you (so long as you let them know you’re coming). |