Te Arai South
When I was looking for a place to go and celebrate my 40th birthday, Scotland was my instinctual first choice. I’d not long suddenly lost my mother who was a proud Scot from just outside Glasgow. She’s the reason I play golf in the first place and I had never been.
Times change, and life moves quickly. All of a sudden Scotland was out of the picture. My immediate second option was Te Arai and New Zealand’s north island. My fiance’s brothers are both in Queenstown – the near perfect place on the planet low on the south island. My experiences playing there were nothing short of immeasurable. The vistas, the climate, the company and the courses were just everything I’d hoped for.
I’d long stared at images from Ricky Robinson’s instagram of this incredible property and I knew that if the north island was ever an option – I had to make it happen somehow.
Te Arai is a premium experience, and while the price tag to stay on property can be intimidating I can assure you that it’s worth every cent. Having a non-golfing partner means that where we stay on trips that involve golf is really important to us. If you have the situation that we do, look no further. Te Arai is the place.
The view from our room over the Playground
First impressions
Our flight arrived from Brisbane into Auckland at approx. 7pm. That meant arriving up to Te Arai in the hire car close to 9pm. As we drove through the winding roads in pitch black and moved through the hills northeast we couldn’t help but wonder what was to lie ahead when we woke the next morning. I’d obviously seen the property when dreaming/booking. But my fiance hadn’t seen more than the odd photo. I couldn’t wait for her reaction.
The first morning really delivered. Looking out to the ocean over the giant ‘Playground’ putting green that sits outside the casual restaurant and bar. Over the first and past the pine treeline the stillness of the setting took over us and we both exhaled with relaxation. It was more than pictures allow.
Round 1: Sickos only
Being the anxious/over excited person I am… I was promptly down at the range 90min before my tee time. I had to hunt through the shop, understand what the experience of such a premium venue is like and what to expect from the course. The weather forecast was gale force wind warnings… so I needed to see what that was about as well.
After picking up some kit including a pretty incredible furry trucker made by Angus and Grace Go Golfing I set off to the range where my bag was waiting for me. The caddy master came out to greet me and make me feel welcome. After striping some wedges and short irons the sky turned nasty and a heavy squall swept into the property. I took cover, picked up a caesar wrap and made small talk with people, perhaps unsure of the level of enthusiasm for the elements coming from this broad, heavily tattooed Aussie.
Not long after the first squall passed and the wind really started whipping my caddy Craig came out. Probably 10ish years older than I am, Craig is a dead set legend and I haven’t stopped singing his praises since this day. I’ve never taken a caddy out anywhere I’ve been so the experience was totally foreign to me. Craig asked me about my golf game and what I wanted most out of my day. We were going out by ourselves and due to the extreme weather incoming it was going to be pretty quiet out there.
The conditions of the round were nothing short of biblical… 50km/h winds with gusts up to who-knows. There were a few times I was knocked off balance over putts. I love playing in the wind, maybe it’s the Scottish blood in my veins, it just really engages my brain. It becomes a battle of survival and will. I’m a sucker for punishment.
Te Arai eases you into the round with an uphill start that’s a solid preview of what’s ahead. It’s a sizeable par 5 at 463m from the one-ups. A solid drive gets you half-way up the hill and about 220m left. The right lay up leaves you with an inviting pitch to the green. The second and third holes are also really good opening tracks to an album that’s about to pick up the pace.
As we got to the crest of the hill from the third green, my jaw dropped. The view from the fourth tee is mouthwatering stuff. Perched at the top of a massive hill you’ve made your way up in the two holes previous this 419m par 4 gives you license to rip a driver and see what happens. The right hand pines are intimidating from the top. Their height seems to match the tee box, but it’s the Tiger line if you have draw in you. Into the wind I hit my trademark push-cut and flirted with danger. Not feeling too confident my caddy said ‘you’ll be fine, it’s good past those trees’. He wasn’t wrong. I ended up on the fringe after my second. The green has plenty of personality to it. Tiered from back to front, with a false front to boot.
The view from the top and bottom of 4
Walking down the par 4 sixth was when the weather started kicking in. We had gotten lucky to this point being amongst the pines and guarded by the hills. When we hit the ocean and the clearing it was on for young and old. The rest of the front nine had me sitting well positioned for a decent score.
We made the turn and the weather got ugly. The predicted winds had arrived and so had the rain. The flagstick on eleven looked like it might just take off. Sitting to the right in a run off area Craig and I discussed our options. I love keeping the ball along the ground and had been coming out of a tough period of short game play. He said to me ‘you’ve been wanting to put an 8 iron into the bank for a while… Now is the perfect time.’ Without too much green beyond the fringe and the ridge I was trying to crest, I felt sound over the ball. It hit the spot I wanted, popped up like an easy knick to the slips. Landing soft for a makeable putt and left with a mega-par.
The par 3 twelfth is the hole I’ll remember most from this day. Playing 169m on the card and 155m on the pin on the day… straight into the teeth of 50km winds. Knowing what I’d learned from the last hour of play I pulled out 3 wood, estimating about a 70m wind. I set the ball a little back in my stance and sawed off my finish. A pure strike that seemed to move through the air in slow motion through the wind. It landed softly on the left third of the green which cambered dramatically from left-to-right. We watched it make its way toward the hole through squinted eyes and pummelling rain as it finished 1m from the hole and nearly gave me my second ace. I missed the putt on a nervous read and walked away grinning about par.
Having a caddy was eye opening and I now see its value. They don’t exist in Australia and New Zealand the same way they do in the United States and UK/Europe. Especially somewhere as dramatic as Te Arai, that knowledge is so important. There were multiple times that I would have been taken by visual deception from the architect and landscape. Talking through shots taught me so much too. Not so much through execution as it was a process. A pitfall of mine is I’m a ‘see and do’ golfer. I don’t tend to take the time often enough. That’s changed since.
Looking across to 16
Through the rest of the round we battled the elements, talked endlessly about golf and what it means to us. It would be so easy to have a terrible time in the wrong company but Craig made it enjoyable. I said to him at one point that playing in those conditions makes me feel like the Bishop in Caddyshack who has the round of his life in a freak storm before being struck by lightning.
We walked quickly up 18 as we saw a squall heading our way off the pine forest to our back right. It caught up to us on my second shot where I ripped 4hy from the left hand rough. With thick rain drops that felt like marbles slapping my skin I hit my third chunky from about 80m. With 60m left and exhaustion I pulled up with the same 56degree wedge. Clipped perfectly to the landing area, a hop then putting on the brakes it decelerated into the cup. One of the wilder birdies I’ll have in my life.
16 was another one of my favourite holes of the trip and gives the perfect view of what Te Arai is to me
Round 2: Sucker for punishment
Making my way to the range on the second day, a caddy walked past saying ‘You really are a sucker for punishment aren't you?’. I guess word got around on the day we had and how the weather was. I chuckled and replied ‘Yep, let’s do it!’.
I spent most of the time warming up around the short game area which lay vacant. Creating shots and just being creative and engaging my brain. Knowing I wouldn’t have a caddy I was keen to sharpen up and see what I’d learned the day before.
The description of this round is brief, because I had forgotten to arm myself with antihistamines before leaving the room and after 6 holes my eyes were on fire, my nose running like a tap and had turned me into a mouthbreathing mess, sucking all of the fun out of the latter part of my round. The day before had caught up to me and I felt like I was on my knees.
All told I learned a lot from the day prior and made good on a lot of missed shots while missing others.
The one that got away is the par 3 seventeenth. At just 100m it’s the most intimidating short hole I’ve played in my life. It consists of a dramatic canyon in front of the false-fronted green, bunkers and waste to the left and right, the ocean roars at the back. My caddy had me drop a ball on the top right tee box and putt for fun. The result will blow you away as the ball disappears from view for about 5 seconds before climbing to the green and being able to hit while riding the contours.
I can’t wait to go back.
17 is the one that got away