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paradise lost
Queenstown is famous for skiing and adventure sports. But with a handful of top courses and a luxurious new five-star hotel, it’s now an ideal place for a golfing holiday. By Jon Underwood.
If there’s a more attractive place to fly into than Queenstown, I’ll eat my boarding pass. Snow-capped mountains on one side, verdant valleys on the other. The big guy was really on his game when he created this part of the world.
Visitors have been coming here for years to ski and occasionally throw themselves off something high with nothing but a large elastic band tied to their feet. Golfers are not such an adventurous bunch yet there are plenty of top-quality courses to whet the appetite and get the pulse racing.
Millbrook is an old favourite but since my last visit they’ve spent more than NZ$40 million on refurbishment, refinement and nine new holes, the Coronet, that opened in 2010. The original 18-hole course was laid out by Kiwi legend Sir Bob Charles and stands the test of time, thanks to a little tweaking here and there by Greg Turner, who designed the Coronet.
What I particularly like about Millbrook is how natural the place looks. Established in 1993, the resort was built on 200 hectares of farmland and they’ve left many of the original buildings in place, giving it a rustic, genteel atmosphere.
“Visitors to this region can experience five completely different courses, all within half an hour of town,” says Millbrook’s Chief Financial Officer Brian Spicer. “Each course has very different weather conditions. Here we are quite sheltered so you get awesome scenery, well-manicured fairways and a decent resort course.”
Coronet is more open than the other nines, Remarkables and Arrow, with some fairways at least 100 metres wide. But don’t think you can stand on the tee and just blaze away because where you put your drive often determines the difficulty of your second shot.
The par-four third is a case in point, where you have to keep the drive down the left hand side to leave the best line into the green because anything right can get caught up in tangly rough or worse, kick off down a steep bank. From there you’ll have little chance to reach the green and might need to lay up and hope your short game is up to scratch.
The fourth is a great, short par-four while the sixth is a classic risk-and-reward par-five that can be played a number of different ways. A good drive will have you contemplating smacking a three-wood over a creek and up towards the green but the smart play might be to lay back on an island fairway and come in with a short iron.
Defences on the older holes are the rough, which can be penal and make the fairways seem a little narrower than on Coronet. I played Remarkables as my back nine and particularly liked the twisting, dog-leg fifth, a par-five of 504-metres off the back tee. The last two holes are stiff tests, too, with the ninth demanding a NASA-precise long iron to a raised, narrow green with a ridge running through it.
“Having 27 holes gives guests who stay here the opportunity to rotate which nines they play and gives great variety to their game,“ comments Brian. “We try to set it up so it’s not too hard. We have to balance it out for those who want a more challenging course and those who are not so experienced. That’s our constant challenge. But generally speaking it’s just a lovely, relaxing experience.”
Millbrook is definitely a thinking golfer’s course, where you’ll be pulling three-wood or long iron on the tee, rather than the big dog. It manages to be all things to all people: tough for the big boys and fun for the high-handicapper, exactly what a resort course should be.
Jack’s Point is a different kettle of seafood altogether. Where Millbrook leaves some room for error, Jack’s takes no prisoners. The two back tees are labelled black and blue and if you’re game enough to try them, that’s pretty much how you’ll end up if you’re not straight, long and brave.
For the rest of us, there are the forward tee options but that still doesn’t take all the sting from Jack’s tail. I was fortunate to play the course in a gentle westerly breeze but I’m reliably informed that when the southerly blows, it turns a sleeping giant into a rampaging ogre.
Most courses give you a couple of holes to ease into your game…but this isn’t most courses. The par-four second is ‘only’ 362 metres off the whites and is rated two on the card. Like three and four it plays straight uphill and many a round will come to grief before it’s even started.
Ask the members which hole is the best and you’ll get half a dozen different suggestions. This course has more signatures than a petition.
For me, seven is a definite contender, a downhill par-three played straight towards lake and mountain. I timed the hang time for my tee shot at 10 seconds before it finally came back to earth. I hit nine-iron but into the wind it can be as much as a five. Spectacular, frightening and challenging in equal measures.
And so it continues, without a single hole in the 18 that you can ‘relax’ on. The only good news is that if your game starts to fall apart, you can at least enjoy the stunning scenery of The Remarkables mountain range.
And just when you think the end is in sight, they throw 17 and 18 at you. The former is 565-metres off the back tips and from there your drive will have to carry more than 100 metres just to reach the fairway. And then the finishing hole, often played straight into that southerly, is a 427-metre par-four rated the hardest on the course. As finishing stretches go, it doesn’t get much tougher.
Jack’s Point should definitely feature on any golfing holiday to Queenstown. But be warned, it’s not for the faint hearted.
ACCOMMODATION
The Hilton group had their eye on Queenstown for many years, keen to open one of their stylish hotels in the area. The site they chose was slightly out of town and stunning in its location, right on the banks of Lake Wakatipu. Not content with the five-star hotel, they also opened the neighbouring four-star Kawarau Hotel and the Kawarau Village, with a pub, delicatessen, restaurant and hairdresser.
“People don’t realise how stunning it is here on the north side of the lake,” says General Manager Marlene Poynder. “But I think the biggest surprise for our guests is just how comfortable our staff makes them feel. We ensure they are getting the most out of their stay in Queenstown.”
My Deluxe Lakeview room was certainly one of the nicest smelling hotel rooms I have ever been in. A ridiculously comfortable bed dominates the main room, allowing magnificent views of the water and mountains from the snuggly comfort of the numerous pillows. But for sheer indulgence, a soak in the standalone tub with a glass of wine while the gas fireplace roars is a definite winner.
As you would expect from a Hilton, everything is tasteful while the service is impeccable and friendly. While they don’t like to call it fine dining, food served in the Wakatipu Grill, helmed by renowned Kiwi chef Peter Thornley, is as close as it gets.
Think butter-roasted scampi, almond milk, celeriac puree, sweet carrots and ginger crumble...and that’s just the entree. My aged Hereford sirloin with horseradish butter, salt-baked shallots, potato fondants and Portobello mushrooms was the match of any dish I’ve been served in swanky restaurants. And, of course, was washed down with delicious New Zealand wines.
“The beauty of having a menu that changes seasonally is that it is printed every day, depending on what comes in and what’s available. There’s always something new for guests to try,” says Marlene.
After a hard day on the course – or too much of that Kiwi wine – there’s the eforea Spa, the largest of its kind in Queenstown. Right in the heart of the hotel, the 10 treatment rooms offer seclusion and pampering for singles or couples.
“This development in Queenstown has been a long time coming,” adds Marlene. “So far the feedback and response from the international, national and local market has been really positive. We like to think we have something
for everybody.”
All hotel pictures courtesy of Hilton Hotels.
at a glance
Getting there: Air New Zealand and Qantas fly directly to Queenstown from Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane.
Air New Zealand. 132-476; airnz.com.au
Qantas. 131-313; qantas.com.au
Green fees: Millbrook. NZ$180 casual visitors; NZ$150 Australian affiliated members; NZ$80 inhouse guests (unlimited golf per day). millbrook.co.nz
Jack’s Point. NZ$175 for 18 holes. Cart hire, NZ$20 per person. jackspoint.com
Accommodation: The Hilton Queenstown has 178 rooms in various categories, including Relaxation Rooms with hot tubs on a private terrace and Lake Wakatipu Suites. All rooms include gas fires and stunning views. queenstownhilton.com
The Kawarau Hotel has 98 rooms and is located within the Kawarau Village. Guest Rooms and Deluxe Lake View rooms feature in-room kitchenettes and some include pull-out sofa beds. kawarauhotelbyhilton.co.nz
Millbrook has more than 170 rooms in different categories and styles, including studio rooms, suites, cottages and villas. millbrook.co.nz
What else to do: Skiing, sky diving and bungy jumping for the adventurous, walking, wine tours or a cruise on Lake Wakatipu for the more sedate.
Kawarau Village: The Lake Counter deli, Me & Mee Noodle Bar, Stacks Pub. The village activity booking office can arrange ski trips, golf, cycling, adventure activities or vineyards visits.
For more information, contact Queenstown Tourism. 64-3/441-0700; queenstown-nz.co.nz
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