Pure Golf 2010 Blog

Wednesday 17th February

It’s been a few weeks since you last heard from us and, needless to say, a lot has happened. First, thankfully, we’re still alive. And still enjoying every bit of our whacky odyssey.

Second, we have played another handful of superb courses (which I’ll get to soon). Third, the pattern that began on Day 1 – that is, of meeting fantastic people everywhere we go – has continued too.

I should start with the golf, because that’s probably what you’re most interested in.  You may remember I mentioned Kinloch in our last blog post; well Jack’s Point, which sits underneath The Remarkables and only 10 minutes from Queenstown, may be the course to rival it.

The two have a lot in common; they are both monsters, and will more often than not chew golfers up and spit them out. On the tee you invariably think “wow” before anything else, and if you don’t find a bunker all day, you should go to a casino to make the most of your luck. If you don’t come off the course having enjoyed yourself – regardless of your score – then there’s something wrong.

Jack’s is a new course (only two years old), set on a spectacular 1500-acre property on the shores of Lake Wakatipu. The Queenstown area is fast becoming a mecca for golf, and Jack’s must take a good deal of responsibility for that. 

Michael and I spent five days or so in the Wakatipu Basin, with Tourism New Zealand and the international media, and had an absolute ball. This was NZ Open week, a tournament that Michael Hill has hosted at his eponymously named course, The Hills.

What an atmosphere. This part of the country sparkles in summer – somehow the penetrating sun (there’s no ozone layer down here) manages to extract every ounce of colour from every corner, making for a quite spectacular setting for a golf tournament. As you would expect, we played our own golf too – at Kelvin Heights, the recently renovated Millbrook, Arrowtown and Jack’s Point.

Kelvin Heights (or Queenstown Golf Club, to give it its proper name) sits on a bulbous peninsula that stretches out into the Lake, with 360 -egree views of Queenstown itself and the surrounding peaks.

The course doesn’t rest on the views either; you’ve got to play some good golf to get around it. At Millbrook, a new nine holes had been built, and we were among the lucky few to play them before they were officially opened by the Prime Minister later in the week, and goodness they were tough.

I can’t move on without commenting on what an amazingly serene atmosphere they cultivate at Millbrook – the best way I can describe it without sounding cliched, is relaxed luxury. Quite seriously, I could go there and not play golf – and that bares no reflection on the course itself; it’s just a wonderfully therapeutic place to be.

If you’re planning a golf trip to NZ, and you want to stay more or less in one place, then stay at Millbrook and play the surrounding courses.

Arrowtown GC has been etched into a craggy strip of land that sits under the Crown Range. Its narrow chutes flanked by schist outcrops and tussock would be enough to drive a man to drink, were it not for the fact that the surrounding scenery numbs any frustration stirred by bad golf.

When the General Manager told us after the round that it costs about NZ$400 (that’s about £170 to you lot) for an annual sub, neither of us could believe it.  Arrowtown oozes charm, and rounds off – with its big brother, and next door neighbour, The Hills (which we will not play until December) – a spectacular golfing region.

Since driving north from Queenstown some two weeks ago, we have managed to play a few of the more established layouts in the land. Paraparaumu Beach – just under an hour north of the Capital, Wellington – is New Zealand’s pre-eminent links course, and what a pleasure it was too.

On Day 34 the sun was shining and the wind teasing; we were joined by a couple of local golf snakes and the General Manager, Leo (a fine chap who also takes on the mantle of head greenkeeper).

Having grown up playing links golf in Fife, I always feel at home trying to conjure clever shots on the links. Paraparumu is tough, and it’s one of those courses where no two days are the same.

Michael and I had enjoyed the experience so much that after dinner, which had been served a stone throw from the 11th fairway, at our kind hosts’ house, we set out with an 8-iron and a few balls to play some more. New holes were imagined, and bets made – it felt like we were all 13 again. Great stuff.

Other “must mentions” up the west coast of the North Island include Manawatu (one of the oldest clubs in the country), Ngamotu (a fine links-ish course with fairways lined by native pohutukawa trees, yielding spectacular red golf avenues) and Muriwai (another links, west of Auckland, with more pot bunkers than you can shake a stick at).

In Auckland itself, we have been fortunate to play at Royal Auckland – one of those old world experiences; similar to what I imagine the intensely private southern US courses to be like.

And at Titirangi, the only Dr Alistair MacKenzie course in New Zealand – a beautifully crafted and thoughtful layout, characterised by subtle undulations, menacing bunkering, fast greens, rolling doglegs and – most importantly – variety. 

It’s now Day 48 and there are only three games left before we fly across The Ditch to Australia. In a way, our maiden leg has flown by. 50 rounds of golf in 50 days might sound like a lot, but – as the saying goes – time flies when you’re having fun.

Puregolf2010 has been a success so far. We’ve managed to raise over $5,000 for, and elevated the profile of, The First Tee of New Zealand; we have played nearly all of the best courses in this spectacular country; and met a whole lot of new friends.

The people, as much as the golf, have been what has made Leg One such a thrill.  We’ve received more hospitality in these 50 days than we could hope to repay in a lifetime. On several occasions I have been sitting at someone’s table, enjoying a wonderful meal and vintage conversation, thinking “what on earth did I do to deserve this?”

In venturing to Australia we will be straying somewhat out of our comfort zone, although it’s a country we’re both pretty familiar with. Australia is also a bountiful land of stunning golf courses, many of which we’ll be lucky enough to play.

The temperature guage will rise a few notches, and the kilometre counter on the car will clock up a fair few; but with any luck our good fortune will continue and the puregolf2010 band wagon will roll merrily on.

If you haven’t yet visited our site – www.puregolf2010.com – please do. We write up a daily blog on our adventures, and if you’re at all interested in helping us to support our fantastic cause, The First Tee of New Zealand, there’s a donation mechanism on there too.

Monday 25th January 2010

It’s day 21 as I write this and all is well. Despite the fact that we’re playing a round of golf every day, no two days are the same. Already we’ve been fortunate to play some amazing golf courses and to meet wonderful people along the way. The diversity, on both fronts, is what makes each day a thrill. Unfortunately, the only constant is poor golf – it seems our bad habits are becoming engrained…

Some of you may have played golf in New Zealand, so the courses I’m about to mention may be familiar to you. The highlight for me to date has been Kinloch – an amazing Jack Nicklaus Signature Design links layout, overlooking the picturesque Lake Taupo (http://www.kinloch-golf.com/). It’s long off the back tees, but fair.

You can read our write up and check out some snaps on www.puregolf2010.com. If you make it to the land of the long white cloud (that’s NZ, by the way), take my word for it – play Kinloch, you won’t be disappointed.

At the other end of the spectrum, another links – Mahia – struck a chord with us too. A wee 9-holer on the North Island’s East Coast, Mahia is an absolute gem. It’s a club kept afloat by a core of salt of the earth members that get their hands dirty doing voluntary maintenance works.

We enjoyed some great hospitality staying on a sheep and beef farm with the local sheriff, Lil. Thankfully there was no farm work this time – unlike the week earlier, when we squeezed in some early morning milking while staying with friends on a dairy farm.

It was a privilege to learn about the role a golf club like Mahia plays in the local community. Poles apart from the Kinlochs and Kauri Cliffs of this world, but no less special for it.

I’m sure there are a lot of Mahias out there – in the UK just as much as here – and hope for everyone’s sake they are not allowed to drop off the radar as financial pressures take hold.

Another highlight was playing at Wairakei – one of New Zealand’s best courses – with Phil Tataurangi, one of New Zealand’s best golfers. Phil was an absolute gentleman, but unfortunately gave Michael a putting tip that has paid dividends. He’s now on a three-day winning streak (which means I haven’t shaved for 3 days) – although I’m still 13-8 up and we’re still friends.

This weekend we head south to the New Zealand PGA and New Zealand Open tournaments, which should be a lot of fun. The former is being held at Clearwater Resort (of which Michael is a member); the latter at our most elite new course here in NZ, The Hills.

Spending time amongst the golf community should give us an opportunity to trumpet our cause, The First Tee New Zealand, and hopefully secure a few donations. If you aren’t familiar with the work they do, please check out www.thefirstteenz.org – inspirational stuff (they teach kids nine life enhancing values through golf).

Happy golfing.

Monday 11 January 2010

G’day. Myself and a mate will be playing a round of golf, at a different course, every day in 2010. Being Kiwis, we relish a bit of a challenge, and our project –puregolf2010 – is just that.

To give you a bit of background, we’re 24-year-old corporate lawyers that found practice to be somewhat unfulfilling. Six months ago we were searching for a challenge, something to take us out of our comfort zone.

And when a particularly bad hangover set in one day on an end of year hockey trip, the epiphany struck: why not play golf every day for a year? Life’s too short, right? After sending off a few letters, and writing a business plan, here we are.

We hope you enjoy following us on our odyssey. There will be ups and downs, lefts and rights. But come 31 December 2010, we will have played 365 great golf courses, met a bunch of interesting people, developed new skills, and probably have some great stories.

But we have a cause underlying our madness, namely The First Tee New Zealand charity. With its roots in the States, The First Tee has spread around the world in recent years, and has been in NZ since 2005.

Their presence here is small, and through our project we hope to raise money to help them expand to other NZ centres.

It’s now Day 7 (apologies for the delay in the update – blame the time difference!), and we’ve had a great start. The adventure kicked off on 1 January at Kauri Cliffs, a spectacular course in the Bay of Islands region of New Zealand. Not a bad way to get the ball rolling, so to speak.

Since then, we’ve been winding our way around the North Island (losing a lot of balls along the way), and will spend another five weeks here before heading to Australia. 

Our journey will then take us to the States, to the UK, through northern Europe, and homeward bound through Asia. It will be an amazing year; a challenge on a number of levels – physical, mental, logistical and financial. Bring it on!