The NZ Open Golf Opens Today

The scene for the New NZ Open Golf for the next three years is to be held at the private course of NZs well known businessman Michael Hill known for his jewellery stores trhoughout New Zealand and Canada. His commercials when he first entered the scene were wimply direct and recognisable.

His course is set and ready to open today to play host to top NZ golfers as Michael Campbell, David Smail and Sir Bob Charles making his iconic return to the NZ Open.
The course (as laid out below) is located in the South Islands Arrowtown right next to Michael Hill's mansion. Being the one and only member makes him an Icon for who can say they have their very own private golf course for their own personal use.
Lastnight I sat watching an oversight of the course and I have to say, it's magnificent, with lush fairways and tricky greens and a layout which I have to say is one challenging design to test all golfers from the weekend hacker to the elite professionals.

Hole-by-hole breakdown of The Hills Golf Club, venue for the New Zealand Open.

No 1, par five, 475m: Comfortable three-shot hole. Elevated tee shot to narrow bottle neck-shaped fairway. Green surrounded by five bunkers with mid-to-back section sloping away.

No 2, par four, 371m: Elevated tee shot towards mountain tussocks left and bunkers right. Short iron to narrow, slightly tiered green.

No 3, par four, 335m: Accurate tee shot needed to attack with second to contoured clover-shaped green surrounded by tussocks.

No 4, par three, 235m: Long par-three with water right and four pot bunkers left. Long green with large ridge making putting a challenge if tee shot not pin high.

No 5, par four, 308m: Players can attack this short hole from the tee or layup to allow full sand wedge second. Very tiny, contoured, elevated green protected by three deep bunkers.

No 6, par four, 395m: Accurate drive required on dog leg right before second shot over water to terraced green.

No 7, par three, 189m: Elevated green protected by deep bunkers front right and deep swale on left. Large nose-shaped ridge through centre of green makes for challenging putt if tee shot inaccurate.

No 8, par four, 465m: Elevated tee shot, dog leg right, bunkers right and through the fairway at 290m. Exposed schist outcrops split fairway to slightly elevated terraced kidney shaped green.

No 9, par five, 544m: Sweeping right-to-left uphill dog leg. Second shot a layup for most ahead of elevated, terraced green with large bunker left and creek right.

No 10, par three, 149m: Three-tiered clover-shaped green, two bunkers front and three back requiring perfect club to get close into prevailing south-southwest breeze.

No 11, par four, 397m: Slight dog leg left. Second shot to three-tiered green with large bunkers left and deep swale right. Challenging slope on green for any approach above the hole.

No 12, par four, 388m: Tee shot the key, with large pot bunkers creating a double fairway. Right side protected by fescue rough and the left by trees. Narrow green guarded by pot bunkers.

No 13, par five, 525m: Sweeping dog leg left, up a valley from elevated tee over water hazard. Heavy fairway and greenside bunkering to narrow, long, kidney-shaped green make for demanding second shot.


No 14, par four, 392m: Tee shot between two deep pot bunkers set into the face of testing uphill landing area. Second to be hit from downhill lie into narrow, undulating green.

No 15, par four, 301m: Picturesque elevated tee shot to this driveable hole. Three-tiered green surrounded by deep bunkers. Prevailing breeze will push tee shots right.

No 16, par three, 167m: Slightly elevated tee shot to a half-moon-shaped green, bounded on the right by an irrigation ditch. Partially blind shot when pin placed in back sector of the green.

No 17, par five, 506m: Picture postcard hole, demanding straight drive to avoid bunkers on the elbow of the dog leg. The second is uphill through a schist-faced canyon, lined by bunkers to large figure-eight shaped green.

No 18, par four, 450m: S shaped fairway requires perfect placement of drive through the saddle of the hill to a plateau. Players need to be on fairway to have any chance of attacking well protected, elevated, undulating green.