Being well and truly part of the Tiger Woods generation of golfers, I started the sport in the late 90’s and instantly fell in love with the challenge the game presented. I was born and raised in Iowa, in the Heartland of the U.S. and would spend just about every hour of every summer day at the local country club. If I wasn’t playing golf, I was working at the club and that was how I found out that there might very well be a career in this industry. Long story short, I went to a Professional Golf Management program at a university in the U.S. and have been in New Zealand working in the golf industry for over 12 years.

Where are the Te Arai Links golf courses located, & could you let us know the history & who designed it?

As mentioned above, Te Arai Links is a very short helicopter trip from Auckland and even if you’re driving, it is only 90 minutes north of Auckland on the stunning Pacific Coast, just south of a small but exceptionally popular holiday town called Mangawhai.

Both courses are built on pure dune sand, or proper ‘linksland’ and maintain firm and fast conditions year round. The South Course, which opened in September of 2022 and has already been ranked inside of Golf Magazines “Top 100 Courses of the World” was designed by Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw. The South Course takes full advantage of several kilometers of coast line and offers an incredibly fun and enjoyable round of golf.

The North Course, which opened a year later in September of 2023 was designed by Tom Doak and the team of Renaissance Golf Design. The North Course is the perfect complement to the South while offering a taste of inland holes over more rolling terrain but also, coupled by some of the most exciting green complexes in the World.

A visit to Te Arai Links is definitely not complete without playing both courses and experiencing the largest putting green in the southern hemisphere, aptly named The Playground.