Day 28 - Kelvin Heights

Posted by Michael on 28 January 2010 | 0 Comments | Tags: , , ,

We are in the golfing mecca of New Zealand. Queenstown during the NZ Open weekend is golf mad (in fact, mad generally), so we are definitely in the right spot!

This morning we were hosted by the Queenstown Golf Club, commonly known as Kelvin Heights. The course sits atop the Frankton Peninsula and overlooks Lake Wakatipu.  Quite stunning, really.  Locals are friendly as friendly can be too - on arrival we were greeted by Johnny & Gav, the resident pros.  They set us up with Bun (a member, of Japanese extraction) and his mate Matt (a chef and all round good punter).  Stars were aligned for a good day from the start; early on we knew it was going to get hot, and the course was in good nick.  Lovely.

Here is a big call...Kelvin Heights comes in as my number 4 best course to date (behind Kinloch, Kauri Cliffs and Wairakei).  The course has the most amazing views across the lake, towards Walter and Cecil Peaks, and up to the famous Remarkables.  It is a traditional course, with no bells and whistles, but fun holes that keep you honest. To boot there are the great greens and well manicured fairways.  Play well and you can score well.  Get distracted by the outrageously beautiful views though and you'll find your scorecard can get messy.  

Severe undulations come into play on many holes, and are a notable feature of the course.  The fairways are generally not flat, and this needs to be taken into account when standing on the tee.  Once on the short stuff, the greens are relatively easy to hit.  HOWEVER, there are gnarly slopes on most dance floors, so 3 putts are always a possibility (I had a few).  

Kelvin Heights boasts some great holes. Number 5 sticks in the mind for me (as it probably does for most people) as a signature hole.  The fairway snakes around the lake, and the second shot (hopefully) played to an elevated green.  Other holes are equally spectacular: the downhill second played to the 9th green must be on a postcard or two somewhere - it looks like the lake is floating behind the pin (however I can assure that this is not the case as we learnt when Jamie airmailed the green and found his ball, playable); the 109m 10th hole â?? played downhill to a very shallow green flanked by a tranquil little lake (pleasant for those who donâ??t hit into it); the 15th also played downhill as a risk reward par 4, with a hugely sloping green, which was today where our match ended 4&3.

Poor Jamie hit the ball well but shaved the hole a number of times.  I think it's karma because usually it's his putting that digs him out of trouble.  Not today though, and hopefully not tomorrow!  In the morning we play Millbrook with journos from Asia - should be a lot of fun.  Hopefully we'll get to play the new layout, which is being formally opened by Mr Key on Sunday.  Unlikely.  Either way, I'm sure the course will be stunning, and we'll head off to The Hills afterwards to see how the real golfers play.  Should be another good day in paradise.

Thanks to Queenstown GC for hosting us - we loved it.  (The ludicrously cheap $500 membership fee may be enough to persuade us to move down permanently).  Thanks also to Bun and Matt, who were great company.

MG

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