October Newsletter

October 2009

In this Issue:

• Kiwi Golfer Paul Parlane's Favourite Course
• NZ Women's Open gets New Venue
• 2009 Kiwi Challenge
  
• Hurakia Luxury Lodge
• Investment Opportunities in the Southern Alps
• China is Hot!
  

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Paul Parlane's Favourite Golf Course

Paul Parlane is a kiwi golfer who has had a distinguished amateur career competing alongside some of today's top New Zealand professionals, including Michael Campbell, Phil Tataurangi, and Steve Alker.

Paul has played competitive golf all over the world, and in 1998 he moved to the United States to pursue a professional playing career, playing on the Canadian Tour, the South American Tour and the NGA Tour.

Currently, Paul is Director of Instruction for the Mountaingate Country Club Teaching Academy. Paul's clients include several touring golf professionals, including players on the PGA and Nationwide Tours, as well as leading Hollywood stars including Superman!

We asked Paul about his favourite golf course in New Zealand: 

Q: What is your favourite golf experience in New Zealand?

A: Cape Kidnappers on the east coast of the North Island

Q: Why would you recommend Cape Kidnappers to an international visitor to New Zealand?

A: This course is unbelievably beautiful!  It is a memorable experience that is 'totally New Zealand'. By that I mean it is spectacular but understated.

Q: What is your favourite activity a visitor could enjoy in New Zealand when not playing golf?

A: New Zealand is a great environment for hiking.  I would particularly recommend the Fiordland region with some of the world's great walks like the Milford Track and Doubtful Sound.  More about hiking in New Zealand.

More about what Paul Parlane is doing in Los Angeles           

2010 NZ Women's Open Gets New Venue

The New Zealand Women’s Golf Open has received a major boost with the announcement that the 2010 event will be played near Christchurch at a new course with a new naming sponsor.

The Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open will be staged at the new Pegasus Golf Course near Christchurch, with naming sponsorship from the company developing this new coastal town.

After a successful inaugural Open this year, the new partnership between Pegasus and Christchurch City Council will result in the Open being elevated to full co-sanctioned status between the Ladies European Tour (LET) and the Australian Ladies Professional Golf (ALPG).

The Pegasus New Zealand Women’s Open, which will carry a prize purse of approx NZ$415,000, will be held on 25-28 February. It will form part of a three-tournament swing for the LET including the Australian Women’s Open and the ANZ Ladies Masters in Queensland.

The championship course, due to open in December, forms part of the new town on Pegasus Bay, 25 km north of Christchurch, which will house up to 7000 residents.  More at www.nzopengolf.co.nz and www.pegasusgolfcourse.co.nz

 

Kiwi Challenge Dates

Julian Robertson's Second Annual Kiwi Challenge will be held 11-12 November this year at Cape Kidnappers.  The competition will be the best of 36 holes in a stroke play event.

The players are Hunter Mahan, Anthony Kim, Camilo Villegas and Sean O'Hair. These guys are considered the brightest young stars in the sport with an average age of 26 years.

The group will be playing for a US$2 million purse, with US$1 million offered to the winner.  Mahan defeated Kim on the second playoff hole in 2008.

Five-year-old Cape Kidnappers is the masterpiece of architect Tom Doak. It has climbed to 36th in the world rankings released recently by Golf Magazine and it is acclaimed as the fourth best course to open in the last 50 years.

Play will begin each day at 9 a.m. local time. The event will be shown in delay broadcast by NBC on Nov. 14-15. Combined, the four players already have eight PGA Tour wins, more than 80 top-10 finishes and more than $40 million in career winnings.
 
Daily tickets are available at online at www.ticketdirect.co.nz at $50 (NZD) each for this 36-hole two-day PGA Tour sanctioned event. Children age 16 and under will be admitted free with a paying adult. All proceeds from ticket sales will benefit charities in the local Hawkes Bay region.

For more information on the Kiwi Challenge visit www.thekiwichallenge.com.

Hurakia Lodge

The Best of Golf New Zealand is pleased to welcome Hurakia Lodge as an associate member.  Hurakia Lodge is an exclusive pavilion style house on Rakino Island with 300 degree views of Auckland's Hauraki Gulf.

The main living pavilion opens up on four sides to a large terrace that wraps around the building. The two bedroom wings semi-enclose a sheltered pool courtyard and outdoor living area. The house is available for exclusive use and can sleep up to ten guests. Full services are provided including onsite chef, concierge and maid service.

This property is already proving popular as a wind down at the start of a New Zealand holiday. Arrangements can be made to pick guests up from the airport and within 10-12 minutes they would be deposited in their own secluded island paradise.  Hurakia Lodge

Investment Opportunities at Terrace Downs

Terrace Downs has released seven stunning residential Peak sections, ranging from 2863m2 through to 4524m2 with land or land and building packages available. 

The Peak is situated on the edge of the Rakaia Gorge at the base of Mt Hutt, only fifty minutes drive from Christchurch International Airport and overlooking the 17th and 18th fairway of the 18th hole, par 72 championship golf course. 

Among the wide selection of activities on offer at Terrace Downs are clay bird shooting, archery, jet boating, horse treks, tennis and spa treatments.  In close proximity are three commercial ski fields and four club fields making for a luxurious base for the ultimate ski escape!

China is Hot! Tourism New Zealand has just started launched another burst of campaign work in the growing Chinese market. The 100% Pure New Zealand brand was first seen in China in 2008, with astonishing results. The new campaign started on September 7 with television on demand, a heavy focus on online advertising and screen placement in key outdoor sites.  The campaign remains focused on Shanghai. "The Chinese market is highly receptive to the New Zealand message and they are interested in travel to New Zealand, which they see as safe, scenic and a total change from life in the busy city," said Mark Frood, Tourism New Zealand's Regional Manager North Asia. Golf is a key part of the campaign to the Chinese market, with particular emphasis on the attraction of south island golf courses with mountain views, such as Jacks Point, Millbrook and Terrace Downs. Directly after the final phase of the brand campaign on 9 February 2009, weekly user sessions rose by 2,868 per cent from the week before, and reached a record high of 418,772 weekly user sessions in week commencing 23 February 2009. China is expected to be New Zealand’s fastest-growing market in percentage terms over the next seven years.

Golf Cluster Contact Details:

The New Zealand Golf Tourism Cluster is operated by the members and facilitated by Geoff Burns and Philippa (Pip) King.  

Geoff Burns   geoff@bestofgolfnewzealand.com
Pip King          pip@bestofgolfnewzealand.com

P O Box 106066, Auckland New Zealand 1143

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