International golf course for Hawke's Bay
Cape Kidnappers International Golf Course in Hawke's Bay opened to the public in January 2004.
The new course, a little brother to the award-winning Kauri Cliffs International Golf Course at Matauri Bay in the Far North, is described as seaside golf at its finest by its American course designer Tom Doak.
‘If Cape Kidnappers were a book, it would be described as an epic,’ he says.
‘The Cape figures in Maori mythology and its name immortalises the first visit by Captain Cook in 1770. From the long driveway up the hill to the commanding views of Hawke's Bay, everything here is on a grand scale. It was a challenge to build a golf course to match.’
The par-71 course, 6,492 meters from the back tees, with five sets of tees for players of all levels, is set high on the cliffs with views of the bay on every hole. A feature of the course is its woolshed, barn-like clubhouse nestled in the lush Hawke's Bay countryside.
‘It's an overwhelming experience to stand up on the cliffs, 140 metres above sea level and look out across the waves far below in Hawke's Bay,’ says Doak. It is not true links terrain, the land tilts toward the sea as a series of ridges jutting out toward the edge of the cliffs.
‘There is no other golf course site like it,’ he says. ‘It was a great adventure to build a golf course in such a remarkable setting. New Zealand is a long way from home but Cape Kidnappers is never far from our hearts.’
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