In light of the resurrection of the NZ top 30 list, I thought I would put forward a few photos of the recent Harewood golf Club redevelopment.
Harewood GC is a 36 hole complex located about a 5 min drive from the Christchurch airport. Recent development of the airport has involved a runway extension which forced the acquisition of a parcel of land on which one of the Harewood courses sit. This obviously has caused some disruption to the course and the club were compensated for it accordingly.
The club chose to use some of the money gained to upgrade the “Woodlands: or “old” course (both the same it has 2 names for some reason) and deal with some of the agronomic concerns while also creating an architecturally enhanced product. As a fairly typical parkland type course in NZ, it featured holes heavily dominated by trees and uninspiring greens complexes. To rectify this, the club contracted Scott Macpherson and Greg Turner to overhaul the course and charged them with the task of creating a golf experience that appeals to the membership and simultaneously provide a test of golf for the top level golfer.
The redevelopment entailed 18 new greens, rebuilding all tee complexes, rebunkering of the course, adding length and involved the complete rerouting of the first 5 holes. To date, there have been 531 large trees removed also.
In a region not well known for its openness to new ideas and the dominance of flat circular greens, Scott and Greg have created something quite removed from what the locals will be accustomed to. They have, in my opinion, manage to create a course that caters for all level of playing ability with an emphasis on fun and rewarding the player who thinks their way around. What was once simply a test of how straight one could hit their driver now offers options off the tee and a course that differs from day to day depending on the wind and hole location. It will require a complete game to score well while remaining playable for the lesser golfer.
The following are a few photos of the course at differing stages of grow in. While some pics are not that great, hopefully they hint at what has been achieved there and why this course is now a must play when in NZ.
This is the new third hole, a par 3 of approx 180 metres form the back
This shows the approach to the new 4th hole, a par 4 of approx 330 metres. Its is hard to see in this photo, but a swale runs perpendicular through the green making a back pin rather interesting to get to. The player will have to decide to land the ball at the front and run through it or try to fly all the way back and stop the ball.
This photo from behind shows the swale more clearly
This is the tee shot on the new 5th. The hole plays approx 310 metres from the back. The fairway bunker is approx 220 metres off the tee and does a great job of disguising how much ground there actually is form there to the green.
This is the shot that faces the player from just past the fairway bunker. Pin position clearly dictates the preferred side of the fairway to play to off the tee.
The new 6th is a par 3 of aprox 150 metres from the back. You play to a multi level green guarded by a large swale short right.
This is the new 10th green viewed from short right. It features a bunker guarding the left of the green with a deep hollow on the right hand side to catch the player who bails out right.
The 11th is a par 4 of approx 370 metres. It feautres a fairway bunker in the centre which forces the player to choose which side of the fairway to play down.
This picture shows the long left to right angled green which is protected by a run off area to the right.
The 15th is a moderate length par 3 played to a slightly angled green. The green is partially bisected by a ridge running in from the back edge which makes being on the correct side of it hugely beneficial.
The 18th is a strong par 5 to close the round. While being reachable for only the longest hitters it forces the player to identify their strategy and commit to it fully. This photo shows the landing zone for the second shot and the bunkers to be navigated.
The large right to left angled green is best approached from the right hand side and demands accuraccy from any distance. A large hollow short right and another long create uncomfortable recovery options without the use of sand. I feel this hole will be a tough birdie yet an easy par.
The course re-opens in about 2-3 months and I certainly cant wait to play it. In an area featuring a lot of decidedly average golf courses, Harewood now offers something that stands apart from all the other carbon copy paint by numbers style courses. Well done to Scott and Greg on what you have achieved at Harewood and hopefully it opens peoples eyes to a new way of thinking and leads on to NZ starting to care more about the courses we play our golf on.