Cover pic of N. Zealand

[JLahrman]

Ran has used a lot of great photographs for the website's intro photo.

I don't know if he has them archived, but it would be fun to compile all the photos that have been used into some sort of gallery.

[Tom_Doak]

Beautiful pictures.  I'd like to ask a question.

What is the elevation range between the highest and lowest point?  It looks like it may only be 75-100 feet, possibly less.   In general, I consider this a good thing.

Lowest point on the course is about 6 meters above sea level at 3rd green.  Highest point is about 26 meters at 14th tee.  Dunes in back go up to 35 meters in one spot, but in playing areas, about 65 feet from lowest to highest.

[Ted Sturges]

I'll be traveling to Australia and New Zealand next July...any chance course will be ready to go by then?

Only the seven holes that are now grassed.  The remainder of the course has not been shaped yet and won't be grassed until December-March, best case, so the full course will not be ready until the end of 2014.

There aren't many more photos to post because there are only seven holes grassed.  And I would like to keep some mystery about the course until it's done.  Note that my favorite holes to this point are #2, #3, #6, #8, #9, #10, #12, #15 and #18, and you are only seeing glimpses of two of them.  [Also note that I have a lot of favorite holes, which is a pretty good sign ]

Tom,

After seeing the pic of hole #5 above (which looks awesome), and seeing you like 9 holes! better than that one, I can't wait to see this place. 

TS

[Daryl David]

Question for anyone that might know.

I recall earlier talk of Tara-Iti Golf Club stated that it would be a very private club.  Not a resort like Kauri Cliffs or Cape Kidnappers.  Is that still the case?

[Tom_Doak]

Question for anyone that might know.

I recall earlier talk of Tara-Iti Golf Club stated that it would be a very private club.  Not a resort like Kauri Cliffs or Cape Kidnappers.  Is that still the case?

The plan is for a private club, with a very small lodge that will allow guests access to the course.

[jonathan_becker]

Is there an anticipated/preferred method of travel between Tara-Iti and Cape Kidnappers?

[Josh Tarble]

I'd assume drive from Mangawhai to Auckland, then flight from Auckland to Napier.

Unless you wanna take a helicopter between the two like you can arrange from Kauri Cliffs....

[Will Lozier]

Yes, that's Tara-Iti Golf Club, our new project in N.Z.  The eighth green is in the foreground -- a par-4 from the tee ground near the right horizon of the picture -- and the ninth green is tucked into the slot in the dunes to the left of that tee.  

Tom,

Does that make the approach to the 9th blind?  It looks like 9 would have to run down the left of 8 from the vantage point of the camera and approach over the dune on the left of the green?  

Cheers

[Tom_Doak]

Yes, that's Tara-Iti Golf Club, our new project in N.Z.  The eighth green is in the foreground -- a par-4 from the tee ground near the right horizon of the picture -- and the ninth green is tucked into the slot in the dunes to the left of that tee.  

Tom,

Does that make the approach to the 9th blind?  It looks like 9 would have to run down the left of 8 from the vantage point of the camera and approach over the dune on the left of the green?  

Cheers

#9 runs back toward the clubhouse to the west of #8 ... to the left in the photo.  The green is set at a sharp angle to the line of play, turning more than 45 degrees to the right into a narrow slot.  If you drive out to the left, you can run it into the left side of the green; if you fan your tee shot to the right, you're coming in over a bunker and a dune, which gets bigger at the right of the green.  I think you'll always be able to see the flag on the green, but if it's way right and you drive to the right it might be close.  But there is a big backstop behind the green from that angle if you land it in the green.

[Scott Coan]

Development of 46 luxury houses has been approved...



http://www.nzherald.co.nz/property/news/article.cfm?c_id=8&objectid=11157021

[Tom_Doak]

Yay!

Not sure that means all the hurdles have been removed to completing the golf course, but we must be getting closer.  We've been stuck on seven holes for a few months now, while they sorted out the details.  You can see five of the seven holes in the picture, though it's a little hard to tell what is what because of the way things tie together:



The hole on the right heading to sea is the par-5 5th.  To the left of it, in the foreground, is the par-3 2nd (which comes from a tee at bottom left, near the temporary irrigation pond).  [The 3rd hole, not planted at the time the photo was taken, crosses over in front of the 5th tee, and the 4th comes back up to the tee for #5.]  Above the 2nd hole in the middle of the photo is the 8th, a long 4 that runs toward the picture.  The long par-4 9th runs from the left-hand clump of trees, out to the farthest turf on the horizon right in the center of the photo.  And the dogleg left 1st hole is to the far left, playing around the trees.