Te Arai (North)

[Kevin Pallier]

12 = P3 (156m / 186y)
 
A cool P3 benched into a hill

 
Definitely take more club than you think you need as you can feed to ball off the backstop back down to the hole

[Greg Krueger]

Great photos! The turf looks amazing, what kind of grasses were used?

[Kevin Pallier]

Great photos! The turf looks amazing, what kind of grasses were used?

Greg


It's all fescue and was in superb condition hence my comments earlier about being hard to distinguish between greens  / fairway.

[Kevin Pallier]

13 = P4 (407m / 445y)

A dogleg right downhill then uphill

 
To a long narrow green

[Kevin Pallier]

14 = P5 (485m / 531y)

An uphill P5 dogleg left – best to avoid the centreline bunker

 
To another tiered green


Looking back

[Kevin Pallier]

15  = P3 (156m / 171y)
 
I wasn’t overly enamoured with this hole as I think it has a couple of flaws – I don’t think the green has enough depth (around 20 yards) for a midrange shot.

 
Particularly because of the looming front bunker which is deep – very deep

 
And over the back is rough – so you take enough club to ensure you get over the bunker but don’t have any options if you’re slightly off. I would suggest extending the green’s depth.

[Matt Schoolfield]

First of all amazing photos. I am really jealous as I'd absolutely love to play there.

And over the back is rough – so you take enough club to ensure you get over the bunker but don’t have any options if you’re slightly off.

I'm a bit confused by this comment. I read the comment like it's the strategic linchpin of the hole, which seems to be a shallow green with a big fronting lions mouth that's just long enough to allow control off the tee. I'd guess the design is to make players flirt with the bunker to get a two putt. Looking at it from the first photo, to me it looks like a right handed player has only a few good options in that pin position: high fade to try and stop the ball tight (maybe a 7 wood off the tee), a knockdown long iron to the left side, to try to run it on, or really hard right-to-left mid-iron draw (or even a hook) to get the ball on an angle to run left behind the bunker.

I obviously don't know, and maybe I'm way off base here. Still, once again, great pictures! I am incredibly jealous and really would love to play North & South a few times at some point.

[Kevin Pallier]

First of all amazing photos. I am really jealous as I'd absolutely love to play there.

And over the back is rough – so you take enough club to ensure you get over the bunker but don’t have any options if you’re slightly off.

I'm a bit confused by this comment. I read the comment like it's the strategic linchpin of the hole, which seems to be a shallow green with a big fronting lions mouth that's just long enough to allow control off the tee. I'd guess the design is to make players flirt with the bunker to get a two putt. Looking at it from the first photo, to me it looks like a right handed player has only a few good options in that pin position: high fade to try and stop the ball tight (maybe a 7 wood off the tee), a knockdown long iron to the left side, to try to run it on, or really hard right-to-left mid-iron draw (or even a hook) to get the ball on an angle to run left behind the bunker.

I obviously don't know, and maybe I'm way off base here. Still, once again, great pictures! I am incredibly jealous and really would love to play North & South a few times at some point.

Matt


I acknowledge your points and I'll attempt to elaborate.


The day I played it I had a small breeze behind me (you can tell by the flag) not too significant but a breeze all the same. The hole is slightly downhill and I hit slight draw 6I that pitched about bunker high and ran through the green.


I played a second ball and I did a similar thing with the same result even though my contact was more crisp. For everyone's info. that bunker is deep  - real deep - I'm 6'4 and it was well over me.


I think it would work better  if there was a fallaway behind the green to a mown collection area but all there is at the moment is thick rough. I believe the rough is there because the 11th tee is reasonably close to the said green and from a player safety POV could cause quite a problem. Anyway, I'd be keen to hear from others once they play it as to their views.

[Kevin Pallier]

16  = P4 (277m / 303y)
 
Across a road to a groovy short P4 (remember to take a look at the pin position when on the 8^th green)

 
 
The day I played it the pin was tucked in behind a large mound. You can somewhat feed the ball in from the right side but IMO the mound should be scalped a bit.

[Kevin Pallier]

17 = P3 (140m / 153y)
 
My favourite P3 on the course – reminds me a bit of #11 Pacific Dunes

 
The green is on exposed hill with TAS 14^th and 15^th just over the hill to the right (as you play it - to the left of this photo looking back to the tee)

[Kevin Pallier]

18 = P5 (416m / 455y)
 
A P5 that favours the left hand side as the fairway feeds L to R

 
The approach

 
Looking back to the tee

[Tom_Doak]

Matt

I acknowledge your points and I'll attempt to elaborate.


The day I played it I had a small breeze behind me (you can tell by the flag) not too significant but a breeze all the same. The hole is slightly downhill and I hit slight draw 6I that pitched about bunker high and ran through the green.


I played a second ball and I did a similar thing with the same result even though my contact was more crisp. For everyone's info. that bunker is deep  - real deep - I'm 6'4 and it was well over me.


I think it would work better  if there was a fallaway behind the green to a mown collection area but all there is at the moment is thick rough. I believe the rough is there because the 11th tee is reasonably close to the said green and from a player safety POV could cause quite a problem. Anyway, I'd be keen to hear from others once they play it as to their views.

It's an homage to the Eden hole at St. Andrews.  The green is not quite as deep, but that green isn't too deep behind the bunker, either . . . there is more depth to the left of it.  In this case, the green gives you more depth to the right of the bunker.  I didn't want to give you a lot of depth over the bunker where you could just play straight through the flag and then putt back to the hole . . . I wanted people who weren't sure of their ability to play to the left or right. 


We thought about mowing the grass tight behind the green, but the bank up to the green seemed too steep for that, and if you couldn't bump it up the slope, I thought the shot would be better played from rough height.  This judgment, of course, was made eight months before the course opened, I haven't seen it in its mature condition.


The tee for the 11th hole is way back behind the 15th green and it is really not in play at all, as far as I can recall.  It had nothing to do with the other decisions I made.  We just tried to make it a tough hole with a wide and shallow green, as a contrast to the other short holes there.

[Kevin Pallier]

Tom


Thanks for clarifying your design intent. Its a cool looking hole and I get what you mean by the left and right hand sides. I'll be keen to hear from others once they've played it as to their thoughts.


With regard to the B9 holes - I really liked 10-12, 14, 16 (though I think that front mound needs more scalping) & 17 which is close to my favourite hole on the course.


Overall, I loved TAN. I thought it was better than TAS. I think the routing is really well thought out and doesn't have the visual advantage of tracking along the ocean front like it's sister course does.


Here's a link to Padraig Dooley's photos of the South course https://www.golfclubatlas.com/forum/index.php/topic,71482.0.html

[Tim_Weiman]

Kevin,


#17 looks very nice, but it appears the architect put it in the wrong place.


Shouldn’t it be in my backyard?

[Thomas Dai]

Splendid posts and photos Kevin.
These type of course tours take a lot of effort to put together and post herein so well done.
Atb

[Kevin Pallier]

Thomas


Thanks - much appreciated as you can see I played it on an overcast day so the photos probably don't do it justice.


If anyone has a spare 30mins and wants to see TAN in all it's glory - I would recommend one watch


Tae Koh (NZ Tour Professional)


Taco Golf's "18 holes of Relaxing Golf by the Sea" on You-Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCp8HmQuAqM


No commentary - just him (his camera crew) and the course.

[Thomas Dai]

If anyone has a spare 30mins and wants to see TAN in all it's glory - I would recommend one watch
Taco Golf's "18 holes of Relaxing Golf by the Sea" on You-Tube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xCp8HmQuAqM
No commentary - just him (his camera crew) and the course.

Thanks for the link Kevin. The piece is really good and is enhanced by a relaxed flow and no chat or comments.
Atb

[Tim_Weiman]

Kevin,


Thanks very much for posting that link. St Andrews Beach is my favorite of Tom’s courses, but I think Te Aria North might become my new favorite. It seems like the course Alister Mackenzie himself would most like to see and play.


I will find time to make the journey.

[Kevin Pallier]

Kevin,


Thanks very much for posting that link. St Andrews Beach is my favorite of Tom’s courses, but I think Te Aria North might become my new favorite. It seems like the course Alister Mackenzie himself would most like to see and play.


I will find time to make the journey.

Tim


Which Doak courses have you seen?


I've seen over ten now and I reckon it probably sits in the Top3 - 5. I still think Pacific Dunes is his best work.

[Tom_Doak]

Tim

Which Doak courses have you seen?

I've seen over ten now and I reckon it probably sits in the Top3 - 5. I still think Pacific Dunes is his best work.

Unfortunately there is such a consensus [because of rankings] that it's hard to get honest assessments of anything new.  You almost have to declare a course to be in the top 100 in the world for it to make our top ten!


For my own personal taste, St. Andrews Beach and The Loop and Streamsong (Blue) are among my favorite courses I've done, but none of those are in the top 100 lists, so evidently I don't have quite the same view as whatever the lists are ranking.  Te Arai North might make it in there eventually, too, but it would help if I'd get back to play it more than my single round eight months before opening!

[Jackson C]

Thank you Kevin for putting this together.  The pictures are great.  Funny how pictures often don't fully capture the scale and elevation.  Its a big and impressive piece of property, particularly the section in the middle of the round.
Its tough to compare great courses situated right next to each other, but for me I liked Tara Iti and TAS over TAN.  Certainly Tara Iti and TAS have the next to the ocean advantage.  I don't know of a course more blessed with great land than TAS.


As to Tom's comment about his personal favorites, its really interesting because among my favorite Doak's are the Loop and Streamsong Blue (which I like the best of the 3 courses there).  Overall, Stone Eagle may be my favorite Doak, and its not top 100.

[Kalen Braley]

Interesting take Jackson,

Stone Eagle is a bit removed from my Doak faves which are: Ballyneal, PD, and RCCC. They are hopelessly locked in as 1a, 1b, and 1c of which can change on any given day.

[Paul Rudovsky]

Excluding a few redo's which I may have played prior to Tom's work., I have played 31 of his tracks to date...and am waiting to play the following that are works in progress or just completed: Te Arai-North (scheduled to play in 2 weeks), Cabot Highlands, Sedge Valley, Pinehurst #10, and High Pointe.


I have 6 favorites, in alpha order: Ballyneal, Barnbougle Dunes, Lido, Pacific Dunes, St. Pat's, Tara Iti

[Stewart Abramson]

I have 6 favorites, in alpha order: Ballyneal, Barnbougle Dunes, Lido, Pacific Dunes, St. Pat's, Tara Iti

Reposting Paul's favorites in legible font size

[Paul Rudovsky]

I have 6 favorites, in alpha order: Ballyneal, Barnbougle Dunes, Lido, Pacific Dunes, St. Pat's, Tara Iti

Reposting Paul's favorites in legible font size

Hate to quote my self but returned from my recent venture back to NZ and Australia.  MUST add TA-N to the above six.  Greens are too varied and great to even begin to describe.  And they are a showcase for slow (stimping say 7.5-8') greens with dramatic mounding/sloping. 


But as great as TA-N is, the combination of TI, TA-S, and TA-N all within a few miles of each other (as the crow flies)  is literally overwhelming to the senses.  Three brilliant but very different courses.  Thank you to Rick and Jim for this venture and to Tom and Bill for these designs.  Amazing combinations...and simply wonderful people running and operating both TA and TI.