Cape Kidnappers Golf Course

Cape Kidnappers, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand

About

Course Architect: Tom Doak
Number of Holes: 18
Par: 71
Distances: 6510 Metres (7,119 Yards)
Course Type: Loose Links Style
Club Type: Golf Resort
Address: 446 Clifton Road, Te Awanga 4180, New Zealand
Contact Us: [email protected]

Location

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Discover

Completed in 2004, this spectacular New Zealand golf course has been hailed as one of the great modern marvels in golf. Built on a ridge-and-valley landscape and with stunning sea views, Cape Kidnappers Golf Course plays high above the ocean atop dramatic cliffs. With cliff-edge fairways perched 140 metres above sea level and surface that remains firm and fast, this course offers holes unlike anything else in the world. It’s also complemented by world-class accommodation and cuisine, making Cape Kidnappers the ideal bucket-list destination. While every hole has a spectacular view of the Bay, some play cautiously alongside deep ravines as others intimidate golfers with deep cliff top bunkers and sheer drops off the very edge of the earth.

The Cape Kidnappers Golf Course is near Napier Golf Club and Hastings Golf Club. It is best experienced through our luxury Hawke’s Bay Golf Package.

Golf Course Information

The Signature Hole is the par-5 15th hole, named Pirate’s Plank. This hole plays 800 feet (243 metres) above sea level with perilous drops on both sides. If you go long over the green, golf balls will fall for at least 10 seconds before splashing into the Pacific Ocean. The course played host to the PGA Tour’s Kiwi Challenge in 2008 and 2009 and has received numerous accolades and awards including its current ranking at #15 amongst the Top 100 Golf Courses in the World. The accompanying Farm at Cape Kidnappers offers spectacular accommodation and is considered to be among the nicest hotels in the world. The best time of year to experience Cape Kidnappers Golf Course is from October to May, and it’s advised to book early for both the course and farm accommodation.

“Cape Kidnappers is not true links terrain, with the wrinkles of sand dunes; instead the land tilts toward the sea as a series of ridges jutting out toward the edge of the cliffs. Yet, the play is seaside golf at its finest. The surface is firm and fast, the conditions can be windy, and the player who can control his trajectory will be master of the course. You’ll hit shots over the tops of the tea trees and play along the edges of deep ravines. If you stray on your approaches, you’ll actually hope to get caught up in bunkers hanging off the green’s edge, some of them deeper than you’ve ever seen before. Three times, you’ll have to make the perilous leap from the end of one ridge to the end of the next. And at the sixth and fifteenth holes it’s possible to pull your approach off the very end of the earth, though it will take nearly ten seconds of hang time for your ball to reach the ocean below. For myself and my associates, it was a great adventure to track up the hill every day and build a golf course in such a remarkable setting. We hope you enjoy your time here as much as we have. New Zealand is a long way from my home, but Cape Kidnappers is never far from our hearts.”

– Tom Doak

Venue Information

Clubhouse

With amazing views across the fairways and out to the Pacific Ocean, it is the perfect beginning and end to your round. Should you wish to have lunch between the nines, an order can be placed with the Pro Shop before teeing off. Additionally, a full lunch menu is available after the round in the Clubhouse dining room.

Accommodation

Warm and enveloping, Cape Kidnappers generous suites offer sumptuous comfort and awe-inspiring views in equal parts. Ranked as one of the top two hotels in New Zealand and Australia by Travel + Leisure, and within the top 20 hotels in the world by Conde Nast Traveller, Cape Kidnappers delivers stunning exclusive guest experiences including the Can-Am Farm Tour, Kiwi Discovery Walk, Cape Kidnappers Gannet Colony and much, much more.

Services

· Walking caddies

· Forecaddies

· Electric Club Car golf carts

· Trundlers

· Premium rental clubs