THE kinloCH CLUB - 17 POINTS

We all have prejudices in life. One of mine, based on quite a lot of experience, has been that I really don’t like Jack Nickalus courses. I have vowed never to play the PGA Centenary course in Gleneagles again. Monte Rei in Portugal doesn’t excite me and the other five or six courses of his that I have played are pretty unmemorable.

So when I turned up at Kinloch, just outside of Taupo on New Zealand’s North Ireland, my expectations weren’t very high. But I am glad to say I was to be proved wrong. Kinloch is by far the best Nicklaus course I have seen and I would thoroughly recommend a round here if you’re in the vicinity.

The course opened in 2007, one of the early wave of new resort courses built in New Zealand. It is built on farmland on the side of a hill with views from some holes on the back nine down to Lake Taupo.

It’s about 20 minutes drive from Taupo to Kinloch and, when you get there, the clubhouse is a fairly humble building. I suppose I had expected a big luxury clubhouse, but this is more understated. The welcome from the English pro, Tom, was very warm and he warned me about the test ahead. I had heard this from others too - Kinloch has a reputation for maybe being the toughest in the country.

There are good practice facilities but I was keen to get off so headed straight for the first. The course is set up on a fairly steep hill but if you really want to, it is walkable. Most, however, take carts.

The first really sets the tone for what is to come. There is loads of movement on the ground in front of you which rises up to a well-bunkered green.

Some call Kinloch an inland links. That’s overstating the case, but I can see where they are coming from. The fairways have been shaped with plenty of movement in them - probably more dramatic than you would find on many links courses. The greens too are far more interesting than you would normally find on a resort golf course.

But the ball just doesn’t interact with the land as it would on a true links course. There is some roll when the ball hits the ground, but not much - the grass just isn’t tight enough for that. So you will often find the ball staying on the side of a slope on the fairway when on a true links it would move down to a flat spot. This means that you will have plenty of challenging shots with the ball above or below your feet.

The fairways are really imaginative too in the way they often fold around bunkers or areas of rough. There are several holes where it makes sense to go ahead to have a good look at the landing zone since fairways are tucked in or hidden over mounds in places you might not expect.

There are split fairways on the eighth and sixteenth which bring another dimension to the strategy on those holes. For example, I chose the low road to get closer to the green on the sixteenth but I think I would have been better hitting a longer shot and having a view of the green.

Keeping the ball on the short stuff is key to enjoying your round at Kinloch. If you stray too wide you will find either long fescue or, worse still, more gunch-type grass. I played the tees which came in at just over 6,500 yards but moved up on three or four of the longer par 3s. That made for a good test but it wasn’t too brutal. There was also very little in the way of wind around.

The course can extend to over 7,300 yards from the back tees and that would be a diabolical test - especially with a wind blowing.

I was out early and saw around a dozen greenkeepers at work on the course. They do a fantastic job. The fairways were like carpets and the ball sat up in a very inviting fashion, even though this took away some run.

The greens are wonderfully fun to play on. Apparently Nicklaus designed Kinloch shortly after completing Sebonack with Tom Doak and maybe that influenced him here. If that story is true then they should hang out more often - the course was all the better for the fun on the greens.

Jack Nicklaus does love a well-placed bunker and there are plenty here. Both on the fairways and around the greens you will find deep bunkers waiting to gobble up your ball. Staying out of them is a vital part of scoring well at Kinloch. They look good though. It’s nice to see a resort course which doesn’t use brilliant white sand in the bunkers - this has a far more natural effect.

There is water in play on some holes, but thankfully not too much since that wouldn’t really be in keeping with the whole ‘inland links’ vibe. Again though, it means that you will need good execution to score well at Kinloch.

Nicklaus is a fan of an elevated tee and, on some of his other creations, that can lead to horrendous walks and contrived holes. But they work well here, helped by wonderful views over the golf course and Lake Taupo.

Kinloch does much better in ratings list from local golfers than in the international publications. Both Golf Digest New Zealand and NZ Golf Magazine have it ranked above Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs. It is certainly a tougher test that either of those courses and those panels are made up of very good golfers who probably appreciate that.

I doubt many outside of New Zealand have heard of Kinloch and, let’s face it, it’s just not fashionable to like Jack Nicklaus courses. However, it would be a shame to visit New Zealand and not see the course. Many will be driving close by as they head down from Auckland to Hawke’s Bay. I would definitely recommend stopping off - you will be in for a nice surprise.

BOOKING THE COURSE

The course is open from Fridays to Mondays and you can book online here. If you are staying in the on-site lodging you can play seven days a week. If you would like to play from Tuesday - Thursday it’s worth sending Tom a message on Tom@thekinlochclub.com to see if you can be accommodated.

The green fee is NZ$525 (about £260) for international visitors and $375 for local residents.

TOUR TIPS

There is luxury accommodation on-site at Kinloch. It looks very good but it’s not a cheap option. You can find out more here.

Most people will choose to stay in Taupo (pronounced Toe-paw), about 20 minutes drive away. It's centred around Lake Taupo, the largest lake in New Zealand, formed in a volcanic crater. The area is a hotspot for trout fishing, water sports, and hiking. Nearby, the Huka Falls and the wonders of the Orakei Korako Geothermal Park are major attractions.

Taupo isn’t a huge place but it’s a real holiday destination so there are plenty of motels and hotels in the area. I stayed at the Sails on the Lake hotel which was just fine. You can see Tripadvisor’s top ranked hotels here.

There are plenty of restaurants in town too - it seems to be a hotbed of Indian food! I ate in Plateau which was very good. I would advise booking ahead though as Taupo can get busy.

CONTACT DETAILS

Kinloch Golf
261 Kinloch Road
Kinloch
Taupo 3377
New Zealand

Phone - +64 7 377 8482.
Web - https://www.kinlochgolf.co.nz/
Email - golfbookings@thekinlochclub.com

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