Te Arai Links (South Course)

Favorite Hole 

No. 13, par 5, 557 yards 

A beautiful-looking golf hole that my colleague Cameron Hurdus said “looks like it could be a hole at Cypress Point.” While this is an apt visual comparison, the 13th at Te Arai immediately struck me as a sibling to the 14th at Sand Hills in regard to the strategic design. Both of these are very scorable par 5s with small greens perched into a sand dune.

At just 480 yards from the main teeing area, the 13th is very gettable but requires two great shots. Precision is demanded off the tee as No. 13 has one of the narrowest fairways on the course. The hole then elegantly snakes through the large dunes nearly 50 feet uphill to a delightfully tiny green site that’s less than 4,000 square feet and effectively even smaller. Like 14 at Sand Hills, bunkers flank the back left and front right of the green, making the angle of approach from the left side most desirable to hold the green and get the ball close. Shots that miss long will be severely punished. This is a rare golf hole that is equally beautiful and strategic.

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Overall Thoughts

After Ric Kayne built one of the greatest modern golf courses in the world at Tara Iti, building another of equal quality just down the road probably seemed like a daunting (if not unattainable) task. The sandy topography was world-class, the ocean views impeccable, and the climate is next to perfect for fine-fescue links turf. The onslaught of COVID-19 tried to upend what was so promising, but the brilliance of Bill Coore and his team prevailed, creating another exceptional golf course.

When a project like this has so much potential, there tends to be more pressure and anticipation to build something truly special. Despite the looming pressure, I’m not sure that Bill, Ben, and Ric could have executed their vision any better with the South Course. 

It all centers around the routing, which tells a compelling story with rising and falling action. Beginning inland in the pine forest, the design gives you time to settle in with more nuanced, less in-your-face golf holes that are as compelling as the ocean holes. That quickly changes with the breathtaking reveal on the fourth tee box, which begins a highly stimulating stretch of holes both visually and strategically. A slight departure from the crashing waves with the 10th resets you, preparing you for a murderers’ row of epic golf holes on the second nine. This routing takes full advantage of the site, and the holes extract the character out of the landscape, making for a one-of-a-kind experience when you step on each tee box. While the main ridgeline running parallel to the coast dictated the way holes could be laid out in relation to the water, Bill saved the most complex and interesting dunes on the property for that final stretch of Nos. 13-17. 

Not only is the routing immersive and the design distinctive, but the wall-to-wall fine fescue is the most ideal playing surface I’ve come across. The seamless nature of having the same turf types from tee-to-green makes for an unparalleled playing experience, allowing the player to be creative and adventurous with ground-running shots that seemingly never want to stop rolling. Kudos to Superintendent Mitch Northin and Director of Courses Dan Moreton.

While you may have thought Bill and Ben would slow down as they near the end of their careers, Te Arai South is proof that they still have plenty of magic left in the tank.

2 Eggs

(How We Rate Courses)

This is perhaps the most beautiful golf course we’ve ever seen and the design and presentation are equally spectacular. While Bill was able to get several holes along the coast in opposite directions and created an enthralling journey, the linear nature of the routing holds the course’s variety back ever so slightly from reaching the 3-Egg honor.

Browse the Course Tour below for notes on every hole at the South Course at Te Arai Links.