Tieke

The Tieke Golf Estate, nestled along the Waikato River near Tamahere, offers one of New Zealand's most distinctive golfing experiences. Opened in late 2021, this 18-hole championship course has quickly gained recognition for its innovative design and exceptional playing conditions.

Former PGA Tour winner Phil Tataurangi, incollaboration with Brett Thomson of RBT Design, transformed the former Lochiel Golf Club course into a modern masterpiece. Taturangi grew up playing many competitive rounds across Lochiel in his amateur days, and understood the nuances of the land and the area.  He and Thomson were able to artfully blend links-style golf with valley fairways, featuring natural river sand, fine fescue turf, and creeping bent grass putting surfaces. The course offers multiple tee options, including the Totara(6,336m), Kanuka (5,949m), and Cedar (5,480m) courses, catering to various skill levels.

Tieke's design emphasizes strategy and shot making. The firm, fast fairways and expansive sandy wastelands encourage aground game approach, reminiscent of traditional links courses. Strategic bunkering and water features add challenge and variety, making each hole a unique test of skill.  The greens don’t look exceedingly difficult but they have a lot of subtle breaks that make approach shots or long putts quite testing.

On the scorecard, the par 3’s look quite straight forward but there is nothing easy about them.  If you miss the green with your tee shot, paris not assured and you can easily walk-off with a double bogey! The variety of different distance par 4’s, where one is about power and the next requires precision, can be testing, especially when the mounding terrain comes into play.  The 17^th and 18^thHoles provide a challenging test for all golfers.  

The club does have a large membership base, yet you still feel like you are a playing at resort. Tieke provides a unique and challenging golfing experience set in a picturesque landscape.  Whether you are a seasoned golfer or a casual enthusiast, a round at Tieke promises to be a memorable experience.

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