Gibbston Valley resort golf course in the planning

 By Neville Idour.

There seems to be no end to the desire for golf courses in the golfing heaven that is the Central Otago Lakes District. 

Greg Hunt, chief executive of Central Otago winery Gibbston Valley, is the planner for a $750 million luxury housing development which will include a country club with sauna, spa, wellness centre, gym, pool, restaurant and golf course. 

Adjacent to the popular Gibbston Valley winery, with its vintner village and recently opened luxury accommodation, this new development will add to the attraction of this location.

There are many sections for sale, some alongside the golf course, with prices ranging from $1.5 million to more than $2 million. Former prime minister John Key is reputed to have bought a plot already, apparently besotted with the development.

Hunt is no stranger to such developments having been at Millbrook for seven years from 1993 as general manager of development and landscape design. He was also involved in the huge Pegasus Town development at Woodend which includes the highly rated Pegasus Golf course.

The golf course at Gibbston will be a nine-holer designed by Greg Turner. There is quite a history as the first mooting of a course goes back 15 years. 

As Turner said: “Initial thinking back then was for 18 holes. As time has passed thinking changed and about seven months ago we settled on a nine-hole design. 

``The idea is for it to be a fun course with a length of about 2000 metres. It is likely to have five par fours and four par threes.” 

So it will not be too demanding? 

“No,’’ Turner said. ``But there will be full sized greens and shotmaking options. At this stage it looks like any completed course would be around three years away.”

Anyone with knowledge of this area will see that this will be another drawcard for the greater Queenstown district.