A weekend to remember in golfing heaven.

By Peter Thornton

It’s been a tough 12 months for the Hawke’s Bay. In January last year, Cyclone Gabrielle ripped through the region and caused unprecedented flooding and damage. But the community has bounced back, and people have recovered. They are open for business. We took a trip to the ‘sunny Hawke’s Bay’ to take on two of their best golf courses – Hastings Golf Club and Cape Kidnappers – in a weekend that will live long in the memory.

They say the definition of madness is doing the same thing and expecting a different result.

It’s Wednesday afternoon and I have just refreshed the Met Service website for the forecast for the Hawke’s Bay region for the millionth time.

Whatever way you look at it, it is rain. There was a heavy rain warning in place for 48 hours right in the middle of our annual golfing getaway.

Desperate for positive news, I watched the ‘NIWA daily forecast’ where their meteorologist said: “The one place you don’t want to be heading to this weekend is the East Coast of the North Island. It’s going to get nasty so unless you have a good reason, I suggest you stay away.”

To say that we were looking forward to our weekend in the Hawke’s Bay is a huge understatement. We have been talking about this for months.

Every year, my good mates in Wellington – Andrew Joyce, Simon ‘Blocka’ Roche and Daniel Markham and me – get away for a weekend of golf for beers and bragging rights.  This time around we were taking on the Hastings Golf Club at Bridge Pa and the famed Cape Kidnappers.

They were fitting locations for our season ending matchplay championship. Bridge Pa is consistently rated in the top 10 club courses in New Zealand and has conditioning to rival any of our best.

And the Cape. The reputation of the Tom Doak-designed layout is it is a world-class experience from the moment you drive through the gate, and it lived up to that billing in every sense.

A weekend away from the kids at home, a chance to hang out with the lads, play some golf at amazing courses. The only thing that could put a dampener on it was the weather.   

“I like Katie - she sounds like a selfless mum”

We got chatting to our neighbours on the plane ride down and explained why we were heading to the Hawke’s Bay, and it became a conversation by committee.

The mums around me asked who was looking after the kids, and I said my wife Katie. They all chipped in about how we didn’t know how lucky we were. Any lame protests fell on deaf ears.

Louise, from the row behind, said “I like Katie she sounds like a selfless mum and a good person.”

As we stepped off the plane in Napier, it was wet and cold, and as the rain hit the side of my face, Louise chipped in again. ‘Enjoy your golf weekend’… Thanks very much I replied with gritted teeth.

But as we drove south to the Hastings Golf Club things began to improve and when we arrived it was better than anyone could have hoped for.

The condition of the course was like a magic trick. How the whole layout could be bone dry and in such great nick after a consistent downpour was remarkable.

It’s no surprise that Golf NZ have used Bridge Pa as a regular tournament host for forever.

I have good memories of watching Danny Lee win the NZ Under 23 Championship here as a 16-year-old, Brad Kendall won the NZ Strokeplay here, and the best player in the club’s history is Stuart Jones, arguably New Zealand’s finest amateur of all time, is all over the clubhouse walls.  

After a quick stop for a brisket pie and savoury scroll at the excellent café, the teams were set as Daniel and I taking on Joyce and Blocka.

The comeback we’ll talk about for years…

It’s always hard to rein in the excitement on a golf trip.  Daniel and I were a little too keen and got off to a ropey start. We were four down after four holes and needed to find something quickly.

That moment arrived on the par four fifth. I hit my approach from 120m into the pin and it ricocheted to 25 feet. I made the birdie putt and went on a bit of a run with the putter where I felt like I could make anything I looked at.

It was unfortunate that we came up against Joyce who was playing the round of his life. His best score was 94 and he was well on track to beat that as they took a 3up lead at the turn.

We missed some opportunities and when Blocka and Joyce both made par on 12 we were staring down the barrel of an old-fashioned hiding.

Daniel made a good par on the 13th and all-of-a-sudden there was hope. We halved the 14th to be dormy four down but it was not over yet. We were talking about the greatest comeback ever seen.

I made pars on 15 and 16 and heading down the par 5 17th we had the momentum. But Blocka came up with a special moment when it was needed. After my putt for par missed the right edge, he stepped up and drained a 12 footer to win the match 2 and 1.

It was tough to take but at least we had made a game of it. There would be another day.

The experience at Hastings Golf Club is a special one. There are so many great holes here and it would be the perfect place to be a member.

We stayed in the heart of Napier on Marine Parade and the place has a quiet charm and character about it.  There are loads of great cafés and restaurants for brunch and dinner, and plenty to do in the region away from the golf course.

We walked down the road to the Ocean Spa on Marine Parade which was a welcomed relief for our sore bodies. Sitting in the spa looking out to a sparkling Pacific Ocean was just what we needed on the way home. This place is a must visit on a golf trip.

An experience we’ll never forget

Waking up on Sunday morning, there was palpable relief, when it was overcast but fine.

The Cape is a golf course that all players need to experience. As you drive through the winding road to reach the clubhouse you are surrounded by a flock of sheep, and as you come over the crest of the hill, an incredible ocean view appears as if you have pulled back the curtains.

We were warmly greeted at the clubhouse by one of the professionals who set us up with trundlers and waters, and parked our car while we hit the range.

All of the little personal touches at the Cape add up to an incredible experience. Like taking your lunch order on arrival and having the club sandwiches ready as you finish the ninth.

It was clear the wind was going to wreak havoc today. For 18 – 20 handicappers, Cape Kidnappers is a challenge on a fine day. Add in the wind and it becomes a severe test. But we were up for it.

Of course, some of the world’s best have walked these fairways. In 2008 – 2009, the Cape and Kauri Cliffs, hosted some of the best golfers in the world in The Kiwi Challenge. Americans Anthony Kim, Sean O'Hair, Hunter Mahan, Brandt Snedeker and Colombian Camilo Villegas and Australian Adam Scott played in those events and produced some unbelievable golf.

It’s nice to play a layout where you have good memories. I had played the Cape once before and on the opening hole, I hit driver – nine iron to two inches from the hole for almost the perfect start.

But today’s conditions were different. I was hitting driver-nine iron most of the time downwind, as you turned into the gale, it was more like driver – rescue and then some.

This time around, Blocka and teamed up and we got off to a great start. I made a good par on the third and my old rugby mate made his own par at the fifth.

Daniel came up with a crucial par on the par 3 sixth – one of the best holes on the front nine – to keep him and Joyce in the contest. Joyce couldn’t quite back up his heroics from day one.

Doak’s design is a masterclass. Most of the tee shots are accommodating (depending on the conditions) but the green complexes, bunkering and rough make scoring a really good test.

We went into the turn one-up and were feeling good over our lunchtime Hazy IPAs. Then the back nine. What a stretch of golf holes. It’s little wonder people come from all over the world to play here.

For five holes I didn’t make anything more than a five and when I made a 20 foot putt for bogey on the 15th we had done enough for a 4 and 3 win. Looking over the cliffs and out to sea, it was a memorable place to make the winning putt.

It’s impossible to capture how many great holes there are here. But there are a few worth singling out. The par four 14th  - with a 200m carry across the gap – the par 5 15th which is like a runway to the ocean, and the par 5 16th, are as beautiful and breathtaking as they are brutal.

Coming down the closing stretch, we were all knackered but content to have taken on such a world-class challenge.

As the sun set out in the west, it was nice to reflect on the moments of glory and the flashes of what might have been. Everyone felt the same way: ‘Man I would love to play that course again’.

It would be remiss of me not to mention our putting challenge. No one wanted to leave, so we had a four-hole putting competition with the loser buying a bottle of Central Otago Pinot Noir for dinner.

The practice green was like mini golf on steroids. Joyce got off to a terrible start – finding the rough with his opening putt – but somehow recovered. There were many hilarious moments and I ended up losing to Daniel in a sudden death playoff to cap a memorable day and weekend.

Driving back into Napier the lads were already planning the next one. If someone had said to us we’d get into two full rounds with only a few drops of rain for the whole weekend, we wouldn’t have believed them.

If you’re lining up a golf weekend, you will not be disappointed in the Hawke’s Bay.

The Hastings Golf Club and Cape Kidnappers should be on every golfer’s bucket list. It’s an experience that you will never forget.

Hastings Golf Club Fact Box

·        Located at Bridge Pa in the heart of Hawke’s Bay, Hastings Golf Club offers first class golfing and clubhouse facilities and a warm welcome to both members and visitors.

·        Founded in 1898, the club is home to a mature 18-hole championship course that is consistently rated among the top-10 club courses in New Zealand.

·        In 2023, the club recently celebrated its 125th anniversary.

Rosewood Cape Kidnappers Fact box

·        Rosewood Cape Kidnappers is located in Hawke’s Bay, a region best known for its wineries, food scene and the Art Deco architecture of the nearby city of Napier.

·        Set high atop the rolling hills and rugged cliffs of its eponymous peninsula, the resort is set against expansive views where the ocean meets the horizon.

·        The property also features 18 holes from architect Tom Doak, his first design in New Zealand.  It recently ranked No. 55 in the world.

·        The property is also home to Cape Sanctuary, the largest privately funded wildlife restoration project in New Zealand.

Peter Thornton is an experienced journalist and media manager. He first worked in the golf industry producing Phillip Leishman’s television golf shows for Sky Sport. He went onto be the media and communications manager for Golf New Zealand and has worked as a journalist in all forms for the past 20 years.