KEY POINTS:
Jeweller Michael Hill is not normally given to hiding his light behind a bushel.
But nothing will persuade him to reveal what he has spent on Hills Golf Club, the new venue for the New Zealand Open which has been 5 1/2 years in the making near Queenstown.
He thinks it is more than his life is worth to divulge how far he dipped into his fortune to finance the project. "If I told you what it cost me I would have a divorce on my hands," said Hill, 68.
"Christine doesn't know. It's one of my best-kept secrets. For God's sake, don't mention any more than that otherwise I'll be in serious trouble. I'll have to sleep in the clubhouse tonight all by myself."
Hill's obsession with the game obviously far exceeds that of "sensible people", who look simply to new clubs or perhaps a trendy outfit to boost their morale on the course.
He's taken his passion for golf to an extreme, but makes no apologies for pursuing a dream.
"I had absolutely no thought of hosting the Open. But it's funny isn't it, if you do things right, usually something will well up and come out of it."
He has enlisted quality help, using course architect John Darby to design the layout, and former Millbrook professional John Griffin has played an influential, consultancy role.
Griffin, who coaches touring professionals Phil Tataurangi and Steve Alker, is the Hills club's resident pro.
A championship course stretching to more than 6500 metres off the black tees, the Hills is situated across the road from the Millbrook Resort on the outskirts of Arrowtown.
Hill remains a member at Millbrook but hasn't played a round there since 2005.
"I don't need to any more," he said, with a smile.
Asked why he decided to have his own course built Hill responded: "I suppose I must be mad. Actually, I think I am mad, I know my wife thinks I'm mad at times."
The course will be the venue of the Open for the next three years.
This year's Open, on November 29 to December 2, is special because it will be held 100 years after the inaugural championship.
It marks the first occasion since 1985 that a South Island course has been chosen to stage New Zealand golf's showpiece, and the first time since 2002 officials have taken it outside Auckland.
New Zealand Golf posted collective losses of almost $1.2 million on the previous two editions of the championship, European Tour co-sanctioned events at Gulf Harbour Country Club north of Auckland.
It has decided to retain the co-sanctioning status, saying it is vital to protect the relevancy of the championship in a global marketplace.
The announcement of the deal with Hill comes just four days after the organisation revealed the 2006 Open returned a loss of $695,472.
Coupled with a budget blowout of $345,539 during the same year from normal operations, officials are naturally shy of incurring further losses.
It has reached an agreement with Tuohy Associates NZ, an established Australian promoter, to assume responsibility for the management of the tournament. The company head Bob Tuohy said from Australia it was good to give the Open a "new, fresh look". He has no concerns about staging the Open on an untried course.
"I've been there on three occasions already and the golf course is playable today. It's in perfect order. Bob Charles and Michael Campbell, among others, have spoken highly of it. It will provide a very good test of championship golf."
NZ Golf said the Open would not carry any financial risk to the organisation.
- NZPA
