Golf club about to take step up

UPMARKET TRACK: Don Blackledge is happy the course will be promoted by Tourism New Zealand as a premium golf destination. PHOTO/STEPHEN PARKER

The Rotorua Golf Club is billed for a multi-million-dollar investment if funds can be located, Tourism New Zealand golf tourism specialist Ryan Brandeburg says.

Tourism New Zealand is promoting the Rotorua club as a premiere golf destination to the international golf market. Mr Brandeburg says the club, which is on land Ngati Whakaue gifted to the Crown and administered by the Pukeroa Oruawhata Trust, is the world's only indigenous geothermal golf course.

"There is a lot of talk right now about Rotorua Golf Club receiving some heavy investment, multi-million-dollar investment, to bring it up to that international tourism level." He said it was unclear where the money would be sourced.

"We have been working with Grow Rotorua and the council trying to figure out how we can make this work. Iwi has been involved as well in trying to say what could be done to turn Rotorua Golf Club into a destination asset. And it seems like the plan is in place, it's just a matter of funding being appropriate."

Trust chairman Malcolm Short said the course would be brought up to an international tourism standard.

"Because of the natural geography of the place, it is quite an exciting journey playing golf there for international tourists."

Mr Brandeburg said the course worked well with other courses in the region. "Kinloch and Wairakei Golf courses are built to an international standard. The Rotorua Golf Club was built for the members. Now we are helping them understand the visitor market and that can contribute to their bottom line and to Rotorua and to enhancing stay in this region.

"The big region we are trying to push as well is central North Island, Rotorua down to Napier. From a golf perspective, we can offer Cape Kidnappers, which is the highest-ranked course in New Zealand and number 22 in the world, and tie it in with the activities in Taupo, the activities in Rotorua, [and] food and wine in Hawke's Bay, so it creates an offering in a two-and-a-half hour corridor."

Mr Brandeburg said the course would attract premium, high-end tourists from the established North American market and the emerging Chinese market.

"Golfers in China are forecast to reach 20 million by the year 2020. We are at about two million right now, so if we can continue to capture Chinese golfers we have a tremendous opportunity to bring that into New Zealand."

"They expect very high service standards; full food and beverage, full retail, club cleaning ... Rotorua Golf Club is close to having all those."