Te Arai Links North Course. Photo / Ricky Robinson
There are only two places in the world where three top-100 rated golf courses are within 20 minutes of each other – and a stretch of the pristine east coast just north of Auckland is one of them.
For the second year in a row, four New Zealand courses have been named among Golf.com’s top 100 courses – northern Auckland trio of Tara Iti, Te Arai Links North and Te Arai Links South and Hawke’s Bay’s Cape Kidnappers.
New Jersey course Pine Valley has retained the top spot, beating out California’s Cypress Point and the Old Course at St Andrews, while Irish course Royal County Down moves up two spots into the top five. Next year’s US Open host Shinnecock Hills rounds out the fifth spot.
Tara Iti is the highest ranked New Zealand course, moving up one place to 19th on the list – ranked ahead of the likes of past major hosts Riviera, Carnoustie and Bethpage Black. The Mangawhai course has continued to rise up the rankings after first entering at 29th.
Cape Kidnappers, which opened in 2004, drops 10 places to 65th. The course recently went through an upgrade with re-grassing of every fairway and putting surface while the signature 15th hole was restored to its original best.
The par five dubbed “Pirate’s Plank” had rampant tree growth throughout the years, which had obscured the sight lines of the fairway, which plays down a finger of ridge to a cliff-edge green – one of the best spots to hit a shot in the country.
Te Arai South has moved up six spots to 79th while Te Arai North remains 98th, one of the newer courses on the list.
It’s an impressive achievement yet again for Te Arai Links to have both courses ranked into the top 100 after opening within the last three years. The resort is the creation of fund manager Ric Kayne and managing partner Jim Rohrstaff the behind Tara Iti Golf Club, about 5km north, and is open to the golfing public to book a round to stay and play.
“Obviously we’re flattered. The lists aren’t necessarily what we do it for but it’s wonderful recognition and acknowledgement of how special the land is – what Tom Doak and [Bill] Core and [Ben] Crenshaw were able to design on those golf courses and what our team does to execute at a very high level every day at all three courses and both clubs there,” Rohrstaff said.
“It’s rarefied air that Tara Iti and Te Ari Links have become known around the world in a very short amount of time.
“We’re in what would be the second golden age of golf course architecture right now. 100 years ago was the golden age and right now we’re experiencing the same thing. We’re seeing some wonderful golf courses around the world and as I said we’re just flattered to be part of all of those.”
Rohrstaff, managing director at Te Arai Links, said Bandon Dunes in Oregon is the only other resort that manages three courses inside the top 100 in such close proximity.
Te Arai Links South course was this month announced as the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship host venue with the event taking place in October. World No 2 Rory McIlroy visited Tara Iti and Te Arai Links late last year calling it a “trip of a lifetime”.
Tara Iti, Te Arai Links North and Cape Kidnappers are all designed by Doak, and the American golf architect has previously stated the inland holes at Te Arai North remind him of the property at Pine Valley, which sits top of the list.
Other Doak-designed courses – Barndougle Dunes, Pacific Dunes, Ballyneal, Bandon Dunes, the Lido and new entrant Childress Hall in Texas also feature on the list.
Since first making the Golf.com list, Te Arai Links has kept adding to its resort with the final stage, a spa and fitness centre to be completed this month to finish construction on the property which began in October 2020.
“This is really our first summer that we’ll have all of our restaurants open. So the North Clubhouse and the Ocean Restaurant both opened kind of mid-summer last year,” Rohrstaff said.
“We’re really excited to be able to have those fully operational and functional throughout this season. And then we’ll be delivering the spa and gym as a hotel amenity here in the next couple of weeks. We actually should open in about 10 or 11 days.”
“And the courses continually age well. They’re getting more and more mature as every month goes by. I think one thing that people consistently tell us is just how good the overall condition is of our golf courses.
“Tara Iti just turned 10 years old on October 1, the North Course just turned 2 and the South Course just turned 3, and watching these courses evolve just get better and better with age,” he added.
The four courses in New Zealand matches the number in Ireland in the top 100, which includes Ballybunion (Old), Lahinch (Old), St Patrick’s Links and Portmarnock (Old).
Australia has seven courses in the top 100 with Royal Melbourne West ranked seventh.
With more golf courses coming in across the country – Muriwai Downs, Hogan Gully, Glendhu, Douglas Links and extensive changes at The Hills – there could be more New Zealand courses breaking into the list in coming years.
Golf.com’s Top 10
1 Pine Valley (New Jersey)
2 Cypress Point (California)
3 St.Andrews Old Course (Scotland)
4 Royal County Down (N Ireland)
5 Shinnecock Hills (New York)
6 National Golf Links of America (New York)
7 Royal Melbourne - West (Australia)
8 Augusta National (Georgia)
9 Oakmont (Pennsylvania)
10 Sand Hills (Nebraska)
New Zealand courses
19 Tara Iti
56 Cape Kidnappers
79 Te Arai South
98 Te Arai North
Cameron McMillan has been a sports journalist since 2003 and is NZME’s Deputy Head of Sport.