Inside Auckland’s newest golf course Te Arai Links and what members get for a $48k joining fee

It’s one of the most hotly-anticipated golf courses in the world, has a membership fee of about $50,000 and features one of the biggest putting greens in the world. North Auckland’s Te Arai Links has
officially opened to members, with another course to come.

It was during a stroll of the Te Arai property during a Covid-19 lockdown in 2020 that Jim Rohrstaff had an idea for something extra special for his latest high-end golf course in New Zealand.

The dreamchild of fund manager Ric Kayne and managing partner Rohrstaff, the Te Arai Links resort, south of Mangawhai, has had golfers around the world itching with anticipation to tee up on one of the two 18-hole links courses stretching the coastline.

It’s been created by the same team behind Tara Iti Golf Club – another high-end golf resort about five kilometers north.

Rohrstaff has added one of the biggest putting greens in the world next to a pizza barn to showcase a relaxing environment and that they’re not an “uptight stuffy club”.

Pizza and putting – the Kiwi style of resort golf compared to the more gated communities and exclusivity you might see at other top courses around the world.

Te Arai Links South Course officially opened on Monday for the members and guests with the accommodation suites opening on Saturday. The Coore-Crenshaw designed course is the first of the two 18-hole courses on the property to open with the North Course set to launch in October next year.

The North Course is designed by Tom Doak, who is also the architect of Tara Iti, which often makes lists of the top courses in the world.

Te Arai Links is also the official home club of Kiwi pro Ryan Fox, ranked 47th in the world, his name emblazoned on his bag during his successful run on the DP World Tour this season.

Forty-eight accommodation suites have been completed along with the South clubhouse and Ric’s pizza bar. There are 25 other buildings under construction with additional cottages, villas, an ocean restaurant and the North clubhouse to be finished in the next 18 to 24 months.

For now, only Te Arai Links members and their guests will be able to play on the South Course, or people staying at the resort but once both courses are open, members of the public will be able to play one course each day, alternating with club members.

Daily green fee rates would be around the same pricing as Cape Kidnappers Golf Course and Kauri Cliffs Golf Course, which differs depending on the time of year – but a New Zealand resident could look to pay around the $330 mark for 18 holes in summer and $200 in winter. International visitors are looking upwards of $700 for a round during peak season.

As the Herald reported last month, the cost of membership is just shy of a $50,000 joining fee and $10,000 a year for a family membership.

The club already has around 475 members, made up of New Zealanders and international golfers with a plan to potentially cap the membership towards the 600 mark.

“A member has 36 holes, so two golf courses to play any day of the week when we are fully opened. We’ll have events, social activities and a private bar for members,” Rohrstaff said.

And they also get access to the Playground, a one-hectare putting green that sits next to the pizza barn that was dreamed up while Rohrstaff was walking the property during lockdown in April 2020.

“Just trying to think of things that would be fun, unique, different that would get us excited. The scale is almost absurd, that’s fun. It’s so large. The whole idea is to come out maybe after golf, you have a bite, go out and putt with your friends and have a good time. It’s a fun, relaxing environment that sets the tone that we are different. We’re not an uptight stuffy club. We’re a fun relaxing, welcoming place.”

There are only a few putting greens in the world that will be close to its size, with the likes of the Punchbowl at Bandon Dunes in Oregon, St Andrews’ famous Himalayas at the Old Course and Thistle Dhu at Pinehurst matching it for scale.

“We’ve got a lot of interest from overseas and that will only pick up as people actually see the place, play it and talk about it. There’s been interest and the golf world has been following us for a couple of years but that’s going to ramp up significantly over the next few years,” Rohrstaff said.

“Our members this week and their guests, they’ve brought a lot of guests, there has been nothing but smiling faces and it’s been great,” he added.