• Tara Iti is New Zealand’s Most Expensive Most Exclusive Golf Course

    Golf Magazine has fittingly named a golf course north of Auckland as one of the top 29 in the world on its list of the world’s top 100 courses.

    Tara Iti, designed by noted American architect Tom Doak, is located at Te Arai, near the locality of Mangawhai, just about 100 km north of Auckland.

    The design of the course offers the typical stunning views of the coast line that one expects from the coast of New Zealand and Tara Iti is a links style course considered one of the best in the southern hemisphere.

    Golf magazine seldom accords such a high ranking to a course the first time it makes the top 100 list. According to the magazine, “Tara Iti jumps onto our World list as one of our highest debuting courses ever. The barely two-year-old course is already acknowledged as the Southern Hemisphere’s premier links.”

    The number 29 ranking places Tara Iti ahead of famous courses, such as Royal Birkdale (34th) and Royal St. George’s (42nd). We would speculate that Tara Iti does not come anywhere near those two in terms of rounds canceled due to rain.

    Tara Iti even ranked ahead of Trump International Golf Links (46th) in Aberdeen, Scotland, which evoked an immediate response from the Tweeter in Chief, who declared the rankings “fake news.” Learning that Golf Magazine had listed Trump Turnberry at number 16, praise for the periodical was effusive and immediate.

    One spot ahead of Tara Iti is Carnoustie in Scotland, which precedes Tara Iti by 173 years.

    Augusta National in Georgia, home of The Masters, came in at number six. The number one ranked course this year and every year since 1985, is Pine Valley in New Jersey.

    Golf Digest has its own top 100 courses. They list Kauri Cliffs at Matauri Bay at number 49. Tara Iti did not make the top 100 list of Golf Digest. Tara Iti came in at number one on Australian Golf Digest’s list of top 40 Kiwi golf courses and it also came in at the top of a list of Stuff.com.nz.

    Those looking to shoot a round will be disappointed to learn that Tara Iti is a private club of a level of exclusivity that limits it to the Kiwi one-percenters, provided said one-percenters have the proper connections.