Perfect Pairing: Pristine New Zealand and Jack Nicklaus combine to make The Kinloch Club a natural wonder of the golfing world.

By Michael Chappory

More than 30 years ago, Jack Nicklaus visited New Zealand to play golf at Wairakei, the country's first resort golf course, located in the center of the North Island close to Lake Taupo and the town of Kinloch. The area also happens to be world-renowned for fly fishing, and the trout angling made such a lasting impression on Nicklaus that he was lured back to the district several times over the years to pursue his love for the sport. Decades later, when Jack was approached to design a golf course in Kinloch for the Kinloch Golf Resort, he was already familiar with the location because he had fished near there. When he first viewed the site in 2003, he knew it was a place he wanted to apply his vision.

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"I want to be involved with the project--the site has the views and all the contours needed for a great golf course," he said at the time. "It will turn out to be a very special and enjoyable golf course. You're in the middle of everything. The best fishing, hunting, water sports, skiing, the wilderness ... and everything is so close."

Nicklaus' instincts have been realized in full. Kinloch has become a modern haven for nature lovers and outdoor adventurers, with fly fishing, water skiing and sailing all within a short walk from an impeccable resort with the country's only Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Course: The Kinloch Club and the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club of New Zealand.

There are destinations that have a special aura all their own, an indefinable, magical quality that allows people to forget their troubles and become immersed in the beauty and splendor of the natural world. New Zealand is such a place, and the country's promotional slogan of "100% Pure" is no idle boast. New Zealand is geographically beautiful, diverse and full of surprises with just about every kind of terrain and environment that exists. Those spending quality time here will find it permanently at the top of their list thereafter. Nicklaus himself said, "If I had to leave the U.S., New Zealand is the first place I would come to."

New Zealand is geographically beautiful, diverse and full of surprises with just about every kind of terrain and environment that exists.

New Zealand's two main islands, deep in the South Pacific, are remarkably diverse. In a single day's journey travelers can experience an ever-changing landscape; from sweeping emerald green pastures and gentle rolling hills to crystal clear lakes and rivers, mineral pools, glaciers, fjords, rain forests, towering snow-clad mountains, vineyards and mile upon mile of empty sandy beaches. It is little wonder that New Zealand has been described as the "world in miniature" because, incredibly, all this diversity is never more than 80 miles from where one might be in the country.

There is a wonderful sense of space everywhere, and this is one of the reasons why the country is attracting an increasing number of visitors. The climate and geography provide incomparable opportunities to engage in outdoor pursuits. Name it, you can do it: mountain climbing, skiing, snowboarding, sailing, hiking in untouched wilderness locations, big game fishing, deer and boar hunting and fly fishing. Most of these activities are readily available, easily accessed, often free and enjoyed year round.

Central to the The Kinloch Club vision is the association of Nicklaus.

"In Kinloch we have a beautiful, tranquil location, with panoramic views of Lake Taupo and the surrounding countryside," says William Ormerod, the club's managing director. "At the heart of the lifestyle community we wanted a world-class international golf course. Jack is the most successful designer in the business, and having watched him at work we understand why. We wanted the best and we are very excited about what Jack has delivered. Kinloch is unique and going to set a new standard in New Zealand."

The 18-hole course, which Nicklaus is scheduled to christen this spring, has been created around the unique natural features of the site rather than transforming the landscape to meet a uniform golf course design. The course fits the landscape with ease, and the backdrop of Lake Taupo provides a magnificent setting.

"The best fishing, hunting, water sports, skiing, the wilderness ... and everything is so close." - Jack Nicklaus

Also volcanic, the area presented a rare construction opportunity to Nicklaus, who used soil rich in pumice (the light, porous dried foam of lava) as his canvas to a golf experience that seems inspired from another century. With fast-moving contours, strategically shaped knobs that recreate the site's natural features, and rugged bunkering, Kinloch's look is every bit links style and reminiscent of Scotland, the birthplace of golf. In fact, Nicklaus employed shaper Jason Garton, whose credits include Kingsbarns in St. Andrews, to help bring to life his vision.

Nicklaus has personally designated Kinloch to join an exclusive group of Jack Nicklaus Signature Golf Courses to be a member of the prestigious Jack Nicklaus Golf Club. To join The Kinloch Club as a founder member is to become part of one of the most privileged golfing associations on the planet. Founder members will have access and reciprocity benefits--including special lodging entitlements at a Nicklaus Home--at up to 25 clubs around the world.

The Jack Nicklaus Golf Club of New Zealand and The Kinloch Club will incorporate a number of world- class amenities: an elegant lodge and clubhouse; 50 villas with spectacular views of Lake Taupo; 50 lodge unit/ clubhouse suites; and on-course, low-density residential estate sites.

"The Kinloch Club will be more than a prestigious club," Ormerod says. "It will become a club for like-minded members, who wish to enjoy an incomparable lifestyle at Kinloch and use it as a base to explore one of the world's untouched frontiers--beautiful New Zealand."

The Kinloch Club will organize experiences all around New Zealand. Clients will encounter the best the country has to offer, be it helicopter flights to New Zealand's highest peak (Mount Cook) or an escape to a private island for a romantic getaway.

Kinloch's location enables visitors to take advantage of myriad recreational and cultural activities that abound in the area, making The Kinloch Club the ideal base from which to explore and also the perfect haven in which to relax. Says Nicklaus: "Kinloch is a beautiful place, a place where one can spend time with friends and family to enjoy experiences that will endure."

For more information, please visit: http://www.thekinlochclub.com/.

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