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Wine Tasting

You’re on holiday for goodness sake, so you might as well do what you really want… drink wine. Queenstown and surrounding areas are home to some of the best grapes, and most beautiful wineries, in the country. Central Otago is renowned for their Pinot Noir, but whether you visit Gibbston Valley, Amisfield, Peregrine, or any of the dozens of local wineries you’re sure to enjoy anything they pour into your glass. And no need to worry about a designated driver, Remarkable Golf Tours can assist with an inclusive Golf & Wine Tour, for the ultimate day of leisure!

Milford Sounds

One of the most beautiful places on Earth, Milford Sounds in stunning Fiordland, is the perfect destination to round out your golf holiday. With return trips from Queenstown, you can go for the day or opt for an overnight stay on the water. Real Journeys is always a favourite; with their glass-roofed coaches you won’t miss a glimpse of this gorgeous scenery. Add-on the fly-out option on your return trip for a real once in a lifetime experience!

Bungy Jumping

Queenstown is the birthplace of commercial bungy jumping, so if you ever wanted to jump off a perfectly good ledge attached to a piece of elastic you may as well conquer those fears with the originals. Choose one, or all three, of the AJ Hackett Bungy locations in Queenstown. The adrenaline rush will give you a new found respect for a leisurely day of golf!

Jet Boating

Remember this is the adventure capital of New Zealand, so speeding through steep canyons within inches from the rocky cliffs and 360° turns in 6” of water are all par for the course (pun intended). Between Shotover Jet, KJet, Skippers Canyon, & Dart River there’s a jet boat experience for everyone.

Fergburger

Even the most devout of golfers have to stop and eat at some point. There are hundreds of great options in the Lakes District but Fergburger is a local institution that cannot be missed. Don’t be discouraged by the line circling the block, it is that good! Back home after your holiday you’ll be wondering what you miss more, the world-class golf courses with stunning scenery… or the Fergburgers. Fact.

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Golfing in Queenstown

In many shades of green

 

To those who don’t play much, golf is golf right? A golf course has holes, pins, sand traps and greens and sometimes water hazards.

But when are golf courses not just ‘golf courses’?

In Queenstown, golf courses aren’t just golf courses. Sure, they have all of the above prerequisites, bar Arrowtown Golf Club’s complete lack of bunkering in favour of natural rock hazards. They’re natural artworks when you have scenery and surroundings such as the golf courses in Queenstown. Queenstown Golf Club would rival any park in the world for scenery, certainly any golf course. 360 views of lake and mountains and situated on one of the most desirable peninsulas in New Zealand, Queenstown Golf Club does well to fend off developers and retain it’s status as a visitor-friendly golf course.

Arrowtown golf course couldn’t be replicated by man or the great creator himself alone, with the rustic mining village remains and natural rock features defining this unusual and slightly quirky (yet thoroughly memorable) golf course. Millbrook Resort has surroundings reminiscent of the Canadian Rockies and would feature in many golfers list of most serene golf course settings.

The Hills private golf club is a piece of golfing artwork. The course meanders through 500 acres of former dear farm and is natural in appearance but features dozens of exclusive pieces of art that Sir Michael Hill has collected. They rarely come into play unless the golf strays well off the beaten path but add a unique and interesting twist to this golfing experience and award-winning clubhouse facility that is absolutely unique. Jacks Point Golf Course, carved out of natural terrain at the foot of the Remarkables, on the edge of Lake Wakatipu, is truly one of the great golf courses in New Zealand. The scenery alone is worth the green fee, but the course design is thoughtful, challenging without being brutal and just offers something so different to the norm that’s its guaranteed to leave a lasting impression, particularly on better players.

The latest in ‘out of the box’ golf design would have to be Over The Top Golf. This hole, situated at 4500ft above sea level offers four tee spots of varying lengths and overlooks the Wakatipu Basin, mountains and Jacks Point and would have to take the title of the most unique golf course in New Zealand. Players are helicoptered to Cecil Peak where they’re set upon this golf hole to get closest to the pin. New Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key has even had a round, Lydia Ko the teen sensation and current ladies world #1 has had a par and golfing travellers are lining up to see what happens when you crush a drive at 4500ft.

There is nowhere else in New Zealand with a collection of golf courses that aren’t just ‘golf courses’ like Queenstown. Add some of the best vineyards, restaurants, scenery and outdoor activities in NZ and you have a golf destination that just has to be experienced.

The most unique “golf course” in New Zealand – Over The Top Golf, accessed via Helicopter & overlooking Queenstown.

Queenstown Golf Tours

Views from Queenstown Golf Club

Natural Rock Features of Arrowtown golf club

Artwork at The Hills Private Golf club

Scenery worth the green feed at Jack’s Point

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 We are proud to be the recipient of Trip Advisor’s certificate of excellence. More importantly we are proud to provide our clients with great products and service. To check out our Trip Advisor reviews click here…

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This could be the ultimate conversation-starter for golfers and golf fans. Dunedin professional Andrew Whiley has compiled a ranking list of the best 25 courses in New Zealand.

He surveyed 35 professionals, players, golf travel operators and architects to put together what he claims is the most extensive ranking of New Zealand golf courses ever produced.

The list includes four Otago courses, with glamour spots The Hills (Arrowtown) and Jacks Point (Queenstown) in the top 10.

Millbrook is 14th and Whiley’s own course, Chisholm Park, is 21st.

Whiley, who said everyone surveyed had to have either played or walked over the courses they ranked, was delighted Chisholm Park made the final cut.

“We know it is special, with the views and links conditions, but to see others rank it in their top 25 was great to see.”

Wairakei Golf Course was rated No 1, followed by Kauri Cliffs, Kinloch, Cape Kidnappers and Paraparaumu Golf Club.

There was no room for the other two major Dunedin courses, Balmacewen or St Clair.

Another ranking survey, produced by the United Kingdom-based Top 10 Golf Courses website, ranked St Clair the best Dunedin course, at No 27, just ahead of Balmacewen and Chisholm Park.

The British site had Jacks Point at No 5, The Hills at No 6, Millbrook at No 9 and Arrowtown at No 26. Its No 1 was Kauri Cliffs.

Whiley plans to conduct the New Zealand ranking annually.
1. Wairakei (Taupo)
2. Kauri Cliffs (Kerikeri)
3. Kinloch (Taupo)
4. Cape Kidnappers (Havelock North)
5. Paraparaumu (Paraparaumu Beach)
6. Jack’s Point (Queenstown)
7. The Hills (Arrowtown)
8. Titirangi (Auckland)
9. Auckland (Auckland)
10. Wellington (Upper Hutt)
11. Gulf Harbour (Whangaparaoa)
12. Christchurch (Christchurch)
13. Clearwater (Christchurch)
14. Millbrook (Arrowtown)
15. New Plymouth (New Plymouth)
16. Terrace Downs (Canterbury)
17. Muriwai (Auckland) and The Lakes (Pauanui)
19. Hastings (Hastings)
20. Mangawhai (Mangawhai)
21. Chisholm Park (Dunedin)
22. Hamilton (Hamilton)
23. Poverty Bay (Gisborne) and Oreti Sands (Invercargill)
25. Manawatu (Palmerston North)

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Queenstown’s five-star Millbrook Resort has been named the world’s best golf resort by a prestigious Australian travel magazine.

Millbrook has taken out top place in Luxury Travel Magazine’s 2011 Gold List Award for overseas golf resorts, ahead of strong New Zealand and international contenders.

Last year Millbrook came fourth in the awards, which are decided upon by a survey that goes to tens of thousands of discerning, travel-loving readers and clients of Virtuoso, the world’s most exclusive travel agents, to vote on their favourite destinations each year.

This year Millbrook heads a golf resort list that includes The Farm at Cape Kidnappers (2nd) Kauri Cliffs in Matauri Bay (3rd), Mission Hills Resort in Shenzhen, China (4th) and Sun City Resort in South Africa (5th).

Millbrook was also lauded as one of the best New Zealand properties within three hours of the city, taking out fifth place overall behind exclusive lodges such as Huka Lodge and Blanket Bay.

The awards are regarded as one of the most comprehensive luxury travel surveys undertaken by an Australian magazine and widely accepted as Australia’s premier travel awards.

Millbrook General Manager David Onions said the team at Millbrook was “absolutely thrilled” to gain international recognition as the world’s top golf resort.

“To be recognized as the world’s best place to play golf, against some strong competition from other internationally renowned golf resorts, is a wonderful accolade for us,” he said.

“This award comes at an ideal time because many Australians are booking their ski holidays now, and we have a unique ‘green valley’ situation where you can ski in the morning and have a round of golf in the afternoon.

“Millbrook’s the perfect choice for a winter holiday because it’s close to the action of Queenstown and ski fields, just a 20-minute drive to Coronet Peak, yet has a tranquility and ambience about it which enables people to unwind in five-star style with world-class golf, spa and restaurant facilities on their doorstep.”

Mr Onions paid tribute to the hard work and vision of the Millbrook team and its owners in driving a multi-million dollar investment in golf.

In the past three years, the resort has made a significant $30million investment in an innovative covered driving range converted from a former woolshed, a new nine-hole golf course known as the Coronet Nine, extensive upgrades to the existing 18-hole championship golf course, and housing development in the western extension of Millbrook.

The newly structured, award-winning 27-hole configuration at Millbrook has proved hugely popular with local, New Zealand and international golfers.

Millbrook’s three interchangeable ‘nines’ create a varied diet of golf and a combination that only a small handful of courses in the country offer.

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