Queenstown Golf Tour Blog
11th – 17th November 2017
Fully Escorted by Teaching Professional Tiffany Mika and G&T Managing Director Ainslie Saunders
On this tour we gave the ladies the opportunity to invite their partners.
Day One
Saturday 11th November 2017
God, I love that feeling of driving to the airport. That delicious sensation of anticipation before a tour starts. Having escorted and arranged many tours to Queenstown, I know exactly what to expect at this South Island destination, and I know it’s all good. Tiffany and I meet our group at Sydney International Airport, and many of our guests haven’t been to Queenstown before, which is fantastic. After a quick 3 hour flight we arrive into Queenstown, with (what I believe to be) one of the most gorgeous and breathtaking approaches to an airport in the world. For the last 10 minutes of the flight we fly directly between the Remarkables Mountain Range, and for much of that, below the top of the mountain ridge. Spectacular!
We’re met at the airport by our driver and whisked into town where we all check into our lovely rooms and head out to explore the town at our own pace. It’s not a G&T tour unless we kick off the first night with a glass of wine or two, so at 6pm we meet at the hotel’s bar, in the rose garden and get to know each other a bit better over a few drinks before heading out to our first (of many) delicious meals.
Day Two
Sunday 12th November 2017
Jacks Point Golf Club
Putting Competition (number of putts)
1st Pauline
2nd Irene
NTP Ben
First round of golf, and there’s no better place to do that in Queenstown than Jacks Point. Words and the photos that we took, just can’t do it justice. You just have to go there yourself to experience it. The razor sharp Remarkables surround the course, and some of the highest peaks were shrouded in clouds. Those that jutted out were snow-capped. There was a cold wind coming off the snow and Lake Wakatipu, so we rugged up as we arrived. Gorgeous fir trees, long grasses and ferns border the course, with lots of rocks helping to complete the rugged landscape. The bunkers, whilst frustrating for many, were even beautiful, some lined with old weather wood and railway sleepers. The stack stone walls that run through the course were just stunning.
Tiffany held a fantastic warm up and long game clinic before we teed off and managed to play with at least half of us by swapping groups throughout the day. Her tips and tuition were fantastic and really helped us get the most out of Jacks. At the end of the round it was into the stunning clubhouse for a couple of G&T’s while catching up with the others on their day and getting the last glimpses of Jacks. Our driver arrived and whisked us back into town where we had a quick pizza dinner before a well earned deep sleep.
Day Three
Monday 13th November 2017
Millbrook Golf Club
Putting Competition (First putts that get to within a metre of the pin)
1st Pauline
2nd Karen
3rd Gary
We woke to magical weather and the promise of a warm and sunny day. Stilling buzzing about Jacks Point, we boarded the bus and started the 30 minute drive through incredible scenery to the Millbrook Resort. After grabbing some coffee at the Hole in One restaurant, we headed over to the putting green for another clinic with Tiff, the Consistency Specialist. The drills and strategies that she gave us to help with our putting were absolutely brilliant and the proof of that was in the competition results.
Today the competition was on how many of our first putts (once the ball was already on the green) came within a metre of the hole. Millbrook is made up of 3 x 9 holes courses, and we played the Remarkables and Coronet Courses which were simply stunning. The views were breathtaking. The courses had many bunkers, and many of us found them, but we hardly even cared amidst this location. We had to play much more strategically on the back 9, as it was certainly the more challenging.
After golf we headed to Arrowtown for a walk around and some ice cream (or beers for some) before enjoying the stunning drive back to town for dinner at one of Queenstown’s most popular restaurants, Botswana Butchery. We all enjoyed a delicious 3 course meal in the private Champagne Room before heading back to bed, happy with the thought that tomorrow is a day of leisure and rest for everyone to explore at their own pace.
Day Four
Tuesday 14th November 2017
Day at Leisure
Everyone took a well earned rest from golf and got to explore everything that Queenstown has to offer, at their own pace. Some took a cruise on Lake Wakatipu, some drove up to Glenorchy, some decided that they wanted to play more golf and took up another 18 holes at Arrowtown Golf Club. Some slept in and read their book, while others walked around the Queenstown Botanical Gardens and Tiffany rented a bike and rode for 4 hours around the lake. That’s our girl! It was the perfect day for everyone, doing exactly what they felt like doing.
In the evening we met in the foyer and headed over to the Ice Bar, which Tiff was dying to try! We loaded up on jackets, gloves and boots and left the mild 21 degrees outside temperature for a drink in minus 5 degrees Celsius. After a cocktail or two in our ice glasses, we headed out for another lovely meal before heading back to the hotel to get rested for golf again tomorrow.
Day Five
Wednesday 15th November 2017
Queenstown Golf Club
Fairway Competition
1st Gary
2nd Chris
NTP Pauline
An absolutely glorious day greeted us for our round at Queenstown Golf Club. Sunny, 22 degrees and no wind but a very slight breeze. Perfect weather again! On arrival at the golf club, Tiffany got us warmed up with a bit of putting, before heading over to the practice green to improve our confidence with chipping. Some slight changes to our techniques had huge results! Today’s competition was on our fairway drives; how many of our drives remained on the fairway. It was a great comp for this course, as accuracy was required off almost every tee.
The views, as with every course we’ve played in Queenstown, were spectacular. Gorgeous sculptures are scattered around the edge of the lake. Queenstown Golf Club occupies an entire peninsula, so there are Lake Wakatipu views from almost every hole. At the end of the round it was Gary & Chris who had the most fairway shots with Pauline taking out the NTP comp. In the evening we headed to the Ballarat Trading Co for dinner, before some of us danced the night away at one of the local pubs.
Day Six
Thursday 16th November 2017
Jacks Point Golf Club
Believe vs Actual Shots Competition
1st Pene
2nd Irene
NTP Pauline
Just when you think that you couldn’t get sunshine any more brilliant….we do. Jacks Point really turned it on for us on our last day of golf for the tour. Arriving at the course, we had plenty of time to grab a coffee. We set ourselves up before heading out to the Driving Range for a relaxed warm up and driving clinic. The sun was shining as we made our way to the 1st tee for our (very respectable) 11:20am tee time. Sky divers jumped out of planes and filled the sky as we made our way around the course.
Everyone agreed that playing the 2nd round at Jacks was great, as we knew the layout a little better and had a better idea of where to hit. The huge and sloping greens where a challenge regardless. Irene hit a cracker and her ball ended up in one of the very spiky bushes that line the course. Pene deserved her 1st prize in the comp, and “Straight as a Pauline” Pauline did it again with her Nearest the Pin.
After golf we quickly headed back to town and changed for our last dinner. It was agreed that a Queenstown Golf “farewell” dinner wasn’t right, so we called it our “See you Later” dinner. Prizes were given, drinks were drunk, tales of the trip were relived. And now, we just can’t wait to do it again!
Did you enjoy this post? Then sign up to our newsletter!
