Southern Stunner

There are few straight putts out on the irregular shaped greens. Each one is quite distinctive and many are memorable. There’s one from the right side of the green at the par-3 sixth that has to be aimed a whole farmhouse right of the flag. The bowl shape is a common green feature at many old world courses but rare in new designs, so it is a joy to see it used on the 18th, itself an idiosyncratic finishing hole where the partly occluded green peeps at you sheltered by a mound on the left.

Doak, whose reputation since designing Cape Kidnappers in 2004 and his Pacific Dunes course at Bandon Dunes on the Oregon coast has skyrocketed, has created a course of great drama, interest, originality and beauty. From the critical standpoint it exposes much of the work of former tour pros turned "celebrity" designers as dull and derivative. In an industry noted for its gigantic egos and questionable sense of taste, Doak is a distinctly different and intelligent architect. Any avid collector of golfing experiences should reach into their pocket and make the admittedly lengthy trip to the North Island to play this course. It is both beautiful and compelling.