Industry news
WINDROSS FARM
– SIX YEARS IN THE MAKING
O
nly a chosen few get to turn paddocks
of corn and potatoes into professional
golf courses.
Brett Thomson, with assistance from former
New Zealand pro Phil Tataurangi and half-a-
million tonnes of clay, can list that claim on
his CV after developing Windross Farm.
The course sits at Ardmore, half an hour
south of Auckland’s CBD (on a good day). Its
genesis came when the Manukau Golf Club,
originally situated in Takanini, relocated after
selling to developers.
Windross Farm hosts the McKayson New
Zealand women’s open from September
28-October 1. The tournament doubles
as a stop on the Ladies Professional Golf
Association tour.
14
Thomson helped design Clearwater Resort
in Christchurch, and Jacks Point and The Hills
near Queenstown. It took six years to develop
his latest landscape, split evenly between
planning and construction.
The course is based inland but has a links
feel because of what Thomson described
as “effectively a flood plain”. Drainage was
required with stormwater flowing through,
resulting in a number of burns, five hectares
of wetlands and native plantings of “50,000
grasses and 600 totara and kahikatea”. The
course varies from 3961m (red tees) to
5898m (black tees). A drop of 6m across the
course means it’s easy to walk.
The Golf Marketing Professionals I www.golfindustrycentral.com.au