Waimairi Beach Golf Club, Christchurch, NZ

Waimairi Beach Golf Course, Christchurch, has seized the opportunity for a bold revamp following a series of devastating earthquakes in 2010-2011, rendering nine holes unplayable and destroying the clubhouse.

The design work on the 80-year-old course’s holes 1-5 will commence in the new year, marking the final phase of the New Zealand club’s extensive remodelling.

The club has enjoyed having 18 holes back in play since 2013, however, post-earthquake intent to upgrade the ‘remaining’ five holes has now been given the go-ahead by members.

The design overhaul entails the creation of 13 new golf holes and practice facilities with a fresh style and theme enhancing the coastal location, and a new central location for the clubhouse making it the heart of the re-routing.

Kristine Kerr of Kura Golf Course Design undertook the first phase of the transformative design and has been re-commissioned by the club to complete the project.

Kerr recently presented the concept for the holes 1-5 to the club, and said the point of the modifications was to bring them into harmony with the first phase of the remodelling.

“The holes will reflect the open, almost links style course, by incorporating existing dunes into strategy while increasing challenge and playability offered by the improved turf grass varieties,” she said.

“Improving drainage and other maintenance measures are significant considerations.”

By utilising two purpose-built temporary holes, enabling 18 holes to remain in play during construction, the disruption will be kept to a minimum during the remodelling phase. The construction will be carried out in three stages and the layout will remain largely the same.

“With a small site we will retain the existing variation in the layout of these five holes, with the focus being on creating interesting green complexes, the inclusion of dunes into the shaping, and new bunkering and tee complexes,” Course Designer Kerr said.

Kerr further explained that existing diversity in green and tee settings curtailed the need for extensive course modifications.

“For example, the opening par 5’s green is in a ‘dell-like’ situation, unique to other holes on the course. At a sharp angle to the hole, the approach to the green is all-important for visibility, and golfers wishing to cut the corner could come un-stuck with a nest of bunkers set into the large dunes sheltering the green.

“On hole two; the “Devil’s Elbow”, as the name suggests, the dogleg is at a tricky distance from the tee and from elevated tees, allowing visibility of the hole, many are tempted to play across the dunes. Failing to make that distance leaves golfers with an awkward lie, and new bunkering will encourage clever placement of the ball.

“Laying up at the dogleg will be the safest option for many, though big hitters are unlikely to take that route,” she said.

Kerr’s design will give one of the few uphill holes on the course; the third green, a false front and the too short approach could end near where it started.

The well-placed shot, however, will be rewarded with a relatively straightforward putt.

The new design will also see the size of the par 3, fifth green, increase significantly, giving more golfers the opportunity to feel good about being on the green in one. The larger green however, may mean much longer putts…or chance for a birdie for the more precise tee shot.

Kerr said she intends the design to reward successful challenges from each tee, with gentler options for the more timorous.

“As a members course, also popular with green fee players, it is important to have that variety. The various wind directions can play havoc on a round and sometimes golfers will need that softer option to regroup,” she added.

In order to maintain pace of play and golfer’s enjoyment on a member’s course with around 200 rounds per Saturday, Kerr’s brief was to make the course interesting yet not overly difficult. Sustainability and minimising ongoing maintenance costs were a strong consideration, and grasses were selected to suit the local, typical dry and often windy climactic conditions.

The turf grass varieties introduced include a fine fescue mix on the fairways and hard fescues in the outer rough. These are well suited to the Canterbury climate and have cut down significantly on maintenance.

Waimairi Beach Golf Club superintendent Andrew Grimes is looking forward to the new works and said the new generation of browntop from the South Island, Arrowtown, is already paying off.

“Sustainability using fescue grasses is clearly showing on the refurbished back nine, cutting costs on fuel in terms of mowing time and maintenance on equipment. Not to mention the superb playing surface the fescue provides,” he said.

“Arrowtown is finer and denser than industry standard browntop. It has been tested to perform well all year round on putting greens and recovers rapidly from renovation.”

Set on 42 Ha, the site is small and the Waimairi Beach course is relatively short by modern standards at 5500m. It is still a par 72 course and there is good variation in length of holes of the same par.

There are three generous tees per hole, designed for each level of play as well as allowing for turf recovery on a high traffic course.