Renovations at The Hills will aim to make the course more pedestrian-friendly.
Ricky Robinson
Distance golf is all the rage these days, and it hardly gets more remote – or more destination-worthy – than New Zealand.
In recent years, others The land Down Under has become a hotbed of high-end golf development and a magnet for fans of the game that sweep the globe.
Now, the duo behind two of New Zealand’s most popular clubs have announced another major project. Jim Rohrstaff and Ric Kayne, the business partners who pushed The Connections Barrier (public) and Your country (private) of international importance, have teamed up for a multi-million dollar redevelopment of The Hills.
For the uninitiated, The Hills, which is located in the South Island, has a name that hints at its origins. It was established by Sir Michael Hill, one of New Zealand’s richest men, on an old deer farm in the former gold mining community of Arrowtown. The original 18, designed by Darby Partners, opened in 2007 and has hosted numerous New Zealand iterations. A par-3 layout, designed by Darius Oliver, was added to the property in 2019.
Many golf courses in New Zealand are postcard-perfect. Hills is no exception. It is located approximately 20 minutes from the famous scenic Queenstown, a major global center for adventure sports.
The renovations are intended to be a comprehensive refresh, with design work handled by leading Australian golf course design firm Ogilvy, Cocking & Mead (OCM). As part of the project, OCM will change the main 18 road to make it more walkable. But the plans also call for a host of other improvements and additions, including a golf training facility, a fitness center, on-site accommodations and luxury real estate, as well as a remodeled clubhouse and new pro shop. In its re-imagined form, The Hills will operate as an upscale, private club with limited memberships, similar to the Tara Iti model.
The work is scheduled to take place over successive winters, starting in April 2026 and ending in 2028. That’s a lot of advance notice. Then again, it’s a long way to go.
