Te Ārai Links

Few courses anywhere in the world have arrived with quite the anticipation that surrounded Te Ārai Links. Designed by Tom Doak and opened in 2022 on New Zealand's Northland coast roughly 90 minutes north of Auckland, it was conceived as a pure linksland experience — Doak shaping fairways through coastal dunes that roll down toward the Tasman Sea. Early rounds drew immediate comparisons to the great links of the British Isles, and the course quickly attracted international attention as one of the most significant new designs of its era. A companion course by David McLay Kidd sits alongside it, giving the property a rare dual-links offering within the same spectacular dunescapes.

The surrounding region is classic upper Northland — pohutukawa-lined coastline, warm summers, and a landscape that feels genuinely remote despite its proximity to New Zealand's largest city. The land itself does much of the work, with natural contours that required little artifice to produce compelling, windswept golf.

Te Ārai sits within a private members and lodge-style destination, meaning access is selective, but for those who do play it, expectations tend to be met entirely. Wind off the Tasman is a constant variable, shifting the challenge of any given hole dramatically from one day to the next.