Sounds like a sweet deal, right? Of course, there’s a catch. A big catch. You just have to make a hole-in-one to earn the $10,000 prize.

Such is the longstanding offer at the aptly called Lake Taupo Hole-In-One Challenge. It’s a range where golfers hit balls at an island green 111 yards (It’s just a wedge!) away. And where making an ace will earn you $10K. Check out this video documenting one person’s trip to the scenic spot:

 

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OK, so as you can see, it’s not cheap. You have to buy 50 balls to get the price down to $1 per ball. But again, just think of that 10 GRAND jackpot!

We also learned from the video that there are scuba divers constantly retrieving golf balls (Don’t try to hit them, please!) and that you get an extra ball every time you hit the floating green. And there have been 1,200 people to pull off the hole-in-one over 30 years. That’s 40 per year or about one per week.

In other words, you’ve got a shot! This isn’t some carnival game that’s rigged so contestants can’t win. Plus, the former prime minister there, John Key, recently made a real hole-in-one at a charity event with the cameras rolling. And Steven Alker is the current King of the seniors. New Zealand is just oozing with good golf vibes right now.

So if you ever happen to be in the area, you may as well give it a crack. At the very least, you’ll get some good wedge work in.

The post WATCH: New Zealand driving range with an island green and a $10,000 hole-in-one prize appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

After opening as a laid-back private club in October 2015, only those who visited this Auckland, New Zealand layout designed by Tom Doak and his Renaissance Golf Design knew how special this was. Until perhaps Tara Iti made its debut at No. 6 in Golf Digest’s World 100 ranking of the best international golf courses—the highest rank for a first-time modern course in the 50-plus years of our publication’s rankings. It has continued to grab attention and accolades since.

The layout has the uniqueness of Sand Hills or Friar’s Head, the links-like charm of Bandon Dunes and the seaside appeal of courses on the Monterey Peninsula. This is golf at peak fun level. Tom Doak, who was already on the short list of top modern golf architects, might have done his best work in Tara Iti. As Golf Digest’s Ron Whitten wrote: “This may be New Zealand’s answer to Pebble Beach’s Carmel Bay. The greatest meeting of land and sea is clearly up for debate.”

So where is Tara Iti? For American golfers, it’s a full day’s of travel away (and then some). The club is about 65 miles north of New Zealand’s biggest city, Auckland, on the Te Arai coast, just south of Mangawhai (pronounced Mang-ga-fai), on the North Island of New Zealand. On the outer edges of the Pacific Ocean, it can take upwards of 45 hours from New York City to reach this golf paradise. This is a rare instance in life, however, where the lofty expectations will live up to the hype.

A Los Angeles-based billionaire Richard Kayne partnered with New Zealand’s John Darby, who himself designed one of the country’s best layouts, Jack’s Point, for the vision of Tara Iti. Kayne, a long admirer of New Zealand, purchased these 570 acres for his new club. He had admired Doak’s work, being a member at Long Island’s Sebonack and Palm Desert’s Stone Eagle, and hired the architect and his design team for this job. The result is spectacular.

Can the Average Joe play Tara Iti? Well, maybe. Yes, it’s a private club—one of the few such spots in New Zealand. But as we wrote earlier this year: “Tara Iti is a private club, but its doors aren’t necessarily sealed shut.”

“Non-members can inquire about playing, but only with the understanding that they’re allowed to visit the club just once (a multi-night stay is encouraged),” wrote Ashley Mayo. “Tara Iti is able to accommodate more visitors in the off-season months of April thru October than during the peak season months of November thru March, but don’t let the phrase “off-season” fool you—the winters in Mangawhai are mild and perfect for links golf (highs hover in the high 50s during the coldest month of July).”

There are many intriguing aspects of Tara Iti, with bunkers reminiscent of Alister MacKenzie’s artistry, sandscapes rivaling the world’s most impressive and architectural elements that bring to mind our best classics such Cypress Point and Royal Dornoch. Let Thomas L. Friedman, the Pulitzer Prize-winning New York Times columnist and Golf Digest contributor, take you through every hole. Friedman is a Tara Iti member, and as well versed as anybody on the club.

Behold, Tara Iti—golf at its finest on the edge of the planet. It hasn’t been announced whether Tara Iti will add another course to accompany Doak’s incredible contribution. Kayne owns more beach-front land on this Te Arai paradise, so we’d expect that to be a real possibility.

The post Amazing drone footage of New Zealand’s stunning Tara Iti Golf Club appeared first on Golf Digest Middle East.

Lydia Ko admits to taking up a new hobby in the run-up to the U.S. Women’s Open at Trump National Golf Club—playing with Legos.

“I build Lego houses,” Ko said. “It took my mind off of golf.”

The 20-year-old has had a complicated year, so perhaps you can’t blame her for needing a simple distraction. Yes, the 14-time LPGA Tour winner knows the box says the toys are recommended for kids age 6-12. But by gravitating to a modest activity off the course, she hopes to re-new her focus on it.

Ko’s eventful 2017 season began just prior to the start of the calendar year, when she parted ways with her swing coach, David Leadbetter, and started working will Gary Gilchrist. Not long after, she changed equipment companies, from Callaway to PXG. In March, Ko missed her first cut in 40 starts at the Kia Classic. In April, she started working with her 10th caddie since turning pro. Finally, early last month, she dropped from No. 1 spot on the Rolex Rankings after 85 weeks on top.

Winless in 13 LPGA starts this season, Ko now ranks No. 4 after her most recent event, a disappointing T-59 finish two weeks ago at the KPMG Women’s PGA Championship. Ko was in contention early—shooting four under after two rounds—but fell down the leader board on Saturday at Olympia Fields when she made nine bogeys en route to a 76. During the final round, she bogeyed five of the last 11 holes to finish five over for the week.

Ko skipped last week’s Thornberry Creek LPGA Classic to regroup and celebrate the fourth of July with friends, before moving on to Open prep.

“I just took the first few days to relax and not think about it,” said Ko, who has played in five Women’s Opens and never missed a cut, her best finish being a T-3 last year at CordeValle. “It was good to take those couple of days off to refresh and then get energized for this stretch of events.”

Her main focus on the course leading up to this week has been putting. Ko current ranks seventh overall on tour in putting average, though her final two rounds at the KPMG certainly didn’t reflect that.

“Speed control is an aspect of my putting where I feel like I can get better at,” Ko said before a Tuesday practice round. “Even yesterday we did a lot of speed drills and [worked on] just getting confident.”

At a course like Trump National Bedminster, the greens are wide, but Ko isn’t taking that for granted.

“The greens will be the biggest part of this golf course,” Ko said. “Just because you’re on the green, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s going to be an easy two-putt or a birdie.”

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