The Tour’s first visit to New Zealand

Queenstown is considered the mecca for visiting golfers and it is the Adventure Capital of New Zealand

Queenstown is a resort town in Otago in the south-west of New Zealand’s South Island.  Located in a bay on Lake Wakatipu and surrounded by mountain ranges Queenstown is regarded as the Adventure Capital of New Zealand and it has developed into a mecca for golfers with several exceptional courses within a 20km radius.

Visitors to Queenstown are spoilt for choice when it comes to dining and bars and the Crowne Plaza Hotel is located just a short walk form the main streets.

Queenstown is the gateway to the central Otago wine region, internationally renowned for its full bodied pinot noir.  

The Package will include:

• 7 nights B&B accommodation (twin / double share) in the 4 star Crowne Plaza Hotel – Lakeview Rooms
• 5 rounds of competitive golf on superb courses – optional 6^th round;
• Welcome drinks;
• Airport and Golf course transfers;
• Shared buggies included for each round;
• Prizes for each round and overall totalling £1400;
• All five rounds count towards the 2024 Order of Merit; 

Package Prices:     Please note flights are not included

• Full package price excluding flights -                          £2,583
• Single supplement (7 nights) -                                    £573
• Non golfer -                                                                 £1,185
• Golf only (5 rounds excl welcome drinks) -                 £1,516
• Additional night – twin / double                                   £135pp
• Additional night – single                                              £380 per room

Golf Itinerary:

Sun 11          Airport transfer - Check in to Crowne Plaza Hotel – welcome evening drinks

Mon 12         Jack’s Point –          tee from 10:10am              - ranked 6^th in NZ

Tue 13          Arrowtown –            tee from 10:20am              - ranked 7^th in NZ

Wed 14         Queenstown GC –   tee from 11:00am              - most picturesque course in NZ

Thu 15          Optional - The Hills  – tee from 12:30pm           - ranked 9^th in NZ

Fri 16            Millbrook, Remarkable       – tee from 12:20pm - ranked 17 in NZ     

Sat 17          Millbrook,  Coronet            – tee from 12:00pm - Host to 2023 NZ Open

·       * Optional round at The Hills **

The Hills GC is ranked 9^th in New Zealand but the club is very private and only accepts 12 visitors each day which is why we haven’t included it in the main package.  We have booked tee times for 4 golfers which is an additional option to the main package.  Entries will be accepted on a first come first served basis.  

Accommodation:  Crowne Plaza Queenstown  

Check in Sunday 11^th February - check out Sunday 18th March - 7 nights.

We have booked the Lake view rooms with stunning views of Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkable Mountain Range.  The four star hotel is very centrally located, scoring 9.7 on Tripadvisor for its location. Ideal for exploring the main streets with a host of restaurants, bars and entertainment areas within a short walk.

Hotel room rates are extremely high all year round in Queenstown because it is such a popular four season holiday destination regarded as the Adventure Capital of NZ.  

Golf course transfers:  We have arranged daily return transfers from the Crowne Plaza Hotel to each golf course.  We will provide you with a schedule of timings at the welcome drinks on Sunday evening. The journey time to each course is approximately 20 minutes.

Format:  The scoring format each day will be individual Stableford with 95% handicap allowance. All five rounds will count towards the 2024 Orders of Merit.

Daily Draw:  The draw for the first two rounds is on the website. The draws for the last round will be made in score order.

Handicap:  All five rounds will be run under the WHS system, but scores will NOT automatically be forwarded to England Golf.  You MUST return your daily scores to your golf club and the easiest way to do this is to forward the email from Golf Genius, which you will receive after each round and which provides details of your scores.

GAGT Overseas Handicap System (OHA):  Where appropriate handicaps will be adjusted after each round in line with the GAGT OHA system which is based on the CONGU handicap system prior to the introduction of WHS, details of which we can provide.  Any adjustments will not affect your club Handicap Index.

The GAGT OHA system will take precedence over any adjustments made by a player’s home club so that everyone is operating on the same system as some clubs are slow to update overseas scores.

 

Prizes:  There will be prizes for the leading three scores each day.

To avoid any excess baggage charges prizes will be in the form of vouchers for the Tour as follows:

Daily vouchers: 1^st - £100, 2^nd - £70, 3^rd - £50       Overall vouchers:  1^st - £175, 2^nd £150, 3^rd - £125.

Range balls:  Range balls are included each day.

Buggies:  Shared buggies are included at each course. 

Scoring format:  Play will be predominantly in fourballs for all five rounds.  The scoring format will be Individual Stableford with 95% of Course Handicap allowance.  The maximum handicap limits will be 24 for men and 30 for ladies.

Tees:  TBC – depending on conditions on the day

Local Rules:  Local Rules on the scorecard will be in play in addition to the R&A Rules of Golf.

Sweep:  There will be an optional sweep of £50 (£10 per round) which will be split evenly between a 2’s and competition sweep per round.  The sweep will be paid out each day. 

Nearest the Pin:  There will be two Nearest the Pin competitions per round.

Order of Merit:  Merit points will be awarded for all five rounds. You will need to be a current member of the GAGT to qualify for merit points.

Due to the size of the field being only 9 competitors we have adjusted the OoM points as follows:

1^st – 98, 2 – 97. 3 – 96, 4 -95, 5 – 94, 6 – 93, 7 – 92, 8 – 91, 9 – 90

Shorts:  Ankle length socks are acceptable at each course, shorts must be tailored.

GPS & Range finding equipment:  The use of GPS range finding devices is permitted on the Tour.

A few anticipated questions

Where should I fly to?

Queenstown has its own international airport located just 20 minutes from the centre of Queenstown.

Mason Edwards at Dial A Flight has been doing some investigation on the best flight offers from the UK and we recommend you contact Mason at 01732 591460 or email him; Mason.Edwards@dialaflight.co.uk

What is the weather like in February?

You can expect very pleasant temperatures during the day in February. The average maximum daytime temperature in Queenstown in February is 20.4°C (68.72°F). Usually it is the warmest month of the year.

Rainfall during February is moderate with an average of 76mm (3.0 inches). This makes it the driest month of the year. There are generally around 7 rainy days. The sun also shows itself regularly this month with 207 hours of sunshine during the entire month.