The Hills Golf Course

Rapid 164, McDonnell Rd,

Arrowtown, Otago 9351

Office
+64 (0)3 409 8290
Pro shop
+64 (0)3 409 8290
Fax
+64 (0)3 409 8291

Email
Email the course
Website
Visit website

Golf pro
Craig Palmer (Director of Golf)

About the course

The Course:

18 holes. Links-style. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb (more so on the back-nine).
Surroundings:

Rolling rural countryside.
Designer:

John Darby

Back
tees

Club
tees

Front
tees

Metres

6661

6184

5289

Par

SSS or slope

Location

Latitude:

-44.956257

Longitude:

168.830096

How to get there:

18 km NE of Queenstown / 2 km S of Arrowtown centre.

FROM Hwy 6, approx 12 km east of Queenstown, turn into Lake Hayes Rd and head north, direction Arrowtown. After 5 km turn right into McDonnell Rd. After 1.4 km The Hills entrance (unsigned) is through the wooden gates on your right. | FROM the centre of Arrowtown, follow signs for Queenstown via Coronet Peak. Just outside Arrowtown centre, turn left into McDonnell Rd. After 1.4 km The Hills entrance (unsigned) is through the wooden gates on your right.

Oceania /
Queenstown /
Hills, The (NZ)

The Hills Golf Course

Est. 2007

The Hills Golf Course: The overseas visitor, who is happy to pay top dollar to play the world's best golf courses, may find The Hills something of a bargain. For the equivalent of a little over £200, you can enjoy not only one of New Zealand's most scenic, skilfully designed and immaculately conditioned layouts, but also an environment that bears all the hallmarks of a perfectly presented private club. From the small but wonderfully modern clubhouse, then out onto the beautifully crafted and challenging golf course, owner Michael Hill's attention to detail is clear to see. The course captures much of the feel of an open links-style layout, with holes like the partly-blind par-3 10th and wonderfully open par-4 11th fashioned from the top drawer of British golf links design. Surrounded by quiet rolling countryside, with the towering Remarkables and Coronet Peak mountain ranges beyond, spectacular scenery is just part of the memorable mix at The Hills. As the course builds to its stunning finale, some jaw-dropping holes enter the scene. The short par-4 15th, with its dramatically elevated tee-boxes, was actually aced in the final round of the 2008 New Zealand Open. After the testing par-3 16th, with a ditch awaiting anything hit right and a deep swale anything left, the signature 17th hole will also demand some of your best shot-making. Expansive bunkering and threatening water lie in wait from the tee, before the hole wriggles through a dramatic rock formation en route to its elevated green. Hardly a lesser known gem, the Hills, at least from a golfing standpoint, is clearly one of New Zealand's national treasures.

List of courses: NZ - South Island

Visitors

Who can play and when?

The Hills is a private golf course, with limited tee-time availability for visiting golfers. Contact the Club to enquire about playing possibilities and conditions.

Green fees

Overseas visitor fee, 18-holes: NZ$500, includes use of golf cart.

Credit cards accepted. Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2018].

Other information

Walking permitted. Golf carts (fitted with GPS) available for hire.

Practice facilities

Excellent

Did you know?

The Hills has been the home of the Michael Hill NZ Open since 2007 (see our Tournaments section >by Venue >The Hills).

Published ranking

2020 NZ Golf Digest rating: 6th best course in New Zealand.

Where2Stay

The Lodge at the Hills5-star

164 McDonnell Rd, Arrowtown, South Island.

+64 (0)3 442 0502
Visit website
Lodge at the Hills is a luxury lodge offering an exclusive experience for up to 12 guests. Set in 500 acres of tranquil ambience, in a stunning glacial valley and surrounded by snow-capped mountains.
- Golf at this hotel:
  
  The Hills
- Golf within 10 km:
  
  Millbrook; Arrowtown
- Golf within 30 km:
  
  Queenstown; Jack's Point
Millbrook Resort5-star

Malaghans Rd, Arrowtown, Otago.

+64 (0)3 441 7000
Visit website
The 5-star Millbrook Resort combines a majestic location with outstanding facilities - a place to relax and unwind, or be as active as you wish. Every need is catered for with Millbrook's championship golf course, award-winning restaurants (including the Sala Sala Japanese restaurant), magnificent spa facility and top quality accommodation.
- Golf at this hotel:
  
  Millbrook
- Golf within 10 km:
  
  The Hills; Arrowtown
- Golf within 30 km:
  
  Queenstown; Jack's Point

Find a course

Tournaments

Tournament of Champions: the PGA Tour’s calendar-year starts, as it has done since 1999, with this iconic event in Hawaii. The field is drawn from players who won a PGA Tour event in 2022, or were amongst the top 30 in last year’s FedEx Cup final standings (Jan 6-9).

Desert Swing: the European (DP World) Tour launches into 2023 with three events in its UAE “Desert Swing”. Up first is the Abu Dhabi Championship (Jan 19-22), followed by the Dubai Desert Classic (Jan 26-29) and the Ras Al Kaimah Championship (Feb 2-5).

Who's Who

Kathy Whitworth: the end of 2022 saw the passing of LPGA Tour legend Kathy Whitworth. Her 88 LPGA Tour victories is more than achieved by any other golfer on either the LPGA or PGA Tours. Amongst her victories were six major championship titles.

Barry Lane: the golfing world was also saddened by the passing of Barry Lane, one of the European Tour and European Senior Tours most popular players. Enjoying success on both Tours, Lane was know for his excellent ball-striking and amiable personality.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Costa Cruise & Golf

Costa’s "Cruise & Golf" allows golfers and their families to combine a unique golfing experience with the relaxation and fun of a cruise on board Costa Smeralda. Golf enthusiasts are offered a choice from 23 top-quality golf clubs; their chosen courses are played during the ship’s port calls in Italy, France and Spain. While the golfers are driving the fairways, accompanying non-golfers are able to enjoy the amenities and activities on-board, or explore wonderful places on day excursions organised by Costa. Read more ...

Find a course: