Former All Black coach and current NZ Open tournament chairman John Hart said it best when he described it as “a great vibe”. Yes, John Hart said “vibe”. And he was right.
Thousands of spectators line the fairway and surround the green as Dan Hillier makes birdie on the 11th hole in the final round. Photo / Mike Thorpe
The record-breaking galleries for the NZ Open at Millbrook proved that New Zealanders are ready to embrace golf in the same way that they have with horse racing and sevens rugby – by using it as a good excuse to get together and let their hair down.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen an atmosphere like it before, particularly the following that Dan Hillier had,” Hart said.
Thousands followed the newly crowned NZ Open champion uphill and down as he weaved his way to a memorable win across four days of spellbinding golf. Thousands more stayed put around the 17th and 18th holes, soaking up the sun and hospitality.
“I would say it’d be the biggest crowd we’ve had. I would have thought we were close to 10,000 [on Saturday].”
Hart is referring to the crowd records since the event moved to Queenstown.
The 105th New Zealand Golf Open can legitimately lay claim to being the greatest golf tournament this country has ever seen. We’ve seen bigger name players and bigger crowds – even more spectacular courses, but we’ve never seen an event like this. We’ve never seen such a world-class presentation of a sport that is rapidly expanding its target demographic.
The 18th hole, surrounded by corporate hospitality and a giant digital screen. Photo / Photosport
The 18th green is surrounded by digital screens that snake around the circular amphitheatre, announcing the incoming players when they’re not displaying advertising.
“The signage was fantastic. The digital stuff going around that was unbelievable,” Hart said.
The newest feature is The Landing. It is an L-shaped platform that maximises a prime viewing location. It is a ticketed venue that serves alcohol and puts its patrons in the thick of the action. From the elevated vantage point, punters can see the sixth tee, the eighth green, the 17th approach shots and the 18th tee to the closing par three.
“We’re looking to do different things every year and add value and I think The Landing is a fantastic addition this year. And we haven’t oversold it. We wanted just to get it started. Next year, we will be flooded with people wanting to get there.”
Yuki Miya plays his approach to the par-5 17th in front of The Landing. Photo / Photosport
Across the week, Millbrook was at its stunning best. The weather was peak Queenstown – requiring SPF50 and a puffer jacket (often simultaneously), and the entertainment was everywhere.
On Saturday night, after the third round finished, Sneaky Sound System started. But the music is constant around that party zone – and next to the green on the par four fifth. The noise on course was a concern for organisers, but it’s been embraced.
“I got some really good feedback from the players because I wondered what they would think about it,” Golf NZ CEO Jeff Latch said.
“The points they made is for them it’s the consistency of the music or whatever’s going on that’s really important because they said ‘a lot of us when we train we’re listening to music in our headphones’, and they said ‘It was quite calming for us’,” he added.
The vibe. Music from the 18th green DJ booth reverberated through the 17th green too. Some players found it “calming”. Photo / Mike Thorpe
The young and hip certainly didn’t mind it. The old with hip replacements didn’t seem too concerned either.
There’s a similar vibe (to borrow John Hart’s on-trend vernacular) at Chasing the Fox. The difference here is that it’s a genuine tournament with greater depth of talent.
“It’s the best professional field we’ve ever had, the deepest. I think we had 28 Kiwis in the field, which is fantastic. And I think about 14 made the cut,” Hart said.
Another similarity is the amateur involvement. The NZ Open is proudly a Pro-Am event and this year included celebrities such as Kelly Slater, Michael Pena, Ash Barty, Ricky Ponting and Stephen Fleming.
It also features a number of amateurs who help sponsor the event living out their sporting fantasies. That’s probably the one area that still needs some tweaking. The novelty of amateurs in the field wears thin pretty quickly. By the time the fourth round gets underway – they’re mostly just in the way.
It’d make more sense as a spectacle to run the Pro-Am as a three-round event and leave the final day to the proper players.
Nick Mowbray and Graeme Hart in the gallery at Millbrook Resort for the NZ Golf Open.
That said, it was the amateur involvement that brought out perhaps the wealthiest gallery in New Zealand golf history – with not one but two billionaires walking the course at the cheapest event on the market.
Entry is free.
“It’d be easy to charge people. And that would help us financially – there’s no doubt about that. But there’s certain things we’ve made decisions on and free entry is one of those because we want to attract people, the locals, we want the locals to enjoy and engage. It’s their event,” Hart said.
And “their event” will eventually showcase Arrowtown’s other world-class courses in a unique four-course, one-town tournament.
“Ultimately the dream is 18 here. 18 at The Hills, 18 at Hogan’s Gully. Always finishing here because we’ve signed an extension with Millbrook Tournaments to 2032 and I’m hoping that goes to 3032 or whatever. I don’t see this tournament ever shifting out of Queenstown,” Hart said.
The Prime Minister Christopher Luxon and wife Amanda were taken on a tour by NZ Open Chairman John Hart during day three of the 105th New Zealand Open presented by Millbrook Resort. Photo / Photosport
“It just gets bigger every year, this event, and part of that is because it’s at the same place,” Latch said.
The New Zealand Open at Millbrook is the ultimate in free entertainment.
Mike Thorpe is a senior multimedia journalist for the Herald, based in Christchurch. He has been a broadcast journalist across television and radio for 20 years and joined the Herald in August 2024.