{"id":23894,"date":"2025-07-26T15:46:09","date_gmt":"2025-07-26T15:46:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/23894\/"},"modified":"2025-07-26T15:46:09","modified_gmt":"2025-07-26T15:46:09","slug":"on-the-up-mount-maunganui-golf-clubs-new-driving-range-completes-3m-development","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/23894\/","title":{"rendered":"On The Up: Mount Maunganui Golf Club\u2019s new driving range completes $3m development"},"content":{"rendered":"

Williams told the Bay of Plenty Times the club\u2019s old driving range area had become \u201ctoo small\u201d and had golf balls leaving the property, causing issues.<\/p>\n

\u201cOut of this created the opportunity to create the Dunes green and now the Dunes driving range.\u201d<\/p>\n

The club has invested more than $3m into the now-completed two-part Dunes concept<\/a> for the putting green and driving range. <\/p>\n

The green is 6000sq m and has an 18-hole course within itself, giving the club\u2019s 1400 members more room to practise.<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n

The \u201cstate-of-the-art\u201d driving range has 15 outdoor bays and two simulators with the latest technology, which Williams said future-proofed the club and golf in the area. <\/p>\n

\"MountMount Maunganui Golf Club general manager Michael Williams at the opening of The Dunes green in April. Photo \/ Kaitlyn Morrell<\/p>\n

Club board chairman Ron McQuilter said its previous range wasn\u2019t long enough to hit a driver.<\/p>\n

He said it was located alongside several homes on Golf Rd<\/a>, meaning ball strikes were common.<\/p>\n

\u201cHaving a golf course entirely surrounded by residential properties has become a challenge in today\u2019s environment.\u201d<\/p>\n

McQuilter said a \u201cbespoke\u201d alternative was needed, \u201cnot some commercial-type building project\u201d.<\/p>\n

He said the building, the flow and the technology all combined to give a \u201cwow\u201d experience.<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a>\"WithWith 15 outdoor bays and two simulators, golfers can see their ball in flight and view their shot using the latest technology. Photo \/ Carina Funnell<\/p>\n

\u201cYou can see the ball in flight, and right beside you, view your shot using the latest technology in an environment that is fun and welcoming.\u201d<\/p>\n

He said the additions of the new range and green gave \u201cmembers and the public a total golf experience\u201d.<\/p>\n

Golf NZ\u2019s Bay of Plenty regional support manager Mark Webb said the opening of the new driving range would enhance the golfing landscape in the Western Bay of Plenty. <\/p>\n

\u201cAny development of golfing facilities, be it driving ranges, mini-putts, or indoor simulator golf ranges, all allow for a wider range of accessibility and create different golf experiences suitable to a wider participation market.\u201d<\/p>\n

Webb said Mount Maunganui Golf Club had taken a long-term \u201cgenerational approach\u201d towards the development of its facilities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey have looked towards a facility that will be applicable and sustainable for multiple generations to come.\u201d<\/p>\n

AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.<\/a><\/p>\n

Kaitlyn Morrell<\/a> is a multimedia journalist for the Bay of Plenty Times and Rotorua Daily Post. She has lived in the region for several years and studied journalism at Massey University.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Williams told the Bay of Plenty Times the club\u2019s old driving range area had become \u201ctoo small\u201d and…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":23895,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[566],"tags":[23819,64,63,23816,23818,16553,23817,755,23815,23814,3127,2652,10228,85,320,8045],"class_list":["post-23894","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-golf","tag-3m","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-clubs","tag-completes","tag-development","tag-driving","tag-golf","tag-maunganui","tag-mount","tag-new","tag-on","tag-range","tag-sports","tag-the","tag-up"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23894","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23894"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23894\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/23895"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23894"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23894"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23894"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}