The Hills’ general manager’s stoked at how successful the Arrowtown golf course’s recent free open day went, despite inclement weather.
Hundreds turned up, overflow parks were fully utilised, a full field of 84 played the par-three course, The Farm, and the Clubhouse couldn’t
cope with all the coffee orders.
‘‘We are constantly inundated with requests from people who just want to come and have a look at the place, but because of our private model the answer is always ‘no’,’’ GM Craig Palmer says.
‘‘So we thought it would be really nice to create one day each year where we could actually say ‘yes’.
‘‘Unfortunately the weather wasn’t great, but we were still busier than we expected — we had to have someone assist with parking.
‘‘People might think doing it mid-week is a bit silly, but it is the perfect time as the big course is always closed for green renovations from Monday to Thursday that week each year.’’
Palmer says they thought about making it a charity event but decided to make it free of charge.
‘‘One chap said he would happily pay, so we might find a way to make it happen as a charity event.’’
The course, designed by Queenstowner John Darby, was developed by mega-jeweller Sir Michael Hill, who bought the deer farm in the mid-’90s, and features world-class sculptures crafted by Kiwi artists, including Sir Michael’s son, Mark Hill.
It’s also hosted several NZ PGA and NZ Open tournaments.
