CAPE KIDNAPPERS

THE INCREDIBLE SETTING OF CAPE KIDNAPPERS

The setting of Cape Kidnappers is so spectacular, I’m not sure it matters whether the golf course there is any good.  But this website is devoted to golf course architecture, so that’s the direction we’ll go.

Apart from the scenery, my first impression after playing Cape Kidnappers was that the topography is quite severe.  For anyone who’s ever seen pictures of the place, this might seem obvious – of course fingers of land bordered by frighteningly deep ravines that culminate in 500 foot cliffs down to the Tasman Sea constitutes extreme topography – but those fingers, apart from being jaw-droppingly dramatic, are also the most gently sloped and best-suited land for golf on the property (given one huge bridge to make the routing work.)   The rest of the course, however, is located in hillier, choppier land, also divided by deep ravines, but with much less spectacular views.  The challenge for Tom Doak and his crew, led by associate Bruce Hepner, was to match the quality and complement the drama of those finger land holes with a set of inland holes occupying more difficult and less thrilling terrain.  Not an easy task.

Overall, I was very impressed with the inland holes.  Doak and company were able to make these holes interesting and playable despite the severity of the topography. The approach to the first hole, for example, plays from a sidehill landing area across a ravine to a green benched into a fairly steep hillside. Instead of being a monstrously difficult opener, the hole is actually quite playable – the ravine is seamlessly filled, eliminating a potentially difficult forced carry, and the green, still tough to hit with a long approach, offers a generous amount of fairway right of its surface where the golfer is likely to miss given his sidehill stance in the tee shot landing area.

THE APPROACH TO THE FOURTH

Several of the inland holes were among my favorites on the course.  The short par five 4th plays blind over a ridge and down into a huge right-to-left sloping fairway, making possible a great second up a hill, to a green set on the far side of a diagonal ravine dotted with bunkers.  A broad upslope in the putting surface means it isn’t good enough to just get the second shot in the vicinity of the green for an easy birdie.  A short shot from the wrong side of the green can make for a very difficult up and down.

THE SEVENTH

The long par four 7th plays back inland from the cliff-side sixth, across a deep ravine to a fairway set into the crest of a saddle.  From the landing area, the approach plays downhill across a valley to a raised green attractively framed by dramatic bunkering.  Given the severe contour of the land surrounding this fairway and green site, it is likely that quite a lot of work was required just to make the hole playable, but whatever earthwork was done blends in beautifully with the natural topography.  The green complex is one of my favorite on the course, which is quite impressive considering it looks to be entirely created from a broad and bland hillside.

And lastly of the inland holes to note is the long par four 18th.  The hole’s primary difficulty is encountered on the tee shot, which plays uphill to a crowned fairway running diagonally from right-to-left away the golfer.  The green, set down into a narrow valley, acts as a punchbowl, gathering shots onto its surface from around its edges.  Undulations in the putting surface, however, call for good distance control on the approach in order to avoid a tough two putt.

THE PAR THREE SIXTH

HITTING AN APPROACH TO THE TWELFTH

Of course the land closest to the Tasman Sea provides for some excellent golf as well.  Doak’s routing does a good job of interspersing these finger land holes with the inland holes.  The golfer gets a taste of being cliff-side for two holes – the 5th and 6th – on the front nine, before a more substantial stretch on the back nine from twelve through sixteen that plays back and forth, and across the fingers.  Of these, the par three 6th – playing across a deep ravine to a green set into a saddle near cliff edge – and the long par four 12th – where the green is located just past a diagonal rise in the fairway and set against the limitless backdrop of the Tasman – make the best marriage of spectacular setting and inspiring golf.

THE TEE SHOT ON THE FOURTEENTH (MATTHEW MOLLICA)

Finally, the modified road hole green of the short par 4 14th deserves special mention.  Possessing the narrow, angled, and raised surface of the original, the green here ties into a rise behind the green, creating a slot beyond the road hole pot bunker where a short approach can be run onto the back of the green.  The smart – and long – golfer will therefore play long and left of the green off the tee in order to set up a clever approach angle to a back hole location and avoid the ravine that runs the length of the hole.

THE FOURTEENTH GREEN

Playing golf in such a spectacular setting tends to minimize any critical feelings one might have toward the golf course but, fortunately, at Cape Kidnappers nothing really stands out as a missed opportunity.  The weakest hole in my opinion – the par three 3rd – is necessary to negotiate the choppy terrain right of the second hole and, importantly, make possible the great 4th.   The 5th hole, despite a great piece of land, wide fairway, and centerline bunkering, stands out as one of my least favorite holes – mostly because it doesn’t seem reasonable to lay up on the right side of the fairway for a better angle when a short lob to a large green could be had by going left (though that angle could be much more valuable to a shorter hitter).

Cape Kidnappers is worth a visit solely because of its breathtaking location.  But the golf course makes the most of the site’s natural gifts – the routing complements the scenery and maximizes the best features of the property while remaining very playable despite some challenging terrain – and it possesses the details that make for thoughtful and interesting golf.