Tara Iti Golf Club
Tom Doak's masterpiece on the Te Arai coast, an hour and a half north of Auckland, where a tired pine plantation was peeled back to reveal sand dunes that look as though they have always held a golf course. Opened in 2015 as a par 71 of around 6,500 yards, Tara Iti is rated by many judges the finest modern links on earth, an ultra private retreat named for the endangered New Zealand fairy tern that nests on the shore.
Photo: David Rankine via Google.
The verdict
Tara Iti opened in 2015 on a stretch of reclaimed dunes at Te Arai, where Tom Doak and his Renaissance team, working with Eric Iverson, cleared a pine plantation to expose the sand beneath and shaped a links that feels found rather than built. It plays as a par 71 of around 6,500 yards, firm and fast and endlessly strategic, with vast shared fairways, wildly contoured greens and not a tree in sight once the planting was removed.
Within a few years of opening it had climbed to the very top of the world rankings, and the experience matches the billing: a tiny membership, a handful of cottages on site, and a sense of total seclusion above the Pacific. It is among the hardest tee times on the planet to secure, but for the golfer who reaches it, Tara Iti is as close to a perfect modern links as the game has yet produced.
Tara Iti at a glance
- Opened
- 2015
- Designer
- Tom Doak
- Type
- Coastal links
- Par
- 71
- Yardage
- Around 6,500 yds
- Access
- Private, members and guests
Designer, opening year and par verified June 2026 from Tom Doak's Renaissance Golf, the club and leading course databases; Tara Iti was designed by Tom Doak with Eric Iverson and opened in 2015 as a par 71 of around 6,500 yards. It is an ultra private club with no public tee times; access is by member introduction or, in limited cases, an approved stay experience. Always confirm access directly well in advance.
The holes worth the trip
The genius is the width and the ground game. Fairways are enormous, but the angle into each green is everything, and Doak's greens are so boldly contoured that finding the wrong shelf leaves a putt you may not be able to keep on the surface. The wind off the Pacific changes the questions hole to hole.
The short holes are sublime, a set of par 3s played across and along the dunes with the sea as a backdrop, where club selection swings two or three options with the breeze. The bunkering is ragged and natural, blown into the sand rather than dropped onto it.
The closing run along the higher dunes delivers the ocean panoramas the course is famous for, but the lasting impression is the firmness and the freedom: a links that asks you to think, to use the ground, and to play the shot you can see rather than the one on the yardage book.
How to get on
| What to know | Detail |
|---|---|
| Access | Ultra private; no public tee times. Play is by member introduction or a limited approved stay experience |
| Green fee | Not published; arranged through the member or stay channel that secures access |
| Booking | Among the hardest tee times in golf to secure; plan many months ahead through the right channel |
| On the day | Walking with caddies is the tradition; a small number of on site cottages serve guests |
| Getting there | At Te Arai, around 90 minutes drive north of Auckland on the North Island |
| Best months | November to April for the warm, settled New Zealand golfing season |
Access verified June 2026; Tara Iti is among the most exclusive clubs in the world and does not sell public rounds, so always confirm arrangements directly and well in advance. Check tee time availability.
Where to stay nearby
A handful of cottages sit on the property for those with access, and they are the way to experience Tara Iti at its best, walking out at dawn before the wind builds. Beyond the gate, the Mangawhai and Te Arai area offers a scattering of coastal lodges and rentals.
The neighbouring Te Arai Links, with its public access North and South courses, makes the region a genuine golf destination, so a North Island trip can combine those rounds with the rare privilege of Tara Iti when access can be arranged. Auckland's restaurants and wine country round out the itinerary.
Looking for a base? See our recommended hotels and resorts near Te Arai and Mangawhai.
Build a New Zealand golf trip
Tara Iti is exceptionally hard to access, but we can build the wider North Island trip around the Te Arai Links courses, sort the lodges and transfers, and advise honestly on what access is realistic. Tell us roughly when and who is travelling and one concierge costs it to the head, with no obligation.
Tara Iti questions
Who designed Tara Iti and when did it open?
Tara Iti was designed by Tom Doak with Eric Iverson and opened in 2015, built on reclaimed dunes after a pine plantation was cleared at Te Arai.
What is the par and length of Tara Iti?
It is a par 71 of around 6,500 yards, a firm and fast links defended by width, bold greens and the Pacific wind rather than by length.
Can visitors play Tara Iti?
Tara Iti is ultra private with no public tee times. Access is by member introduction or, in limited cases, an approved on site stay experience, and tee times are among the hardest in golf to secure.
How far is Tara Iti from Auckland?
It sits on the Te Arai coast around 90 minutes drive north of Auckland, close to the public access Te Arai Links courses.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Designer, opening year and par verified June 2026; access arrangements verified June 2026. Last reviewed June 2026.