08/09/2026
Great write up of our trip to Cape Kidnappers
Castlecliff Golf Club on Tour
Castlecliff Golf Club went on tour in August, boarding the bus at 6am for a very special day out at the world-famous Cape Kidnappers Golf Course in Hawke’s Bay.
Currently ranked No. 55 in the world by Golf Magazine’s Top 100 courses and recently ranked No. 5 in New Zealand by Golf Rankings New Zealand, Cape Kidnappers is a course that has been on the bucket list of many golfers.
Set high above the dramatic cliffs of southern Hawke’s Bay, the course was designed by renowned golf course architect Tom Doak and makes spectacular use of the 6,000 acres of surrounding farmland. The fairways are generally generous, but the course demands accuracy, particularly on the back nine, where the cliffs come into play. The greens, with their dramatic contours and slopes surrounding them, provided a challenge unlike anything most Castlecliff members had experienced before.
Thankfully, after the early 6am departure, the group arrived to absolutely perfect conditions — with little or no wind, a rarity at Cape Kidnappers.
The 52 golfers were welcomed by the Cape Kidnappers staff, assigned their golf carts, and then headed off to make use of the world-class practice facilities. Club Manager and trip organiser Rodney Donaldson joked that it was the first time he had seen the majority of the group actually warm up and practice before a round!
Players started their rounds from both the first and tenth tees, with the mixed range of abilities allowing golfers to choose the tees that best suited their game, helping ensure an enjoyable pace of play.
There were some excellent scores throughout the field. Brendon Walker took out the best gross score with an impressive 85, while Ian Tanner topped the Stableford competition with 35 points, followed by Brendon Walker with 34, Jit Gaundan and Dennis Sharrock on 33. Two’s were recorded by Sheldon van de Worp, Glenn Kearse and Jit Gaundan.
A sweepstake was also run during the day, with players predicting the number of golf balls the group would lose, the total number of birdies and the combined Stableford score.
The final figures were impressive — or perhaps concerning! — with the 52 golfers losing 137 golf balls, recording 13 birdies and accumulating 1,356 Stableford points. Trip organiser Rodney Donaldson managed to pick the winning combination, perhaps helped by being the only player in the group to have played Cape Kidnappers multiple times.
For many members, the trip was an opportunity to tick off a genuine golfing bucket-list course. More than just the golf, it was a fantastic day of friendship, laughs and plenty of stories about that one amazing shot — or, in some cases, the really bad one — that will no doubt be retold for years to come.
The trip was Castlecliff Golf Club’s first club-organised bus trip since around 2004, and judging by the number of members already asking Rodney when the next one will be, it certainly won’t be the last.
Castlecliff Golf Club would like to thank Cape Kidnappers and their staff for hosting the group and helping make what was an unforgettable day possible. Special thanks also go to Brian Johnson, who safely drove the group to and from Hawke’s Bay, making the trip possible and allowing everyone else to sit back, relax and enjoy the day.
