New Golf Course Planned for Highlands Motorpark in New Zealand.

19 Oct 2017

With the South Island’s Oreti Sands facing closure, comes news that the owner of a successful Motorsport racing track further north in Cromwell is planning to add an 18-hole golf course and residential estate to his popular tourist attraction.

Non-golfer Tony Quinn owns the Highlands Motorsport Park, half an hour from Arrowtown, and offers memberships to car enthusiasts for use of his racing facilities. He also operates an automobile museum, and offers action experiences to the public such as indoor/outdoor GoKarts and fast laps in Supercars and Muscle Cars. His museum includes one of Michael Schumacher’s Formula One cars, and the only Aston Martin Vulcan in the Southern Hemisphere. Visitors can ride in the $4.2 million vehicle alongside Quinn himself.

Born in Scotland, and currently based in Australia, Quinn is apparently worth more than $400M and made his fortune in the pet food business. He has long links with New Zealand, and his golf development would occupy a 140-acre scrubby forest adjacent the main Highlands racetrack. The area is currently home to giant replica reptiles and dinosaurs and used for Jurassic Park style safari tours. The 18-hole golf course will be designed by Brett Thomson and former PGA Tour winner Phil Tataurangi. Thomson and Tataurangi designed Windross Farm near Auckland, the scene of last month’s LPGA-sanctioned NZ Women’s Open.

Quinn doesn’t yet own the land in question, but intends to purchase the site and submit plans for the golf course and a 100-lot residential subdivision. Although described as likely to be an “inland links-style course’, the property is somewhat flat and covered in pine trees. On the positive side, the views are pleasant and the soils seem suitable for the ground game. Provided the design is to a high standard, the course could prove popular with golf groups heading to Queenstown to play Millbrook, The Hills, Arrowtown and Jack’s Point.

From the New Zealand Herald website:

The owner of Cromwell motorsport park Highlands is planning to develop a multimillion-dollar world-class golf resort.

Owner Tony Quinn wants to build a landmark 18-hole course and 100-section property development - an estimated $40 million project.

"There are 58ha of forest down the back of the racetrack," Quinn said.

"If we can buy the land and get consent from the council, then the plan is to build a world-class golf course and residential development next year."

Quinn, who built his racetrack facility in 18 months and opened it in 2013, has drawn up a masterplan in conjunction with New Zealand golf course designer Brett Thomson and former Kiwi golf pro Phil Tataurangi.

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Quinn said when he first visited Cromwell to view the motorsport park land, the mountains reminded him of the Scottish Highlands in his home country, where golf originated.

Highlands is a major Central Otago tourism attraction. Its track experiences, museum, go-karts and other offerings draw motorheads, tourists, tour groups and conference and incentive groups. Quinn said the course would complement the motorsport park and be a "beautiful spot" to build a home.

"Golf tourism has overtaken the ski business in Central Otago and people come to Queenstown for a week and they play at Millbrook, The Hills and Jacks Point.

"Golfers like to play a different course every day and we can offer something very special.

"They can come to Highlands and play golf in the morning. They can have lunch in the cafe, have a drive around the track and do the wine-tasting experience in the museum in the afternoon.