Tara Iti
Te Arai, New Zealand
- Founded
- Tom Doak, 2015
Tara Iti jumped onto our World list in 2017 as one of our highest debuting courses ever. Then it moved higher still. The course is buoyed by its enviable location in the dunes along the Pacific Ocean, along with superior fine-fescue fairways and swirls of natural grass and sand. The design is loaded with standout holes. Two of its one-shotters — the 15th and 17th — are media darlings but another of the course’s best moments comes at the long uphill 12th, which plays away from the Pacific Ocean to an open, tilted green that is 7 feet higher on its right than left. Bouncy-bounce golf reigns supreme at the 12th, which is a dazzler even without ocean views. (Photo: Jacob Sjöman)
