To restate a fact widely acknowledged across the whole of New Zealand: The newly regrassed greens at Kauri Cliffs golf course are today the very best putting surfaces in the country. Equipped with Pure Distinction bentgrass in 2022, they continue to thrive under the care of Course Manager Andy Wood, who oversaw their renovation.
 
To reveal a less heralded fact: Wood and his team have also regrassed all the teeing grounds at Kauri Cliffs. Designed by Nicklaus protégé David Harman, the course at Kauri Cliffs opened for play in 1999. The tees had not been touched since.
 
“The method we used was similar to the greens: We removed the old surface, including the thatch layer, but only down to a 75mm depth, versus the 100mm depth we did on the greens,” Wood said. “Our tees were originally constructed of 150mm of pure sand. We removed that and new Tomorata sand was then added to bring the tee back up to its original surface level.” Each tee was then laser-levelled with a 1 percent fall (for surface drainage) before pre-plant fertilizers and amendments were applied. Wood and his team then planted a new creeping bentgrass variety called L93XD, “which is supposed to have a better disease resistance especially to Dollar Spot, which is our most problematic disease on the tees.”
 
Wood explained that most turfgrasses develop thatch - a layer of organic material that naturally accumulates between the layer of actively growing grass and the soil underneath. Too much thatch, however, can rob the root system and the soil beneath of moisture and nutrients. Removing these overdeveloped thatch layers was inherent to the successful regrassing the greens and tees at Kauri. In other words, they look and play better today because they are far healthier. 

We're confident that these upgrades will result in improved playing conditions and a more enjoyable experience for our golfers. Come and see the difference for yourself!