When Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Clubs merged in 2015, Nicklaus Design’s Chris Cochran developed a new plan to transform the 36 holes into a 27-hole layout with a new clubhouse, short-game area and a state-of-the-art practice facility. Opening in 2022, the 3 nines are spread almost equally across the land of both golf courses. Known as Grange, Tamaki and Middlemore, the 27 holes provide a really good test of golf. There’s a huge amount of variety in terms of green contours, sizes and shapes, as well as bunker depths and placement. The Grange nine features undulating land and large macrocarpa trees, while the Tamaki nine plays through a mangrove-filled estuary. The Middlemore, last of the nines to be completed, is more of a parkland loop with tree-lined fairways and smaller greens.