Millbrook Golf Club - Coronet Course, NZ
A review of Millbrook Golf Club, Coronet Course, Central Otago, New Zealand
Water on back nine, Coronet Course
Looking back towards the clubhouse
What a wonderful feeling to be so surprised - Millbrook was our favourite golf course on the South Island of New Zealand, and only wish we’d stayed at the accommodation a couple of days and been able to play the Remarkables course - next time. This place is really well set up - loads of different options for food and drinks, and the golf was absolutely amazing!
How we got there…
We rented a gorgeous airbnb overlooking Lake Wakatipu on Frankton Rd, took the opportunity to play Coronet on a Monday morning. Millbrook Golf Course is about a 20min drive from town, and it cost us around A$190/pp to play.
View from Airbnb accommodation. Hard not to have a view in Queenstown!
Tell us a bit about the course…
Weather (wind, temperature) - mostly sunny day, not too cold around 14 degrees. Coronet is the newer course, designed by Kiwi pair Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson, and opened in 2021. They play the New Zealand Open here on a rotational basis every year - apparently it gets wild!
Great architecture!
Condition 15.5/20
They had just cored the greens - otherwise would have been much higher.
NZ Scaup
Biodiversity 11.5/20
Lots of water, especially around the clubhouse, means lots of birdies including the NZ Scaup (duck) that makes a quack that sounds like a computer game!
Vistas 19/20
Of Coronet Peak and surrounding mountains - breaktaking
Organisation 11/20
Could not fault it! So amazing - we wanted to stay the night. Had a couple of drinks at an open fire next to a lake overlooking the 18th from Remarkables. Great vide and excellent service!
Design 17/20
Want to play again! I may be biased, played really well, and one is rewarded for good shots if you're willing to risk it.
Sarki &Yak - buggies are compulsory to maintain quick pace of play
Stunning spring flora in October
Suggestions and strategy
Something the course taught you: make the most of when you’re playing well!
Favourite hole: 17 - thinking two shots ahead and location critical
Some advice: pay attention to hole layout before teeing off
Mental approach: Keep enjoying the good shots and don't get caught up when the mind gets ahead of itself, hoping it stays that way… just come back into the good feeling of hitting the ball well.
Hazards and Highlights
One surprise: how well I played! Scored 42 points stableford and beat Yak for the first time in a long time.
One birdie: NZ Scaup and Falcon. Oh and Yak had birdies on the two par 3s on the back nine (high five)
Biggest challenge: water on the last three holes brought another challenge into the fray - made for some interesting strategic play!
Overall review
83/100
Our review of this course on this specific day.
