Cape Kidnappers

Overview: Cape Kidnappers is perhaps the most visually staggering golf course ever built, a vertiginous journey along narrow ridges that jut like fingers out into the Pacific Ocean. Located in the Hawke’s Bay region of New Zealand, the course is perched 500 feet above the sea on sheer white cliffs. Designed by Tom Doak, the routing is a strategic marvel that forces players to navigate deep ravines and cliff-edges that fall directly into the ocean. It is an experience of "vertigo golf" unlike anything else in the sport, where the scale of the landscape is so immense it often feels like playing on the edge of the world.

History: The course was the vision of Julian Robertson, a legendary American philanthropist who sought to create a world-class destination on his 6,000-acre sheep farm. Doak was given free rein to use the most dramatic sections of the property, resulting in a design that emphasizes the raw, natural power of the coastline. Since its opening in 2004, Cape Kidnappers has become a global icon, recognized for its daring architecture and its role in establishing New Zealand as a primary destination for high-end international golf.

Did You Know? The 15th hole is famously nicknamed the "Pirate’s Plank." It is a long par-5 that plays along a narrow ridge of land that is barely wider than the fairway itself, with catastrophic drops into the ocean on both sides. To reach the green, players must maintain absolute nerve and precision, as any wayward shot is destined for the Pacific half a thousand feet below.