RAGGC (Grange/Tamaki)

Overview: The Grange/Tamaki entry represents an 18-hole combination within Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club's 27-hole Nicklaus Design complex in Papatoetoe. The route can reach about 6,300 metres, approximately 6,890 yards, and mixes the more open Tamaki nine with the undulating, tree-lined Grange nine. Chris Cochran's design works across the Tamaki Estuary and adjoining ground, using wetlands, bunkers, changes in elevation and firm putting surfaces to create a strategic city course. The setting is metropolitan, but the estuary and restored planting give the round a distinct natural edge.

History: Royal Auckland Golf Club was founded in 1894, while The Grange began as the Otahuhu Golf Club in 1924. The two clubs later occupied neighbouring properties divided by the Tamaki Estuary, and in 2015 they agreed to amalgamate. Construction of a new 27-hole Nicklaus Design facility began in 2017. The first holes opened in October 2019, producing the Grange and Tamaki nines, while the Middlemore nine followed in 2022. This profile keeps the ranked Grange/Tamaki combination separate from the full 27-hole complex.

Did You Know? The three nines have deliberately different personalities. Tamaki brings the estuary into play and has more open ground, Grange is shorter and more undulating, and Middlemore moves through established trees. The club's sand-capped fairways and SubAir systems beneath the greens were part of the redevelopment, while more than 23,000 trees, shrubs and wetland plants have been added to the property.