Sir Michael Hill Looks Forward to NZPGA Pro-Am Championship at “The Most Beautiful Place on the Planet”

The countdown is on to this week’s NZPGA Pro-Am Championship at The Hills in Queenstown, and course owner Sir Michael Hill is looking forward to it more than most.

He will welcome with open arms the thousands of competitors, caddies, volunteers and spectators expected to descend on the stunning course from this Thursday (March 29) to Sunday (April 1).

“Our vision is to make the NZPGA Pro-Am Championship one of the most significant golf events in the world, and we can do it because we live on the most beautiful place on the planet so that’s a huge start,” he said.

When he and wife Christine bought the property on the outskirts of Arrowtown in 1992 he said converting it into a golf course “was not a consideration”.

“It was a deer farm then and we actually made money from it, whereas since it’s been a golf course the snorkel hasn’t made it out of the water yet, and I don’t think it ever will!” he said.

Joking aside, Sir Michael said he believed the event would help promote New Zealand, not just Queenstown, as a beautiful golf and holiday destination.

“This could help bring billions to the place (New Zealand), it really could,” he said.

“We are only limited by our imagination, and if we think we can do it, we will do it. I’m very excited and very happy to be able to help in any way I can.”

Sir Michael said the format of the event was based on classic and hugely successful AT & T pro-ams at Pebble Beach in the USA and the Dunhill Classic Links Championship at St Andrews in Scotland, events known to golfers and non-golfers around the world.

“When we hosted the NZ Golf Open here from 2007 to 2010 it brought some significant dollar figures into the community,” he said.

“The golf could be bigger than skiing and brings Queenstown high yield visitors who spend the money.”

Tournament Director Michael Glading said the NZPGA Pro-Am in Queenstown would have a “legacy element” as it became better known.

“People go to play on a golf course because it has been part of a tournament and they’ve seen it on TV or heard about it from other golfers,” he said.

“The planning levels on this tournament are the highest I’ve had, similar only to when Pavarotti toured. I’m calm leading into it because I think we’ve thought of everything we can think of.”

Picture caption:
 
Sir Michael Hill pictured on The Hills golf course in Queenstown with the NZPGA scoreboard and snow-capped mountains in the distance.