Easy transport option for championship at The Hills

Media release from NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship
15 March 2012

Easy transport option for championship at The Hills

Spectators heading to the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship at The Hills in Queenstown at the end of this month can take advantage of a bus service run by a local transport company.

Efficient and economical transfers to and from The Hills will be provided by ski area operator NZSki, sister company to one of the tournament’s major sponsors, Milford Track Guided Walk.

NZSki Transport Manager Etienne Raubenheimer said it was really important that people found it easy to get to this event.

“With the NZSki bus fleet sitting waiting for winter, it makes complete sense for the company to offer this service,” he said.

“In Queenstown we’ll be running an hourly service with pick up at the Station Building bus stop on Duke Street and a pick up from the Frankton Bus Stop on Kawarau Road. They’ll be there every hour on the first two days of competition, then ramping up the frequency to half hourly runs on the Saturday and Sunday.

“There will also be a service operating from Arrowtown’s Ramshaw Lane to The Hills every 20 minutes over all four days of the event.”

Mr Raubenheimer said there was extensive parking available at The Hills for $10 per day, but pointed out that if people wanted to make the most of hospitality options available at the event, the bus transport was “the way to go”.

“A trip each way from Queenstown to The Hills will be $6 and just $3 each way from Arrowtown,” he said. “With the frequency of the service it makes sense to catch the bus and avoid having to worry about a car.”

The bus service will operate over the four days of the tournament from March 29 to April 1 and will be a ‘cash only‘ service. People will not need to pre-book, however Mr Raubenheimer said it was recommended that they allowed plenty of time to travel to and from the course during peak periods at the beginning and end of each day.

The PGA Pro-Am Championship will be held at The Hills in Queenstown from March 29 to April 1 2012.

More information on the NZPGA bus service:-
Queenstown/Frankton to NZPGA

• Queenstown Pick up - The Station Building Bus Stop on Duke Street

• Frankton Pick up – The Frankton Bus Shelter on Kawarau Road

• Thursday & Friday

From Queenstown the buses will run on the hour from 8am till 4pm
From The Hills the buses will run on the hour from 10am till 7pm

• Saturday & Sunday

From Queenstown the buses will run every half hour from 8am till 5pm
From The Hills the buses will run every half hour from 10am till 7pm

• Cost is $6 each way

Arrowtown to NZPGA

• The service will run every 20 minutes between Ramshaw Lane and The Hills from Thursday through to Sunday

• The first bus will depart Arrowtown at 8am and the last bus will leave The Hills PGA at 7pm

• Cost is $3 each way

ENDS

Background Information

The Tournament Format: NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship

Up to 144 Professionals will tee up on Thursday [March 29] with the top 60 plus ties making the cut on the Friday [March 30] and progressing through to the weekend to play for the NZ PGA Championship.

A field of 64 Amateurs (friends, sponsors, celebrities) will play a seeding tournament on Friday 30th March at Jacks Point.

On the Friday night each Amateur will be placed with a Professional and that pair will play as a two-ball, best-ball team on the Saturday and Sunday for the inaugural NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship. Amateur handicaps will be actual to a maximum of 18.

The Course: The Hills

In its stunning amphitheatre encircled by the Remarkables Mountains, with 180 degree views taking in Coronet Peak and the Crown Range, The Hills has the x-factor as a tournament golf course.

Initially Michael Hill’s own private golf course, it was redesigned by Darby Partners to host the New Zealand Open in 2007. Set over 500 acres of former deer farm land close to Arrowtown, Central Otago, it is home to an incredible array of flora including native brown top grasses and wild native mountain tussocks. The Hills is proud to have hosted three consecutive New Zealand Open Championships since opening in 2007 and is looking forward to being the new home of the NZ PGA Pro-Am Championship and the NZ PGA Championship.

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