Ko, the defending Olympic gold medallist and LPGA hall of famer, said she spent a lot of her junior golfing years at the course.
Kiwi golfer Lydia Ko is joining the call for Takapuna Golf Course to be preserved for future generations. Photo / Photosport
“Takapuna Golf Course is a wonderful place friends and families can enjoy and learn golf together.
“As a golfer, I believe we must preserve this precious asset we are fortunate to have today, so that future generations can enjoy it as well.”
The world No 3-ranked female golfer said she fully supports the course’s current management team, who were proposing a plan that addresses flooding issues and protects the public asset.
The North Shore suburb of Milford was one of the worst-affected parts of the city during the 2023 Auckland Anniversary Weekend floods.
Two young men died during the floods in neighbouring Wairau Valley. The Takapuna Golf Club sits between the largely industrial suburb and Milford.
The Shoal Bay Solution claims it is estimated to cost about $2 million less than the council’s Healthy Waters stage one solution, but would maintain a revenue stream and reduce ongoing operational costs for council and ratepayers.
Artist impression of the wetland proposed by the council for AF Thomas Park on the North Shore, currently the home of the Takapuna Golf Club. Photo / Auckland Council
“The Healthy Waters option is effectively a scorched-earth policy for the entire golf course with virtually every tree and existing stream ecology destroyed, to make way for wholesale excavation and retention of the diggings on site,” a website advocating for the Shoal Bay Solution reads.
It said its solution provides strong flood protection for the community that could be built in months, not years.
In June, Kiwi golfer Ryan Fox said the loss of Takapuna Golf Club would “significantly damage” the recreational side of golf.
“The facility provides a great service to the game of golf in New Zealand, allowing numerous recreational golfers – both adults and kids – to get into the game at a very reasonable cost.
“This is so important, as it opens the game up to people who in many other countries would be excluded from the sport.”
The 38-year-old said he had played there many times with friends and practised at the driving range while trying to make it to the PGA Tour.
“If we lose this asset, it would significantly damage the recreational side of the game. Keep Takapuna Golf Course, please.”
Benjamin Plummer is an Auckland-based reporter for the New Zealand Herald who covers sport and breaking news. He has worked for the Herald since 2022.