Rich Lerner has called golf from just about every great venue in the world.

Standing on the South course at Te Arai Links last week, the legendary American golf broadcaster and CBS anchor didn’t hold back.

“I don’t know that there’s anything hotter in the world of golf right now,” Lerner said.

“I would say New Zealand is not just having a moment, because it is going to last far into the future.

“New Zealand has fully arrived, certainly as a bucket-list golf destination.”

Lerner led the international broadcast of the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship (AAC), alongside a heavyweight cast of Steve Burkowski, Amanda Balionis, Paul Gow and Kiwi Frank Nobilo.

Winner, Fifa Laopakdee in action at Te Arai's south Course. PHOTO: APAC.

The event beamed to more than 125 countries and territories, and with Kiwis Zack Swanwick and Cooper Moore in the final group at Te Arai on Sunday, New Zealand had the opportunity to crown its first champion in the event’s history. The fairytale never eventuated, with Thailand's Fifa Laopakdee defending his title.

‘Inside my top five’

Lerner has played Te Arai’s North and South courses on his trip down under, and along with the nearby Tara Iti, puts them among the best he has seen anywhere.

“The North and South are just superb - inside my top five that I’ve ever played,” he said.

“You’re just hard by the Pacific, and it’s just jaw-droppingly gorgeous everywhere you turn. It hits you square in the face - why you enjoy the game.”

He goes further. Lerner believes the Te Arai cluster - the North and South courses and neighbouring Tara Iti - now stand alongside the most famous golf neighbourhoods in America: Pebble Beach, Cypress Point and Spyglass Hill on the Monterey Peninsula, and Shinnecock Hills, National Golf Links and Sebonack on Long Island.

“It’s not a stretch to say that,” he said.

“I feel that’s what New Zealand has now.”

From Sir Bob to Foxy

It’s not just the courses. Lerner says New Zealand’s place in the game is “absolutely secure”, built on a line of players who have punched well above the country’s weight.

He points to Sir Bob Charles, the first left-hander to win a major at the 1963 Open; Michael Campbell’s US Open at Pinehurst in 2005; and Craig Perks, “who shocked the world with a mind-blowing short-game display” to win the Players. Then there’s Lydia Ko, with her three Majors, including the Women’s Open at St Andrews in 2024, and finally Ryan Fox, who lifted the Claret Jug at Royal Birkdale in July.

“New Zealand’s on a real hot run right now,” Lerner said.

“Ryan Fox is now cemented as a national hero and that will inspire more young people to jump into the game and try to follow in his massive footsteps,” he said.

“I can’t imagine there’s been a better time than right now for New Zealand golf.”

Lerner also made a point of praising his broadcast partner this week, Frank Nobilo, with 14 professional titles and a winning International Presidents Cup member who has gone on to become one of the most respected voices in American golf television.

“I hope the people of New Zealand appreciate what he’s done for them,” Lerner said.

“They may not know, because he’s plying his trade a long way from here, but he’s made an enormous contribution to the sport.”

‘You’re crazy’ not to come

For years, Lerner says, the standard answer from American and European golfers asked if they had been to New Zealand was no - it’s just too far. He thinks this week’s broadcast, landing in prime time across the United States, could change that.

“People will say, ‘I’ve heard it’s pretty spectacular.’ Now they’re going to get a chance to lay eyes on it,” he said. “That could be a gamechanger.”

He flew direct from New York - about 16 hours - and says those extra hours in the sky over a trip to the United Kingdom or Europe is a small price.

“Could you make another five or six to go to a place that’s fantasy land?” he said.

“I’ll be going back to the United States telling all my friends: you’re crazy if you do not book a golf trip to New Zealand.”