Brooke Henderson flew into the resort with sister and caddie Brittany straight after battling high winds and heavy rain to win the New Zealand Women’s Open at Auckland’s Windross Farm on Monday.
It was Henderson’s second win of the year and fifth career LPGA title, moving her up two spots in the world rankings to 10th.
The 20-year-old told the Otago Daily Times the pair scheduled the break six months ago and had been looking forward to it ever since.
"Especially after I won on Monday, we wanted to use this week to celebrate and to rest, and get ready for the upcoming weeks."
They spent their first two days here shopping and dining out in Arrowtown and walked up the Tiki Trail above downtown Queenstown before riding down on the gondola, saw kiwi at the Kiwi Wildlife Park and jet-boated on the Shotover River.
Only in the past two days had they risen early to practise on Millbrook’s course before heading out for more sightseeing in the afternoons.
Getting the best part of a week off the tour was "very unusual" for them, Henderson said.
"We get to travel to a lot of different places, but normally we don’t get to see outside the airport, the hotel or golf course.
"Brit was saying the other day we get to do these amazing experiences like jet-boating and hiking the Tiki Trail yesterday, seeing Queenstown this week, Auckland last week, Vietnam next week.
"These are things people do in retirement or dream of doing if they have the financial ability, and we’re doing it when we’re 20 and 26 years old."
They leave for Vietnam today before swinging through South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia and Japan for LPGA events in the next several weeks.
When asked how their familial bond influenced their partnership on the course, Brittany said it was an advantage, but the "sister and caddie line is always blurred".
"It’s quite funny because sometimes we come off the course and she’ll pass me something and expect me to take care of it — like garbage or something — and I say ‘no, we’re off-duty now’.
"A large part of caddying is being knowledgeable about the game, but it’s also about managing your player — knowing her and knowing what makes her mad or helps her play better."
Caddying was an art because there was never a single best response or piece of advice she could give her sister in any particular situation — "it always changes".
Brooke said their partnership was successful because her sister understood what she was going through.
"She’s someone I can trust, and I feel good knowing she’ll give me the right numbers or the best advice."
She described Kiwi two-time major tournament winner Lydia Ko as a "great person and a great golfer".
"She’s been an inspiration to Brit and I, and I think every girl on tour.
"We’re the same age, we’re pretty good friends — I held a charity pro-am this year with the Canadian Open and she was one of the first to sign up and help me out with that."
She thought Ko’s dip in results in the past year was partly due to the growing competitiveness of the LPGA tour, but mainly a factor of the "up and down" nature of the sport.
Ko was showing signs of a resurgence with runner-up and third-place finishes in the past month.
"That’s where we expect to see her, so I’m sure she’ll bounce back.
"Golf is a tough game and you’ve got to stay patient — I’ve learned that, too, in the past couple of years."
