The New Zealand Open will next year trial a "party hole" concept that has received mixed reviews at other courses.
When golfers roll up to the par-4 15th hole at The Hills course in Arrowtown in March, they will be greeted by grandstand seating, a social marquee, the smell of sizzling sausages and a squadron of raucous fans.
The party hole will be backed by Heineken, the Dutch beer giant that is to co-sponsor the Open.
There have been supporters and critics of the push to make etiquette-heavy golf a more socially interactive sport in Australia and the United States.
Before last year's Australian Open, leading golfer Robert Allenby was scathing of the plan to make a hole a centre for music and alcohol.
At the 16th hole at the TPC Scottsdale, in Arizona, where sunglass company Oakley sponsors a party hole at professional events, up to 20,000 fans congregate and party boisterously all day.
"That can be a very scary hole," PGA Tour veteran Joe Durant said.
"Walking to the tee is kind of like seeing a police car in your rearview mirror and you don't know if they're after you or not. If you're lucky and the police car roars by, you can take a deep breath."
But three-time major winner Phil Mickelson said the Scottsdale party hole, which developed when Arizona State students gathered to cheer on alumni, was a fantastic idea.
"I just love it," Mickelson said.
"It's such a cool hole. We just don't have anything like that, and it's an incredible feeling. I love playing it."
The short (301m) 15th at The Hills, which has an elevated tee shot and is surrounded by five deep bunkers, is a straightforward birdie hole.
It also featured a rare par-4 hole-in-one at last year's Open, when Australian professional Stephen Jeffress aced his tee shot in the second round.
