Cricket legend Sir Richard Hadlee has sold his luxury golf course home, after seven months of waiting for the perfect buyer.
Sir Richard, who became a household name in the 1980s for being the best allrounder in cricket and for his fast bowl, put his home overlooking the lake and fairway of the Pegasus Golf Course development up for sale in April so he and his wife could move somewhere smaller.
The months of waiting paid off for the Hadlees, with the property being snapped up this month.
Bayleys listing agent Anna Bray told OneRoof the Hadlees were happy with the final result and had already moved into their new home, which they previously told OneRoof would be local and have a lake view. The new owners were also happy to have upgraded to a home overlooking the golf course, she said.
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The exact sale price has not been revealed yet, but Bray said the new owners had bought it in a matter of weeks of viewing it.
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“They were already to purchase and thought now the time is right so they jumped on it,” she said.
“The whole thing was done dusted within a few weeks. It was real quick.”
She told OneRoof it may have taken several months to find a new owner because Pegasus was quite a niche market and only a certain buyer type wanted to live on a golf course.
“They hung in there for the right buyer, the right buyer came along and it was meant to be.”
At the height of his cricketing career, Sir Richard bowling for New Zealand against England in Auckland in 1984. Photo / Getty Images
Sir Richard, at the opening of the new Hagley Oval indoor sports centre in Christchurch in 2022, was ready for a change of scenery after hanging up his golf clubs last year. Photo / George Heard
The property, which had an RV of $1.8 million, had mainly attracted retirees both locally, from around Christchurch, Auckland, North Canterbury and even some overseas buyers who wanted a property with a granny flat overlooking a golf course.
Sir Richard earlier told OneRoof that he and his wife Dianne, Lady Hadlee, bought the first home to be built on the golf course in 2010 after seeing a model of the development.
“We bought off the model without even seeing the section or the development because it was so impressive,” Sir Richard told OneRoof at the time of listing the property.
The 427sqm home on a 2000sqm-plus section had enough room for all of Sir Richard’s memorabilia which he collected over his long and successful sporting career.
The attached self-contained studio was also perfect for visiting friends, family and other cricket stars including Australian paceman Billy Stanlake who stayed with the Hadlees in 2020 when Sir Richard spent a day with the fellow fast bowler at nearby Mainpower Oval in Rangiora helping him with his technique.
Inside the luxury home. Photo / Supplied
The stunning view over the golf course. Photo / Supplied
Up until last year Sir Richard spent a lot of his time on the other side of the fence on the golf course.
However, hanging up his golf clubs in 2023 combined with the fact that the couple were now in their 70s were ready to downsize from the massive home, which included a triple-sized master bedroom, were some of the driving factors behind their decision to sell.
Sir Richard said they felt they had one more move in them before moving to a retirement village and were keen to have a different view from the entertaining one they currently had of the 15th hole. He had also told OneRoof he was keen on getting a new four-legged friend once they moved house.
Meanwhile, the neighbouring Pegasus Golf Resort, which is an 18-hole golf course on 80 hectares, is also back on the market following a prospective buyer’s failed court bid to stop an open-market sale campaign earlier this year.
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