The allocation of the Four Nations event could also signal a thawing in a relationship between the exclusive Arrowtown course and New Zealand Golf that was left extremely frosty after the drawn-out Open saga.
NZG yesterday announced The Hills would host the Four Nations from October 13 to 16.
The strokeplay tournament will feature the four leading male amateurs from four countries - New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina.
An unkind critic might suggest The Hills has been offered a minor consolation for losing the big prize.
The Open had status, live television coverage, significant public interest and leading professional golfers from New Zealand and Australia.
For three years, The Hills basked in the attention and provided a unique course and arguably the best spectator facilities in the country. Then NZG, guided by promoter Bob Tuohy, decided the Clearwater course, near Christchurch, was a better fit.
The timing of the amateur tournament is also not ideal. It falls smack bang in the middle of the Rugby World Cup.
Still, there will be some exceptional golfers on show playing a round a day for four days, with the teams' best three scores counting.
The Four Nations replaces the existing tournament of the same name (featuring New Zealand Australia, Japan and Canada) and the Southern Cross (New Zealand, Australia, South Africa and Argentina).
New Zealand last hosted the Southern Cross in 2009, at Wairakei, and last hosted the Four Nations in 2003, at the Christchurch Golf Club. Australia holds the Southern Cross title and Canada is the reigning Four Nations champion.
NZG was warm - fulsomely so - in its praise of The Hills yesterday. "It is great to be returning to The Hills with top international golf," chief executive Dean Murphy said.
"The people of Central Otago were great supporters of the Michael Hill New Zealand Open for the three years it hosted the event and we hope that they will get behind the Four Nations tournament in the same way.
"The talent on show is the best amateurs from four leading golf nations around the world so the people of Otago have the chance to see some of the future stars of world golf on one of our best championship golf courses."
Hills director of golf Craig Palmer said the club was excited about the opportunity to host leading amateurs. When the Nationwide Tour players came, the public would see golfers regarded as "the next big thing".
"We are catching these guys right before they turn pro and they are the best four amateurs from their respective countries, so we expect the standard to be very high," Palmer said.
