Invercargill

Invercargill may, as the most southwesterly city in New Zealand, be a little remote from the rest of the country but its inhabitants love their golf as much, if not more than, those who live in the major centres of population. Indeed, golfers here were in the enviable position of having four 18-hole golf courses within a few miles of the city centre – Queens Park, Green Acres, Southland and Invercargill. Sadly Southland's Oreti Sands links closed in 2018, so golfers now only have three to choose from.

Founded in 1897, Invercargill Golf Club is one of the oldest golf clubs in the country as demonstrated by the fact that when the first Council of the New Zealand Golf Association met in 1910, P.C. Freeth from Invercargill was one of the delegates who met round the table in Wellington.

The club hosted the SBS Invitational (a 72-hole amateur stroke play championship) between 1977 and 2012, involving representatives from the fifteen golf associations in New Zealand. Frank Nobilo, Craig Perks, Michael Campbell and Ryan Fox have all competed in this tournament before turning professional.

The championship course is laid out over gently undulating, sandy-soiled terrain; featuring tree lined fairways and well bunkered greens throughout. The 445-yard par four 3rd is rated one of the best holes in the country. It doglegs to the right (with out-of-bounds on the left) and has plenty of trees and rough to punish wayward drives or poor approach shots.