Harold Babbage

North Island

New Zealand

The 18-hole layout at Marton Golf Club lies to the west of the small town of Marton in the Rangitikei district of Manawatu-Wanganui, less than ten kilometres from the sandy shoreline of South Taranaki Bight.

The club is more than a hundred years old, having been founded in 1914, but it’s moved location a couple of times since then, finally settling in its current position in 1957.

Tom Doak visited Marton during preparations for Volume 5 of his co-authored book 

 and he had this to say about the course:

“Routed through a series of low dune ridges about three miles from the sea, Marton is one of the few country courses that does have fairway irrigation, so it’s always in good shape.

There are a bunch of good tee shots played diagonally over the dune ridges, especially the par-4 5th and 8th, and there is good movement in the fairways elsewhere so you seldom have a level lie.

Large pines planted in between the holes are a forestry project to help support the course: they make some holes much too narrow, but as the club thins out the trees and takes their profit, the golf should continue to improve.”