Occupying a narrow finger of land between the Pacific Ocean and Ohiwa Harbour, the course at Ohope International Golf Club is links-like in character and its mild, seaside location is ideal for golf.
Overall rating
Occupying a narrow finger of land between the Pacific Ocean and Ohiwa Harbour, the course at Ohope International Golf Club is links-like in character and its mild, seaside location is ideal for golf.
Ohope Beach
Ohope Beach sits on the Bay of Plenty, close to the town of Whakatane, and it extends eastward along a sandy spit that separates the Pacific Ocean on one side from the beautiful, unspoilt waters of Ohiwa Harbour on the other.
At the end of this precariously positioned finger of land you’ll find the Ohope Beach Golf Links, which was founded in 1972. Three years later, after some serious fund-raising and land clearance, a 9-hole course opened for play.
The original layout was brought into use for a membership of 68, using a small cottage as a clubhouse. Ten years later, the club had grown to 250 members and a new clubhouse had been built. By 1987, a full 18-hole track had been developed.
A few of the holes on the front nine are a little parkland in style but you’ll find as near to an authentic links layout as you might care to imagine on the back nine, with fairways displaying many of the characteristics found on seaside courses in Scotland or Ireland.
Notable holes include the tough (stroke index 1) par four 3rd, the very short par three 11th, back-to-back par fives at holes 14 and 15, and the 336-metre closing hole which offers thrilling views of the beach from the tee box.
In 2017, forty-five years after its formation, the club hosted the New Zealand Senior Championship.