The golf course at Paraparauma Beach (PB) has become regarded as a legendary links located in a remote part of the world where a true links golf course is very rare, and as a result it has in my view been placed on a pedestal where it does not belong.

Sure enough it’s is a good solid well-presented course with excellent greens, 4 superbly challenging par threes and some ideal links terrain, but to regard PB as the number 2 golf course in New Zealand and one of the World’s Top 100 is to my mind fanciful.

We started our round at midday in a strong wind but as the afternoon wore on, the wind died down and our game ended in warm sunlit conditions with only a gentle breeze. The course flows well and the par threes at 2 and 6 were the best of the early holes. The front nine ends with two pleasing undulating par fours in each case where the green could not be seen from the tee.

There follows a messy move to the 10th hole and a run of 3 longish holes alongside a partly-wooded boundary line, before the highlight of PB at 13, a long straight par four along the back of the course rising to a plateau green. This green is framed  by a magnificent view of low-lying distant mountains, see photo. 17 is an unusual hole playing over two separate confusing fairways, whereas 18 is a straightforward par five that doglegs right as it approaches the comforting final green.

When the wind blows, I believe PB can become a beast which may be where its reputation originates. On a normal day we had an enjoyable round of golf on a pleasant course on the beautiful North Island of New Zealand.