North Island

New Zealand

Tara Iti is situated a hundred kilometres north of Auckland on the east coast of the North Island, close to Bream Bay. Local developer, John Darby, (who boasts an enviable track record of successful golf projects in New Zealand at 

) in partnership with Los Angeles-based financier Ric Kayne, created the facility.

It’s here, on what was formerly a heavily forested coastal site, that architect Tom Doak was invited to lay out his thirty-fifth golf course design and the routing devised for this layout allows golfers to enjoy uninterrupted views of the nearby Little Barrier, Great Barrier, Mokohinau and Tauranga islands.

Before shaping began, acres of pine trees and wattle had to be removed (though much of the extraneous material was buried then covered up to form some of the bigger dunes on the property) and this clearance left a naturally sandy site for re-vegetation with fescue grass and native plants like spinifex.

Fescue grass covers the fairways and greens and there are no trees, water hazards or any penal rough to speak of. There’s also a lack of formal bunkering – everything is regarded as ‘through the green’ – but in place of conventional bunkers there’s an abundance of attractive, sandy waste areas to contend with.

Holes of note include the 445-yard 3rd (played blind all the way to a punchbowl green), the 460-yard 6th (the seriously rumpled fairway lies closest to Te Aria beach), the uphill, short par four 13th (with its green set on the highest point of the course) and the par five 18th, where the fairway splits to offer multiple routes to the home green.

Tari Iti operates as a private member club but for those who really want to visit there’s a one-off access option that might be worth exploring, as Jim Rohrstaff, who looks after real estate sales and club memberships, explains:

"It's a one-time visit, but that's not defined by one round and one night. If you wanted to come up and stay for a week and play 36 holes a day that's fantastic - but as a non-member-sponsored guest, it's a one-time shot.

"We are here for our members first and foremost but if we have availability and people go through the right process we would love to have them – and we will roll out the red carpet and treat them no differently to our members. We are very welcoming – but in a specific and limited manner."

So there you have it – an open invitation to play at Tara Ita, providing you send a letter of introduction from your club well in advance and are prepared to stay onsite in one of the member cottages before or after you play. With such an offer on the table, what are you waiting for?

Tara Iti

Oceania

Exclusivity has finally arrived on New Zealand’s formerly inclusive golfing shores in the shape of Tom Doak’s Tara Iti Golf Club which is routed in a wide and grand scale along the east coast of the North Island.

The longest drive at Cape Kidnappers is between the public road and the clubhouse. It takes a full 20 minutes to cover the ground from the gate to the golf clubhouse – a journey that takes your through a sheep and cattle station and bush land. This degree of seclusion means that the golf course is on pristine land, wedged between the station and the towering cliffs of the Cape. The back nine extends along several fingers of land, separated by deep gullies which dip down to the sea. Frome these points you can look beyond the cliffs and along the shoreline across the wine country of Hawkes Bay and, at the other end, the art deco township of Napier.

The owner and architect, in recognition of the nature of the land have deliberately retained a rugged feel to the course and its surrounds. There is no superfluity. The tees are marked with simple wooden pegs. The clubhouse, though luxurious within, is compact and roofed in the local style with corrugated metal.

The scale of the landscape and generosity of land utilised for the layout makes the fairways seem small by comparison. This is a visual distortion that must be dispelled in the golfer’s mind, as you need plenty of confidence to hit out at the targets here at Cape Kidnappers.

If you can keep your eyes off the cliff top views, the main golfing points of the course are the bunkers and the greens. Architect, Tom Doak, is at the vanguard of the mission to recover some of the penalty value of bunkers. His time spent studying the works of the great architects of the early part of the 20th century has given him a healthy disdain for trees and water as hazards and led him to concentrate his efforts on land shapes and greenside bunkering.

In an industry noted for its gigantic egos and questionable sense of taste, Tom Doak is a distinctively different and intelligent course architect. At Cape Kidnappers, he has created a course of great drama, interest, originality and beauty. Any avid collector of golfing experiences should reach into their pocket books and make the trip to the North Island to play this course. It is both beautiful and compelling.

The Finest Golf Courses of Asia and Australasia

 by James Spence. Reproduced with kind permission.

Cape Kidnappers

The longest drive at Cape Kidnappers is between the public road and the clubhouse. But once on the course, if you can keep your eyes off the cliff top views, the main golfing points are the bunkers and the greens.

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club is set on the Kapiti Coast, which is approximately 40 miles to the north of Wellington as the crow flies. Former Australian Open champion Alex Russell designed the course in 1949 and, for many years, Paraparaumu Beach has quite rightly enjoyed the title of the “best links course in New Zealand”.

Host to twelve New Zealand Opens, the first in 1959, Paraparaumu Beach is a New Zealand household name. “But Paraparaumu Beach Links is now also known for being the de facto home course of New Zealand’s wealthiest sportsman, Steve Williams.” Writes James Spence in his book

, The Finest Golf Courses of Asia & Australasia

. “Tiger Wood’s caddy grew up just along the road at Pukerua Bay and, before he could make a living out of golf, worked in the butcher’s shop in Paraparaumu.”

“Although Paraparaumu Beach is not flush to the shore, it has all the foils of a links course. There are no weak holes and in a fresh breeze, all manner of difficulties present themselves. The staff and members are a very friendly bunch and will want to engage you in conversation about the course as you fortify yourself with a deserving pie and a strong cup of tea.”

 by author George Peper and the editors of GOLF magazine features the 442-yard par four 17th at Paraparaumu Beach: “The 17th is a par four of notable length. which, when played into the wind, presents difficulties of distance and, when played downwind, presents difficulties of accuracy. Its demands are made more diabolical by a split fairway. The lower tier is easier to find from the tee and provides a shorter route to the green. However, two bunkers short and right of the green guard its entrance and demand that the approach be put up into the wind and dropped precisely on the putting surface. The upper fairway is more difficult to hit and hold from the tee. In addition to its narrowness, a steep slope falls off the left side and is generally shaved to exaggerate the punishment for inaccuracy.”

The course first came to the attention of many worldwide golfers in 1962 during one of the earliest “Shell’s Wonderful World of Golf” challenge matches when Bob Charles played Bob Goalby.

Paraparaumu Beach

Host to twelve New Zealand Opens, the first in 1959, Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club is a New Zealand household name.

The Kinloch Club is the first – and so far only – Jack Nicklaus Signature golf course to be built in New Zealand. Jack himself opened the first nine in March 2007 and the second nine opened for play in December of that year.

This is not your typical Jack Nicklaus course – you can put thoughts of 

 right out of your mind. Kinloch pays homage to the great British and Irish links courses, although it is about as far from the ocean as you can get in New Zealand. The property is a piece of farmland on volcanic terrain, flanked by craggy hills and panoramic views over majestic Lake Taupo. Nicklaus has crafted a rugged, ramshackle masterpiece into this landscape, but it will surprise some visitors to learn that most of Kinloch’s features are entirely man-made. The Kinloch aura is of a raw links, somehow blended seamlessly into age-old Kiwi sheep-farming territory (shaper Jason Garten was employed to work on the finer details).

However, some Nicklaus trademarks remain – greens are heavily guarded, with the premium on an incisive approach shot. And, like many others from his portfolio, it is demanding, measuring 7,363 yards (6,734m) from the tips and it has already built a reputation for being the country’s toughest track. The nation’s leading golf publication, The Cut, recently rated it that way, after surveying many pre-eminent Kiwi golfers. So far, it is alleged that nobody has yet broken 70 off the back tees and rising star Danny Lee is reputed to have not even come close to par on his inaugural three visits to Kinloch. The forward tees make life considerably easier at 6,519 yards (5,961m), but this is still no walk in the park.

As for the Golden Bear himself, on playing the full 18 holes for the first time, he is reported to have quietly turned to the Kinloch Head Pro and commented that this is one of his favourite Nicklaus designs.

Kinloch Club

The Kinloch Club pays homage to the great British and Irish links courses, although it is about as far from the ocean as you can get in New Zealand.

Touring golfers visiting New Zealand will certainly want to play both 

 and Kauri Cliffs, so comparisons will always be drawn. Kauri Cliffs is a little closer to the ocean and has been laid out to make the most of the sea views. The 6th, 7th and then the run from the 14th to the 17th are all as close to the water as the topography allows.

Common to its sister course Cape Kidnappers 500 miles to the south, Kauri Cliffs is a cliff top golf course situated in an enormous tract of land. As course designer David Harman pointed out “at Kauri Cliffs, there are 4,500 acres; I see a couple of hundred golf holes. How do you tie them together? That’s the challenge.” Even though the golf course fills a small part of Julian Robertson’s land, the routing is elongated to make the most of the stunning sea views. The straight-line distance from the two extremities of the course (the 7th tee to the 14th tee) must surely be the longest of all non-links courses anywhere in the world.

Nothing whitens the knuckles quite like the experience of being asked to play across gorges and onto fairways bordered by the healthiest looking long grass in the world. Most balls that find this deepest cut of rough are gone forever. Playing Kauri Cliffs is quite a formidable test from the tees and I’m sure I’m not alone in fearing that a mounting tally of lost balls was beginning to detract from the views. An important decision for the golfer at the outset of his or her day is to select an appropriate set of tees from which to play.

The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and the golf course are well admired by all who visit this striking part of the North Island. Travelling American golfers, who form an important part of the visitor base, compare Kauri Cliffs favourably with 

The above passage is a brief edited extract from 

Kauri Cliffs

Playing Kauri Cliffs golf course is quite a formidable test and I’m sure I’m not alone in fearing that a mounting tally of lost balls was beginning to detract from the views.

South Island

John Darby has undoubtedly become one of the key figures in contemporary golf course architecture in New Zealand. There are fine tracks such as 

 already tucked away in his portfolio, but with the unveiling of his newest creation, Jack’s Point, in late 2008, he has arguably surpassed all of his previous projects.


Jack’s Point is nestled between 2,300 vertical metres of the saw-toothed, razorback Remarkables mountain range and the majestic Lake Wakatipu to the east, Darby was blessed with some wonderful golfing land, amongst the tussock grasslands, rocky outcrops, steep bluffs, and native bush. He is purported to have followed a design principle of minimal excavation, using the integral features of the land as much as possible.

The result is a modern throwback to classic, naturalistic architecture – seemingly influenced by courses such as 

, but with a clear Central Otago flavour. The Jack’s Point routing takes the golfer from wetlands to rock-infested hillside, from lakeside through native bush, skirting dry stone walls before plunging downhill towards the water-fringed closer.

Difficult as it is to single out any individual holes for praise, it is hard to ignore the eye-catching short 7th which plunges steeply downhill to an infinity green that’s backed by a drop-off down to Lake Wakatipu. The challenge for the first-time visitor is to trust that he or she has the right club in hand, with no visual references or perspective to guide them (and that’s on a still day!).

Aesthetically, the final touches at Jack’s Point are natural and rather rustic, while the surrounding scenery must be some of the best in the golfing world. But it is the design as a whole that impresses – it has hidden depth, which reveals itself to you on repeat visits and is an incredible golfing journey.

Jack's Point

The golf course at Jack’s Point is nestled between 2,300 vertical metres of the saw-toothed, razorback Remarkables mountain range and the majestic Lake Wakatipu to the east...

Arrowtown Golf Club is literally situated next door to the New Zealand Open venue, The Hills, and is just around the corner from Millbrook. Arrowtown is too short to host a modern-day professional pro tournament as it measures only 5,915 yards (5,409m) long, but the course is very enjoyable and is set in spectacular scenery. Perhaps the phrase ‘golfing gem’ was coined for this course?

Arrowtown originally began in 1911 as a 6-hole course, although this club was later disbanded. Then, in 1935, twelve people formed a new club and acquired 90 acres of land on the Arrowtown-Arrow Junction Road. This was developed the hard way with rakes, wheelbarrows and hand mowers, and once formed had to be maintained by members. This original 9-hole course opened for play in 1936 and was designed by Reg Romans – the first secretary of the Arrowtown Golf Club – and B.V. Wright. In 1971 the club acquired new land on the opposite side of the road and nine further holes were laid out, again under advice provided by B.V. Wright.

The end result is a little masterpiece with fairways threaded through tiny valleys, between boulders, or over gorges with greens nestling snugly into hillsides.

In recent years the club has undertaken some major developments including new fairway and green irrigation systems which were completed in 2001. The clubhouse was also upgraded at the same time and now offers spectacular views over the front nine and the mountains beyond.

Arrowtown

The course at Arrowtown Golf Club is a little masterpiece with fairways threaded through tiny valleys, between boulders, or over gorges with greens nestling snugly into hillsides.

Formed in 1909 as Maungakiekie Golf Club, Titirangi Golf Club, as it is now known, is the only course in New Zealand that can say it has Alister MacKenzie as its golf course architect. It was whilst MacKenzie was in Auckland in 1927 during a short fishing holiday to the country that he created drawings and designed a routing for the course which is still in use nearly 100 years later.

Towards the mid 1990s, the club realised the course was in need of an overhaul and Chris Pitman was contacted to redesign and remodel a number of holes. Millions of dollars later, much has been achieved – including tree removal, upgrading of the 15th hole and reconstruction of the 6th green. The renovation programme is now complete, confirming Titirangi’s reputation as one of Auckland’s best golf courses.

The achievement, with holes laid out over difficult terrain (due to the clay that covers much of the site), has received much critical acclaim; “the designer at Titirangi has done an outstanding job of which Alister MacKenzie, were he still with us, would, I am sure, be thrilled” was one such comment. Chris Pitman himself has said, “Like MacKenzie I believe a golf course should be a rendezvous with nature. If possible, you leave the land just the way it is and build holes as nature intended.”

Two of the four long par threes at Titirangi are exceptional holes. The tee box on the 187-yard 7th is located amongst tall pine trees but the tiered, sloping green is relatively exposed, making correct club selection critically important. The 203-yard 14th is all carry across native bush and a creek to a fast, undulating green protected by a bunker to the front right. A glow of satisfaction will be well earned if you mark a pair of threes on your scorecard for these two holes.

Chris Pitman – course architect commented as follows: “From an 18-hole master plan all the holes except three have been restored. Mainly greens, tees and fairway bunkering. MacKenzie's original sketches, still in the Club's archives, were followed together with carefully calculated estimates of what, in his style, his further input would have been had he remained longer in New Zealand.

There were no layout changes as his use of majestic site features was and is superlative. Detailed working drawings were painstakingly applied on site with dedicated course superintendent Steve Hookway as we delved into the MacKenzie mind and analyzed numerous pictures of his world-wide architectural success. I started my golfing life as a greenkeeper in 1963 at West Herts GC, a MacKenzie remodeled course near London. A subconscious appreciation of fine art had been sealed.”

Titirangi

Formed in 1909 as Maungakiekie Golf Club, Titirangi Golf Club, as it is now known, is the only course in New Zealand that can say it has Alister MacKenzie as its golf course architect.

The Hills is billed as New Zealand’s most exclusive golf club and it’s located on the South Island, in the former gold mining town of Arrowtown. It therefore seems entirely appropriate and perhaps coincidental that the Hills course is owned and operated by a jeweller.

Michael Hill was judged “New Zealand Entrepreneur of the Year, 2008” by Ernst & Young. The former concert violinist has a bow with many strings but one of his most widely acclaimed assets is undoubtedly his golf course, which officially opened to an orchestral fanfare in 2007.

However, it was way back in 2001 when the jewellery magnate first contacted the renowned Kiwi course architect John Darby. Hill’s request was for Darby to build him “something grunty” on land next to the Hill’s family home in Arrowtown. His ambitions went only as far as one hole at that point, simply for his own purposes – staging the New Zealand Open was just a twinkle in the eye.

That first hole was built, and it is indeed “grunty” – it’s the 6th hole on the current layout, a 432-yard (395m) par four, with the approach shot all carry over Dragonfly Lake. A return hole naturally followed (now the 5th). Hill then widened his horizons, first planning a 9-holer, before asking Darby for a full 18, capable of staging a national tournament.

The results of Michael Hill’s vision are breathtaking. Not only is the setting awe-inspiring, located in Wakatipu Basin, surrounded by the Southern Alps on all sides, but also the design is a triumph, particularly the closing stretch. From the switchback 14th, with its sheer rock face backstopping the green, to the vertigo-inducing tee shot of the driveable 15th and that controversial short 16th to a classic concluding two-shotter, with its cavernous greenside bunker. But it is the par five 17th that captures the attention the most. Christened ‘The Canyon’, it’s a 553-yard (506m) dogleg right, arching round a huge beach bunker that borders a lake. The second requires a perfectly struck fairway wood to thread between two imposing and precipitous schist outcrops.

A feature of the Hills course is the distinctive artwork designed by Mark Hill (son of Michael Hill). His innovative work includes The Weta, a five-metre tall sculpture standing on the fairway on the 1st hole. The 6th hole, known as Dragonfly Lake, has dragonfly sculptures nestled in the water hazard approaching the green while Walking Woman, an imposing three-metre tall sculpture of a woman, stands on a bridge at the 4th hole. Additionally, the centrepiece of the club is the award winning, distinctive bunker-styled clubhouse.

The 90th New Zealand Open Championship moved from 

 to The Hills Golf Club in 2007, the same year the Hills opened its tees for play. Understanding the evolution (or should we say intelligent design?) of this club, from a single hole to hosting the New Zealand Open in six short years, begs the question: How far can The Hills go?

The Farm, a 9-hole par three course designed by writer and golf consultant Darius Oliver, opened for play in 2019 and it’s been described by its creator as “an elastic, ‘choose your own adventure’ style layout, with a flexible design that allows golfers to choose from multiple tee locations, distances and angles of approach”.

Oliver continued: “I didn’t think a par three course would add much to the appeal of the club for the serious golfer… then I walked the site and immediately changed my mind. What I didn’t expect to see were nine ready-made and incredible par threes sitting there already on the ground – but that was the case.

The routing really only took a couple of hours to figure out… the site is really the star attraction – and in particular the views and the Arrow Irrigation water race which runs through the property and is used numerous times in the design.”

The Hills

The Hills is billed as New Zealand’s most exclusive golf club and it’s located in the former gold mining town of Arrowtown. It therefore seems appropriate that the course is owned and operated by a jeweller.

Founded in 1894, Auckland Golf Club moved to a new site in 1901 before finally settling at its current location in 1910. The new course at Middlemore was originally set out by club professional F. G Hood then completely revised by Charles Redhead between late 1928 and 1930.

Subsequent modifications to the layout were made by H.G. Babbage (1954), John Harris (1965) and Peter Thomson (1976-1992).

Otahuhu Golf Club was established in 1924 with a 9-hole course laid out on the Otahuhu Trotting Club in Mangere East. Seven years later, the club – which later changed its name to Grange Golf Club in 1956 – was on the move to a new 82-acre site immediately next to Auckland Golf Club.

After World War II, major renovation work was carried out on The Grange layout, with the remodelled course officially opened for play on 25th March 1950.

The two golf clubs, Auckland and The Grange, happily co-existed side by side for many years and each was given the honour of hosting the New Zealand Open on a number of occasions over that time.

A wind of change began to blow early in the new millennium, however, not long after both clubs staged the NZ Open in 2003 (at Auckland) and 2004 (at The Grange).

First of all, Auckland became Royal Auckland in September 2010 then five years later the club merged with The Grange to form a new Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club, with the intention that the new club will bear favourable comparison with the best metropolitan golf clubs in the Australasian region.

Central to that lofty aim was the vision of creating a golf course fit for purpose in the modern era.

“Project Legacy” got under way in 2017, scheduled to be conducted in two phases, the first of which entailed the construction of thirteen new holes on the former Grange course, the building of two bridges across the estuary between the two properties, and a new clubhouse.

Phase two of the development then saw the balance of the holes constructed on the Middlemore property, along with the driving range, with all the work completed in early 2021.

Designed by Chris Cochran of Nicklaus Design and built by contractor Puddicombe Golf, the new 27-hole facility features three 9-hole circuits, named Grange, Tamaki and Middlemore, and all of the greens incorporate state-of-the-art SubAir systems.

Holes on the Grange nine occupy ground that was previously on the 18-hole Grange course. The Tamaki nine is split evenly between the Middlemore and Grange properties – the par three 6th plays over the Tamaki Estuary – while the Middlemore nine is more of a classic parkland design, featuring tree- lined fairways and slightly smaller greens.

Royal Auckland and Grange (Grange & Tamaki)

Designed by Chris Cochran of Nicklaus Design and built by contractor Puddicombe Golf, the new 27-hole facility at the Royal Auckland and Grange Golf Club features three 9-hole circuits, named Grange, Tamaki and Middlemore, and all of the greens incorporate state-of-the-art SubAir systems.

Wellington Golf Club (as it was known until it gained “Royal” status in 2004) dates back to 1895, when a group of like-minded golfers formalised their sporting pursuit when they established a golfing society.

A decade after its foundation the club moved to a 120-acre site (Silverstream Farm) that was purchased from the Barton family. Once members had drained a few areas of marsh on the property, a course was ready for play.

This layout remained largely unchanged until the club purchased some additional land, and in 1972 a new championship course was completed, with a 9-hole academy course adjoining. This new layout hosted the New Zealand Open four times over the next 23 years, adding to the three occasions that the previous incarnation had hosted the event between 1912 and 1954.

Despite the prestige associated with hosting multiple national opens, there was an acknowledgement within the club that their course was a little ordinary for a club of their standing. Michael Clayton, the ex-European Tour pro and co-designer of Barnbougle Dunes, was originally commissioned to create a masterplan in 2006. The club was initially going to use this design, but the decision was overturned in 2010, when Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson (Close House, Millbrook) presented alternative ideas to the club. Click here to read the full story.

Their Heretaunga course (named after the local suburb) was completed in 2013, and is largely a brand new layout, as opposed to a renovation. As far as we are aware, only three holes occupy the same land as their predecessors, with other holes following the reverse direction along the same tree-lined corridors, and some brand new holes constructed after the felling of a pine forest near the Hutt river.

Royal Wellington Golf Club hosted the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship in 2017.

Royal Wellington

Wellington Golf Club – as it was known until it gained “Royal” status in 2004 – dates back to 1895, when a group of like-minded golfers established a golfing society.

Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary is set in 450 acres of rolling terrain, bubbling with geothermal activity, near Lake Taupo on New Zealand’s beautiful North Island, midway between Auckland and Wellington. The course was built with government money as an additional tourist attraction for the holidaymakers who visit the neighbourhood of Lake Taupo and Rotorua.

Civil engineer, Commander John Harris, who was England’s leading and most travelled golf course architect of the time, laid out Wairakei International and it opened for play in 1970. “The construction was supervised by Michael Wolveridge, an Englishman whose keen appreciation of the subtleties of golf architecture had been enriched by a spell on the US professional tour,” wrote Peter Thomson in the 

The sole objective was to design New Zealand’s best course, which was capable of hosting national events. Despite his engineering background, Harris resisted the temptation to move too much earth at Wairakei and he made stunning use of the natural features of the land, some of which are quite unique.

The 14th is called “The Rogue”. It’s a marathon 608-yard par five and a potential card wrecker. The fairway is routed up a narrow well-bunkered valley towards a natural rogue borehole that spurts forth jets of sulphurous steam. The challenge and interest comes with the approach shot to the banana-shaped green with numerous bunkers and hollows to the left side. When the pin is to the left of centre, this is one of the trickiest approach shots on the Wairakei course.

Walking is relatively easy at Wairakei where the steepest climb is to the occasional elevated tee. Avoid the natural hazards in the shape of creeks, gullies and the odd rogue borehole and you may card a decent score at Wairakei, which is unforgettable and exciting golf among the geysers.

Wairakei

Avoid the creeks, gullies and the odd rogue borehole and you may card a decent score at Wairakei, which is an unforgettable and exciting golf course among the geysers.

If you had Googled Waverley Golf Club when we first built this webpage in 2014, the search results would have returned next to no information whatsoever. It was easy to find details about its namesake in Victoria, Australia, but there was literally nothing online for this Kiwi course. This unassuming club flew well under the radar back then – it had no website and even local Taranaki golfers seemed oblivious to its charms.

The Taranaki region of New Zealand’s North Island is dominated by Mount Taranaki, one of the most symmetrical volcanic cones in the world. There’s more than enough information available online about this active volcano but as far as Waverley Golf Club is concerned, you’ll be hard pressed to even find a scorecard.

, sheep cut the fairways at Waverley and consequently you’ll find less than perfect manicuring. If you don’t fancy dirty golf shoes then give this undulating 5,537-metre track a wide berth, but if you want to play some extraordinary golf holes, stop the car, put a few bucks in the honesty box, and prepare for a thrilling round.

Waverley was first brought to our attention when one of our most respected Kiwi contributors submitted a return for our New Zealand Top 50 re-rankings, which placed Waverley in the top 2.5% of all New Zealand’s golf courses. Since then we’ve been following in the footsteps of Tom Doak.

, some of his intrepid crew travelled around the North Island playing undiscovered courses. In an interview for 

, the Renaissance architect commented as follows:

“The little country course that my associates fell in love with was Waverley, it's just $10 or $15 and it's quite a place.

It's in rough shape but I could see what excited them. It's a really rugged piece of land and there's some really cool holes, four or five of them, and I've never seen anything like them before.

When we showed up to play there was no-one on duty and there was an honesty box to pay. Next to it was a sign about not wearing shoes in the clubhouse which I thought was a bit frou-frou for a place like that.

Then we got out on the course and saw all the sheep dung about and thought 'I get it now'.”


Tom Doak awarded Waverley a six rating (a very good course, definitely worth a game if you're in town) on his “Doak Scale” in Volume 5 of 

 ... "the terrain for golf is superb and holes like the par-5 opener running along the edge of high ground, the short par-4 12th with its tiny green in a valley, the wild back-to-back par-5's at 14 and 15, and the short 16th over a dip to a green tucked in between sharp dunes, are among the best golf to be found in New Zealand."

We hope many adventurous golfers will tee it up here among the sheep. If you’ve played Waverley, why not share your thoughts?

Waverley Golf Club

Sheep cut the fairways at Waverley Golf Club and consequently you’ll find less than perfect manicuring. If you don’t fancy dirty golf shoes then give this undulating 5,537-metre track a wide berth...

Wainui Golf Club is the phoenix that rose out of the ashes of the Peninsula Golf Club. In 2009, Peninsula members voted to take the option of selling their Red Beach golf course to developers, who in turn provided them with a new golf course and clubhouse three miles inland. A new identity was also chosen – the Maori word ‘wainui’ roughly translates as ‘big water’.

Grant Puddicombe and his team at Puddicombe Golf were brought in to design the course (their previous portfolio includes Terrace Downs, Lakes at Pauanui, and the gradual renovation at Remuera). They were given a piece of rolling farmland to work with, punctuated by two streams nestled within wide gullies.

The new course opened in 2016, overlooked by the impressive new clubhouse from its perch above the 9th and 18th greens. The adventurous layout works its way around the undulating property, before twice heading back to lakeside holes to complete each nine.

A nine-hole par three course called Orchard opened for play at Wainui in late 2017.

Wainui

Wainui Golf Club is the phoenix that rose out of the ashes of the Peninsula Golf Club. Grant Puddicombe and his team at Puddicombe Golf were brought in to design the new course and it opened in 2016.

Located 25 miles to the north of Auckland on the Whangaparaoa (“Bay of Whales”) Peninsula lies Gulf Harbour Country Club. The course is the focal point of a development that incorporates a residential community, hotel and marina. The Pacific Ocean location is truly stunning with the Hauraki Gulf as the aquamarine backcloth.

Gulf Harbour is the only golf course in New Zealand designed by Robert Trent Jones Jnr and the layout is routed round a rolling hillside where the changes in elevation make for exciting and challenging golf with the added bonus of free panoramic views. For such a young course there’s a surprisingly natural feel to the layout and this 6,400-metre course is a serious test. Host venue to the 1998 World Cup of Golf, Gulf Harbour witnessed England’s one and only World Cup win thanks to the pairing of Nick Faldo and David Carter. In 2005, Niclas Fasth lifted the New Zealand Open title at Gulf Harbour and the following year the event was won by Australia's Nathan Green.

Despite its championship pedigree, Gulf Harbour Country Club has four sets of tees and the course is thoroughly enjoyable for handicap golfers. With varied holes, exciting risk and reward choices and a stunning closing sequence of holes, Gulf Harbour should be placed on every serious golfers must-play list.

Perhaps the most remarkable hole at Gulf Harbour is the 7th, the shortest par four on the course which doglegs right alongside a menacing lake that runs all the way from the tee to the small green which is also well protected by bunkers to the left. Gladly take a par here at “Te Tahuna” and move on the to 8th tee with your card still intact. Another great hole is the 405-metre 16th (“Ta Moko”), a dramatic par four set on top of the cliffs. The tee shot is played over a ravine to a fairway that doglegs to the right – those attempting to fly the corner in order to shorten their approach may find they are at least a ball short when teeing up on the next hole!

Gulf Harbour

Gulf Harbour is routed round a rolling hillside and the changes in elevation make for exciting and challenging golf with the added bonus of free panoramic views.

New Plymouth has become a well-known destination on the west coast of New Zealand’s North Island for indulging in a number of modern sports like water skiing, snowboarding and surfing. What may not be so well known is that New Plymouth Golf Club was founded as far back as 1893 and golf’s royal and ancient game has been played on its current site since 1913.

Located between the dormant volcano of Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea, the tree-lined fairways and generously proportioned greens of the "Ngamotu" are laid out along the stunning coastline that stretches from Cape Egmont in the west to Waikato in the north east. Ngamotu is the name of the volcanic islands which lie offshore from New Plymouth, originally named "Ngâ Motu" by the Maoris.

It annually holds the Taranaki Open and regularly hosts national amateur competitions. In addition, the New Zealand Open has also been held at New Plymouth four times, 1936, 1947, 1961 and 1980.

After a solid start to the round with five straight par fours, the 176-yard, par three signature hole is then encountered. “Dell” plays from an elevated tee across a pond to a green that is further protected with black iron sand bunkers on both sides of the hole. A three on the card will be a very welcome score here.

Three par fives are faced over the next four holes before the final two short holes are played at first the 12th and then the 136-yard 14th, called “Moses.” From the tee – looking out to sea – the green seems suspended above the water. Out of bounds lurks behind the putting surface for those who over club whilst pot bunkers are positioned short to catch any under hit tee shots.

Turning inland for home now, the round concludes with three testing par fours and a par five. The holes grow progressively longer from the 15th to the last, culminating in the 460-yard 18th where big hitters may well be looking for a birdie to end the round if they can reach the two-tiered green with two mighty blows.

New Plymouth

Located between the dormant volcano of Mount Taranaki and the Tasman Sea, the tree-lined fairways of the Ngamotu course at New Plymouth Golf Club are laid out along the stunning coastline...

Located near the former gold mining town of Arrowtown, in the shadow of the Remarkables mountain range, the original course at Millbrook was created by John Darby and Bob Charles. It opened in 1992, seven years before its co-designer, the 1963 Open Champion, was knighted.

The original front nine was named after the mountain range and ski resort to the south, The Remarkables, and the original back nine (Arrow 9) was named after the nearby town. Now the resort has been extended to a 36 hole facility, the nines have been conjoined to make the Remarkables 18.

The course contains a number of elevated tee shots from where the golfer can really take stock of the spectacular mountain scenery. The 558-yard, par five, 5th hole, for instance, sweeps majestically around a small lake and a series of bunkers, offering a classic risk-reward choice – play it safe down the left of the fairway or cut the corner and risk ending up in sand or water, for the reward of playing an approach to the green in two.

Bob Charles commented as follows: "When I first visited the site, I realised I had been given something special to work with. Nestled in the Wakatipu Basin, surrounded by the spectacular Remarkables, the terrain lent itself so naturally to the game of golf that it was only on one hole that any earth moving was required. Thus, like most great golf holes in the world, it has been largely laid on the natural landscape."

In the mid 2000s, Millbrook engaged the former Kiwi professional, Greg Turner and his associate, Scott Macpherson – who designed the excellent 

 in Northumberland – to extend the resort to a 27-hole layout and to revamp four holes on the original Arrow nine. The result, completed in 2009, left undoubtedly four of the stronger holes on the course, with this author favouring the idiosyncratic and highly strategic par 4 17th. Taken together, this closing stretch adds a crescendo that will excite and test golfers trying to post a good score.

Millbrook’s tournament prestige has been elevated since 2014 with the resort co-hosting the New Zealand Open with The Hills. For the first three years, the final two rounds of the championship were played at The Hills but in 2017 Millbrook enjoyed that particular honour. The Remarkables course did contribute some holes to the composite championship layout for six years, although moving forward from this point, any future national opens hosted here are likely to be played on the Coronet course (as was planned in 2022 before the Omicron outbreak led to a late cancellation).

Millbrook (Remarkables)

Created by John Darby and Bob Charles, the course at the Millbrook Resort opened in 1992 – seven years before its co-designer, the 1963 Open Champion, was knighted.

The Carrington Resort is situated within an enormous 3,000-acre property on Northland’s Karikari Peninsula where residents can sample the produce from the on-site vineyard and winery or maybe stroll along a fabulous 2½-mile stretch of white sandy coastline. On the sporting front, Carrington offers a wide range of facilities ranging from swimming pools to tennis courts, Olympic class shooting range to 18-hole championship golf course.

A golfing layout actually existed here prior to a redesign by American Matt Dye, nephew of the legendary Pete Dye, but such was the extent of the architect’s work on the site, Carrington was considered a new course when it opened for play in December 2003. Sadly, Matt died prematurely of cancer five years later but his golfing legacy is still very much in evidence at the resort.

The course is described as “an inland golf course with an Oceanside location” – how refreshing to find a seaside course not promoting itself as a links – and it’s set out on a rolling landscape where water hazards come into play on several occasions, most notably at holes 6 and 7. The two slightly doglegged short par fours at 5 and 17 are feature holes on the scorecard while the monster 625-yard 14th is one of the longest par fives in all of New Zealand.

Carrington

A golfing layout actually existed here at the Carrington Resort prior to a redesign by American Matt Dye, nephew of the legendary Pete Dye...

Designed by John Darby and Bob Charles, Clearwater Golf Club hosted the New Zealand Open championship in 2011 and 2012.

Laid out within a massive 465-acre property beside the airport, to the north of Christchurch, the golf course competes for the attention of residents and hotel guests on site with other sporting activities such as fly fishing, tennis, archery and cycling.

The course is routed around several man-made lakes and streams, bringing water into play at more than half the holes on the card. If modern American-style parkland golf is your thing then Clearwater is just the place for you! Don’t expect a walk in the park though as many think this is one of the toughest tracks in the country.

A couple of holes are worthy of special mention. The par four 3rd is the pick of the holes on the front nine as it’s tougher than it looks. A waste bunker sits on the right as the fairway doglegs in that direction and it will catch many who hit an over aggressive tee shot. The par four 18th is regarded by some commentators as one of the best finishing holes in the country, playing from an elevated tee to a green that sticks out into a lake, bringing water into play on three sides.

Clearwater

Muriwai Golf Club is located around 15 miles to the north west of downtown Auckland and it’s the region’s only authentic links course. Muriwai Beach is one of Auckland's most popular west coast beaches and the course is routed close to the windswept shoreline on linksland that adjoins the Muriwai Regional Park, which also includes the protected gannet colony perched on the cliff top at Otakamiro Point.

The Muriwai Golf Club was formed in 1956 and the course – originally designed by Harold Babbage – opened for play in 1960. Designers John Bourke and Alex Glasgow were commissioned to renovate the links between 1996 and 2003.

Routed among dunes, heather and pines, with breathtaking views of the Tasman Sea from every hole, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re playing a traditional British links course. Muriwai stretches out to 6,765 yards (6,186m) from the tips and when the wind whips across these naturally undulating fairways, playing to handicap can be an uncomfortable challenge.

The club is proud to state that the course never closes, as the links turf drains freely, but nature has forced some changes over the past decade due to coastal erosion. Several new holes have been created and these have become some of the toughest on the card, especially when the wind is blowing.

The Muriwai Open is a recent (2010), additional venue on the Charles Tour, which was created by former Kiwi tour professional Greg Turner to provide authentic, preparatory competition for golfers wanting an overseas career. “Part of Greg Turner's aims was to play this tour on traditional and testing New Zealand golf courses. The addition of this marvellous links course at Muriwai is very much in keeping with those goals to really test our best players.” Said New Zealand Golf’s acting CEO, Dean Murphy.

The Muriwai clubhouse stands on the highest point of the course, overlooking the finishing hole. It boasts some of the most spectacular views of any clubhouse in New Zealand and is the perfect place for post-round refreshments.

Muriwai

Muriwai Golf Club is located around 25 miles to the north west of downtown Auckland and it’s the region’s only authentic links course.

The course at Hokowhitu, home to Manawatu Golf Club, is reckoned to be the oldest New Zealand golf course in continuous use since it was established as a 9-hole layout in 1895 – it was subsequently expanded to a full 18-hole course ten years later.

The course has changed much over the years, primarily due to a C.H. Redhead redesign in 1928 and further alterations made in 1955 by H.G. Babbage. Manawatu Golf Club hosted its first national Open in 1922 and four more followed over time, the last of which was won by Bob Charles in 1973.

Manawatu is a very pleasant parkland course laid out on a compact, 110-acre site between a lagoon, Massey University College of Education, and the Manawatu River. Measuring a moderate 6,600 yards from the championship tees, it is no longer considered long enough to hold a modern Open competition but it is still a revered championship venue nonetheless.

The 363-yard 9th (“Totoras”) is a great par four hole to end the front nine. With out of bounds all the way down the right, a long iron or utility club is the preferred club off the tee at this left doglegged hole as a small dry culvert and then the road to the clubhouse cuts across the fairway 250 yards out to catch the unwary. The approach must not then be too big as the green slopes from back to front and a putting position from the back of the green is definite three-putt territory!

Manawatu

Manawatu is a very pleasant parkland course laid out on a compact, 110-acre site between a lagoon, Massey University College of Education, and the Manawatu River.

New visitors to New Zealand might imagine that there is a wealth of links courses in the country, given the rugged terrain and abundant coastline. It may therefore come as a surprise that there is really only a handful of true traditional links worthy of the description.

One of that handful can rather fittingly be found in the most Scottish of New Zealand cities, Dunedin. Chisholm Links was developed on reserve land in the 1930s, originally under the name Ocean Beach Links. The club then changed its name to Chisholm Park and in 2016 it was re-branded "Chisholm Links".

Fourteen of the holes sit amongst the dunes behind St. Kilda Beach, with the stretch from 8 to 11 climbing up to a magnificent headland wedged between two beaches. It is this stretch that visitors will remember most keenly, and in particular the 9th. Measuring 386 yards (353m) from the white tees, the tee clings to the edge of a huge precipice over the picturesque Tomahawk Beach, with the hole running along the cliff edge all the way down. The drive needs to be threaded between two dunes, to leave a short iron in to a beautifully framed green that barely clings on to the edge, high above the Pacific.

Other strong holes include the 13th, a short doglegged par 4 that is probably more reminiscent of a British or Irish links than any other, and the 17th, lengthened to 443 yards (405m) in 2009 by setting a new plateau green 60 metres further back.

As well as hosting two Australasian PGA Development Tour tournaments, Chisholm Links Golf Club hosted the New Zealand Amateur Championship in 2003 (won by James Nitties), and an Australasian PGA Tour event (the Dunedin Scenic Circle Hotels Classic) in 2004, won by local pro Mahal Pearce.

Chisholm Links

Fourteen holes at Chisholm Links Golf Club sit amongst the dunes behind St Kilda Beach, with the stretch from 8 to 11 climbing up to a magnificent headland wedged between two beaches.

The Wanganui Golf Club was established in August 1894, making it one of the oldest clubs in New Zealand. The original course was originally located in the Balgownie area of Wanganui but, fourteen years after inauguration, the club moved to its current site on the eastern outskirts of Springvale and the course, known as the Belmont Links, was born. The first clubhouse was a homestead that was already on the land, and this survived until it was destroyed by fire in 2001. Two years later a new clubhouse was built, reopening on the same site.

At 6,597 yards (6,032 metres) from the back tees, the Belmont Links is quite a long course by contemporary standards. Some of the fairways are flat and others are undulating (resembling links land) and the property has sandy subsoil that drains well all year. There are a few climbs to elevated tees that provide lovely views of the surrounding countryside. However, despite some holes being links-like, Wanganui is tree-lined and more parkland in general character.

With only two par fives on the card and par set at 70, Belmont Links is no pushover. The four one-shot holes are notable, including the 140-metre 2nd – called Seaview – but the 195-metre 12th, known as French Pass, is a stand-out hole that features a tight drive with out-of-bounds to the left. The 12th has wrecked umpteen cards over the years and remains a supremely challenging one-shotter. The home hole at Wanganui – called Imlay – is also widely regarded as one of the best closing par fours in New Zealand.

Wanganui Golf Club has played host to many national tournaments, most notably the New Zealand Open on seven occasions between 1911 and 1978. The club has also hosted the New Zealand Amateur for both men (six times) and women (also six times).

The touring professional, Simon Owen, was born in Wanganui and learned to play golf on the Belmont Links. Owen won the 1976 New Zealand Open, which was held at Wellington Golf Club (now Royal Wellington Golf Club since gaining royal status in 2004).

Wanganui

Wanganui Golf Club has played host to many national tournaments, most notably the New Zealand Open on seven occasions between 1911 and 1978.

Windross Farm came into being when the members of Manukau Golf Club (who played over a Charles Redhead course good enough to sneak into the lower reaches of our New Zealand Top 50) decided to sell their land to property developers, and relocate to a potato farm in Ardmore, 6 kilometres inland from their original home.

They drafted in Brett Thomson as architect, to lead the transformation. Thomson had built a pedigree helping John Darby design 

 (both located in Queenstown and both NZ Top 10 layouts) and was now working under his own banner, RBT Design. Former PGA Tour player Phil Tataurangi joined Thomson in a consultant role.

The property at Windross Farm required plenty of work to protect against a high water table, and we understand the site was sandcapped throughout to ensure firm playing surfaces. The result is a links-style layout that is very different from anything else in the Auckland area.

Within weeks of opening its tees for play in September 2016, Windross Farm secured New Zealand’s first LPGA Tour event, the 2017 McKayson New Zealand Women's Open.