Golf Courses in New Zealand - Suggestions?

[Michael Goldstein]

Scott, no other must plays in Auckland (yet) although maybe muriwai (I want a second look before I'm sure).

If you want a case study on an 18 hole (basic) course on the tiniest piece of land imaginable check out howick.

I won't be at the boomerang but may see you down under.
Bruce, PM me if you want to meet up in the south island.

[Mike_Clayton]

Scott,

Play 36 at Titirangi. I have not been there for 20 years  but there are some really good holes there.

[Scott Warren]

Thanks guys. I'll definitely be spending as much time as possible at Titirangi, just wondered what else might have been worth seeing.

[Scott Macpherson]

Bruce,

I agree with pretty much what everyone has said here. Re the Quenstown area, if make it there the renown resort in the area is Millbrook. Greg Turner and I recently added 9 holes there to add to the 18 holes Bob Charles had designed 20 years ago, and soon after it was voted Australasian Golf Resort of the Year (or something similar) I am not saying it necessarily won the award because of our work – but it is a first class resort and is one place you should play alongside Arrowtown if you et to that area. Jack's Point is memorable, but perhaps more for the views of the lake than the shot values (The course is usually in good condition and has a good head green-keeper, but for me a series of nice holes book-ended between a weak opening and finishing sequence)

And if you get to Queenstown, Oreti Sands is only a 2 hour drive away and one of the most scenic drives you will make. So you could get to Oreti Sands and back to Queenstown in a day. The green fee at Oreti is about a tiny NZ$25 and great value at twice that price.

I would say you will come away with three impressions of golf in NZ; It's accessible, it's affordable and the golf courses are fun. Prepare to enjoy yourself.

scott

[Jeffrey Stein]

Chisholm Links, Dunedin, NZ


This course is out of the way from many of the others but you could swing a great road trip around the bottom of the South Island (called the Southern Smile)by flying into Christchurch and driving around to Queenstown/Wanaka.

Play Chisholm links in Dunedin, can't miss, its a true links, only two green keepers!  Next, on the way to Invercargill stop in Fortrose and play the ultimate 9 hole NZ sheep track, conditions are soft in Winter but its worth a stop just for only $10 NZD.  Then continue on to Invercargill and play the first 9 at Oreti Sands (after 9 its just dissapointing as it moves out of dunes on par with Barnbougle). Next play is Arrowtown just outside of Queenstown and I would seriously pass on Jacks Point despite the incredible views, the golf course probably has 9 good non-consecutive holes which connect you to some very average ones.  If you must-- only play once. Continuing on your very scenic drive to Wanaka stop and play the Cromwell Golf Club, built on a glacial sand deposit, very rugged and enjoyable.  After that loop around to play the front 9 at the Wanaka golf club, which looks over the beautiful Lake Wanaka then head down to the lake for a post round.

If my memory is correct, Each stop is 1-3 hours apart, you can probably get all this in 4 days and feel like you have seen some good golf and also been to a beautiful country.  The only other two courses I would absolutely not miss are Cape Kidnappers and Paraparaumu




Tell me that doesn't look like a mirror image (literally) of Pac Dunes #4!

[Jeffrey Stein]

Tokanui, Fortrose



Oreti Sands

[Mike_Cocking]

Hi scott,

I second jeffrey steins recommendation in dunedin - chisolm links.  I played a tournament there during my brief foray into professional golf and it was really good.  Some terrific holes on true linksland and lots of fun.  Plus the town is really cool (has a UK, unibersity town feel e.g. St.andrews).  It also has the steepest road in the southern hemisphere!

Mike.

[Tom_Doak]

I can also second the recommendation of Chisholm Park, but it should be mentioned that it is very short ... something like 5800 yards, as I recall.  It was not as burnt to a crisp as in Jeff's pictures when I was there, while we were working on Cape Kidnappers.

Those dunes at Oreti Sands do look pretty good!

Has anyone played way up north, at the links on the south end of Ninety Mile Beach?  The name escapes me right now.  True story:  when I wrote The Confidential Guide, I was sad that I didn't have time to get up there on my maiden visit to New Zealand, so I wrote in the "Gossip" notes about New Zealand [which was the last country covered in the book] that anyone who went up there and checked it out and wrote to me would get major brownie points from me.  A couple of years later, I got a lengthy letter from a dude in Australia who had made the trip just because of the note in my book, and he said he loved the course.

The guy's name was Ran Morrissett.   

[Matthew Mollica]

Are you thinking of Kaitaia Tom?

[David Kelly]

Are you thinking of Kaitaia Tom?

Yes it was Kaitaia. I drove up to 90 Mile Beach up there this February to play Kaitaia based on reading about it in the CG plus it was close to where I was going snorkeling.  But after a morning and early afternoon at the beach it started to pour so I skipped the course and drove back toward Auckland. 

The pictures on their website does show that it is pretty scruffy.
http://www.kaitaiagolfclub.co.nz/the-course/tour-the-course.html

[Tom_Doak]

Matthew:

That's the one.  I've still never seen it, but the reports I've heard [apart from Ran's generous initial report] are along the lines of what David said -- it's very scruffy, possibly wall to wall kikuyu.

I always wanted to go see it and try to convince Julian Robertson to put a little money into it if it had potential.  You would think having a links course reasonably close to Kauri Cliffs would be a good thing. 

[Michael Goldstein]

This course is called Mahia.

Mahia is located in the middle of nowhere, one hours drive from Gisborne.   Gisborne is in an extremely remote part of the North Island, about 3 hours north of Cape Kidnappers on the east coast. 

Mahia is a 9 hole course, scruffy and maintained by volunteers for the local membership of about 20. These lucky few enjoy golf on some unbelievable land.

[Bruce Bearer]

Michael - Thanks for the info.  I love the concept of a 9 hole course maintained by volunteers/members!  Do you know the history of the property - who owns/built the course? Management other than grounds maintenance?  I'll bet the volunteers that play the course fix all their divots and ball marks!!!

[Michael Goldstein]

Bruce, the club is run by the folk in the photos. No management. I'm guessing annual dues are about $200.
After our round they opened the bar up and poured the beers, took some pies out of the freezer and cooked up a beaut feed.
I think they even designed most (all?) holes themselves, putting the final green behind two round dunes and calling it cleavage.

Pure.

PS,I believe someone had a look at this area for a course a few years back but it's impossible to make it work because it's so remote.

[Scott Macpherson]

Matthew, David, Tom,

I researched Kaitaia (aka Ahipara Links) for George Peper's wonderful book 'True Links'. It failed to meet their turf-grass criteria because it has warm-season grasses on the fairways. It's a neat course though. Founded in 1921, been on its current site since 1964/5 and  it is 18 holes and measures about 5947m.

Michael, Bruce

Mahia (a 9 hole course, with some extra tees) also missed out on inclusion in TRUE LINKS due to its fairway grasses, but FYI it was designed by the committee lead by Dr Ross Aitchison and Des Shepherd who took outside advice especially with the help of Stuart Jones and Jamie Kupa. The club was founded in 1974. current course opened in 1985.

The course has an aquafer which means the water levels rise as the water comes from the hills of Opoutama which fills the Water hazards. The course is about 6 metres above sea level. Some fairways were raised a metre. There has been a programmed water irrigating scheme on the greens from time of development.
 
Fairways; Rye grass initially – now Indian Dobe (is like a dwarf Couchgrass??) with patches of Kaikuya which they are trying to keep under control.
 
Tees; Turf Rye grass
 
Greens;  Browntop and Bardot.
                NOTE: I believe the No.9 green was the first in the country sewn in Egmont Browntop and is still their best green.
Practise green; Egmont browntop.
 
The surrounds of the course are lupin and maram grass.
 
A small plantation of pine trees have been planted in the elbow on No.8 fairway.

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