Gulf Harbour Country Club

[COURSE CLOSED IN 2023]

180 Gulf Harbour Drive, Whangaparaoa, Auckland 0943

  • Office

    +64 (0)9 428 1380
  • Pro shop

    +64 (0)9 428 1380
  • Fax

    +64 (0)9 424 4739
  • Golf pro

    Frazer Bond (Director of Golf)

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Open parkland. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb (especially on back-nine).

  • Surroundings:

    Seaside and residential areas.

  • Designer:

    Robert Trent Jones Jr

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
6351
5498
4712
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
74.8
70.0
70.7

Location

Latitude:

-36.617332

Longitude:

174.796799

How to get there:

38 km N of Auckland centre

From Auckland Harbour Bridge, travel north on Hwy 1 for approx 25 km; when freeway ends take the Silverdale exit and follow direction Silverdale / Whangaparaoa. Continue to follow signs for Whangaparaoa and then for Gulf Harbour. On entering the Gulf Harbour division, follow main road through the division and uphill to golf on your right. (The turning to Gulf Harbour Lodge accommodation is 100 metres before the Country Club turning).

Gulf Harbour Country Club

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.

Est. 1997

Gulf Harbour Country Club: GOLF COURSE CLOSED IN 2023 due to an unsustainable financial future. It is unclear what will happen to the course. Check before planning a visit.

[Original Where2Golf description]: Gulf Harbour Country Club: it seems to have been the case that property development gained the upper-hand on Gulf Harbour's front-nine. Thankfully, Trent Jones' excellent design and many spectacular views took pride of place on the very scenic and more natural back-nine.

Although flanked by apartment buildings and houses, the opening holes do a great job in revealing the quality of this course. The usually immaculate fairways lead you to even-paced greens that are guarded by strategic but not over-worked bunkering. It's on the back-nine however that the course goes up through the gears. Here the elevation changes become more pronounced and the views simply jaw-dropping.

At several points on the back-nine loop the beautiful blue vista of the Hauraki Gulf is in full view, together with cliffs, headlands and Auckland city in the distance. Holes like the short par-4 12th (Te Puna Wai) provide plenty of challenge as well as a wonderful fusion of golf and nature.

Pick of the holes: the layout's signature hole (Ta Moko in Maori) comes at the long par-4 16th, played across a small inlet and over intimidating bluffs.

List of courses: Around Auckland

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Course closed in 2023. Check with club, if and when it reopens.

Green fees

Course closed in 2023. Check with club, if and when it reopens.

Other information

Non-metal spike facility. Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

Once rated amongst New Zealand's very best courses, Gulf Harbour hosted many prestigious national and international tournaments, not least the 1998 World Cup of Golf (a year after opening) and New Zealand Open Championships (see our Tournaments section >by Venue >Gulf Harbour).

Published ranking

New Zealand's 18th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2023/24).

Where2Stay

  • Gulf Harbour Lodge3-star

    PO Box 335, Gulf Harbour, Whangaparaoa

    +64 (0)9 428 1118

    Visit website

    [Like the Gulf Harbour golf course, the Gulf Harbour Lodge is also thought to have closed].

    Situated at the head of a delightful canal with views of the water, Gulf Harbour Lodge is set in a marine village reminiscent of Southern Italian fishing villages and is located at the gateway to the renowned Hauraki Gulf. Gulf Harbour Lodge boasts a world-class marina, country club & international standard golf course within easy walking distance. Local activities include swimming, cruises, fishing, diving and boating.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      Gulf Harbour (o.5 km)

    • Golf within 10 km:

      No

    • Golf within 30 km:

      No

  • Whangaparaoa Lodge

    874 Whangaparaoa Rd, Little Manly, Auckland

    +64 (0)9 428 4666

    Visit website

    Qualmark 5 Star motel located across from Little Manly Beach in Whangaparaoa, Auckland offers a variety of large, modern designed studios and one bedroom suites all with king beds, flat-screen TV's, kitchenettes, unlimited Wi-Fi internet and free parking.

    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Gulf Harbour

    • Golf within 30 km:

      No

Find a course

Or

Tournaments

Ryder Cup: Rome plays host to the first ever Ryder Cup to be staged in Italy, with the USA defending golf’s greatest team trophy at Marco Simone Golf & Country Club (Sept 29-Oct 1).

Solheim Cup: also in September, also in southern Europe, the 18th Solheim Cup will be contested at Finca Cortesin on the Costa del Sol, with Europe defending after their surprise win in Toledo, Inverness Club (Ohio) in 2021 (Sept 22-24). 

Who's Who

Céline Boutier: with many successes as both an amateur and professional golfer, Boutier added a major championship title to her impressive résumé at this year’s Evian Championship.

Alex Cejka: buffeted by rain and high winds, especially on the high-scoring final day, Čejka prevailed over Pádraig Harrington in a playoff at Royal Porthcawl, to scoop the Senior Open Championship title.

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club

Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.

Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.

Prince's Golf Club, Kent (UK)

Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.

Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available

Popular videos

You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.

Hamburger GC - Falkenstein, Germany

WINSTONgolf - Links course

Littlestone Golf Club (Kent, UK)