Howick Golf Club

Howick Golf Club: Fabulously perched on the very tip of Musick Point, which juts out into the Tamaki Strait, Howick enjoys a very special location, offering many memorable views. This well-presented and relatively open parkland golf course contains plenty of elevation change from start to finish. The generally tightish fairways are often tree-lined, but never too densely. Howick's front-nine gives you one or two glimpses out onto Waitemata Harbour, a foretaste of the immensely scenic back-nine to come. The layout's closing holes occupy wonderfully rolling, clifftop terrain, with the par-4 17th and snaking, short par-5 18th played directly alongside the cliff's edge. From the tee-boxes and greens of this closing duo, the views are stunning, with the wide expanse of Waitemata Harbour and offshore islands stretching out in front of you, and the Pacific Ocean in the far distance. At times this rolling parkland layout can get a bit compact, so be alert to shouts of "fore" and stray balls unexpectedly arriving on your fairway. In keeping with many other New Zealand golf clubs, the bunkering here is modest, and not the layout's principal defence. With many dramatic, and at times knee-trembling drives to make, this tumbling parkland layout will test most facets of your game, while providing many memorable vistas, especially on the back-nine.