Molesworth Drive,
Mangawhai Heads, Northland
Office
+64 (0)9 431 4807Pro shop
+64 (0)9 431 4807Fax
+64 (0)9 431 4300Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Doug McDougalThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Rural countryside and woodland.
Designer:
Harry Dale
-36.098718
174.586562
55 km S of Whangarei
From Auckland Harbour Bridge travel north on Hwy 1 for approx 82 km (i.e. 7 km north of Wellsford). Turn right off Hwy 1 direction Mangawhai. After 20 km turn right at T-junction direction Mangawhai Heads. After 150 metres turn left into Molesworth Drive direction Mangawhai Heads / Golf Club. After 4 km golf is on your left.
Mangawhai
Mangawhai Golf Club: in the developing seaside resort of Mangawhai Heads, lies one of New Zealand's hidden gems, a golf course which has grown in popularity and stature in recent times. Perhaps having new kids on the golfing block like nearby Tara Iti (private) and Te Arai Links has also given a boost to Mangawhai.
The front and back nines here journey out-and-back from the clubhouse. Both loops contain a marvellous run of four holes that take you into some natural "wilderness" areas. Whereas newer tree-planting occupies much of the course, these wilderness stretches abound with tall pines, sub-tropical vegetation, swamp (to be played across on the wonderful par-4 3rd) and many natural flowers.
The layout is always interesting, constantly undulating (but never tiringly so). There are strong holes all the way, a good variety of sloping and flatter greens, and all done without too much bunkering (often the case on many New Zealand courses).
Some of the drives are pretty tight (especially at the par-4 5th and 14th holes). Sea views are limited to a brief glimpse at the 12th and 18th back-tees, but the excellent layout, undulations and naturalness of the course are in themselves quite a feast for the eye.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Worth booking ahead to ensure tee-time availability, especially at weekends.
Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire.
Good
The small town of Mangawhai ("The Place of Te Whai, where the streams meet") has seen recent expansion as the popularity of its beaches and natural environment have slowly grown. Previously it was used as a small timber port by early settlers. Before that its notoriety came from being the first place where a major battle between Maori tribes was decided through the use of muskets.
New Zealand's 35th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2023/24).
No
Mangawhai
No
No
Mangawhai
No
Chevron Championship: Carlton Woods near Houston in Texas provides the stage for the first women’s major championship of 2025, where Nelly Korda defends her title. (April 24-27).
Soudal Open: successor to the Belgian Open, the Soudal Open takes place on the quiet, wooded North course of Rinkven Golfclub. Belgian stars Thomas Pieters and Nicolas Colsaerts will be vying for top honours. (May 22-25).
Rory McIlroy: with his 2025 win in The Masters, Rory joined the pantheon of golfing greats who have achieved a career Grand Slam of men’s majors ... Gene Sarazen, Ben Hogan, Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods are the only others in this select band.
Bernhard Langer: he may have played in his last Masters Tournament, but the 67-year-old German will be trying to extend his own record, and win a 13th senior major title at the 36th Regions Tradition. (May 15-18).
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.
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
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.
