Mangawhai Golf Club

Molesworth Drive,

Mangawhai Heads, Northland

  • Office

    +64 (0)9 431 4807
  • Pro shop

    +64 (0)9 431 4807
  • Fax

    +64 (0)9 431 4300
  • Golf pro

    Doug McDougal

About the course

  • The Course:

    18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - a few slopes to climb.

  • Surroundings:

    Rural countryside and woodland.

  • Designer:

    Harry Dale

Back
tees
Club
tees
Front
tees
Metres
5947
5466
4911
Par
72
72
72
SSS or slope
72.5
69.1
71.8

Location

Latitude:

-36.098718

Longitude:

174.586562

How to get there:

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 Golf Club

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.

Est. 1979

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.

List of courses: NZ - North Island

Visitors

Who can play and when?

Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.

Worth booking ahead to ensure tee-time availability, especially at weekends.

Green fees

Contact club for green fee details.

Other information

Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire.

Practice facilities

Good

Did you know?

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.

Published ranking

New Zealand's 35th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2023/24).

Where2Stay

  • Mangawhai Lodge

    4 Heather Street, Mangawhai Heads, Northland

    +64 (0)9 431 5311

    Visit website
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Mangawhai

    • Golf within 30 km:

      No

  • Milestone Cottages

    27 Moir Point, Mangawhai Heads

    +64 (0)9 431 4018

    Visit website
    • Golf at this hotel:

      No

    • Golf within 10 km:

      Mangawhai

    • 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)