New Zealand Best Golf Courses
Best golf courses in New Zealand
New Zealand boasts more golf courses per capita than any other country in the world; as you drive around you'll notice in every town, small or large, a signpost or two indicating "Golf Club". In all but a few cases, green fees are modest and represent excellent value for overseas visitors. Members of NZ golf clubs pay even less - benefitting from their affiliated status. There are some interesting words in the NZ golfers' lexicon : trundlers are pull carts / trollies; carts are sit-in and drive buggies; sprigs are spikes.
Generally golf in NZ is great value for money; however with many clubs operating on limited incomes they are forced to look for sensible economies - so, for example, on some courses bunkering will be limited. You may also find the golf club completely deserted (e.g. early morning, late afternoon) with a simple instruction asking you to deposit your green fee in the "honesty box". The introduction of newer resort courses such as Millbrook, Clearwater, Kauri Cliffs, Cape Kidnappers, Wairakei, Terrace Downs and the like has had a very healthy effect on raising the "stock" of top quality golf courses in New Zealand - Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers are up there with the world's best.
Apart from the volume of courses, New Zealand is blessed with some of the most outstandingly scenic golf clubs in the world, especially those on the coast - comparisons with Ireland can easily be made in this respect. To find out more about the top golf courses in New Zealand, check out the list below. Where2Golf provides golf course reviews, golf ratings, photos, resort and hotel information of the best.
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To make the most out of
your golf trip, look up the location of the courses on the New Zealand golf map. It will help you with your planning to play the best courses during your holidays. On the maps we have indicated golf hotels and Stay & Play resorts with the following symbol  Where2Golf has applied a rating to each golf course visited. The rating scale, 5 (highest) to 1 (lowest), attempts to provide an indication of the golfing experience you can expect at each rated course. |
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Arrowtown
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Romans & Wright |
Balmacewen (Otago)
|  | Visitors welcome | Dunedin | Unknown |
Boulcott's Farm
|  | Visitors welcome | Wellington | Pitman, Chris |
Cambridge, NZ
|  | Visitors welcome | Hamilton | Unknown |
Cape Kidnappers
|  | Visitors welcome | Hastings / Napier | Doak, Tom |
Carrington Estate
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Dye, Matt |
Chisholm Links
|  | Visitors welcome | Dunedin | Evans, John |
Christchurch
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Various |
Clearwater, NZ
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Darby, John |
Cromwell
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Blank & Wright |
Dunes, The (Matarangi)
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Charles, Bob |
Formosa (NZ)
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Charles, Bob |
Grange, The (NZ)
|  | (Merged in 2007) | Auckland | Unknown |
Greenacres
|  | Visitors welcome | Nelson | Unknown |
Gulf Harbour
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Jones Jr, Robert Trent |
Hastings
|  | Visitors welcome | Hastings / Napier | Unknown |
Hawke's Bay, NZ
|  | Visitors welcome | Hastings / Napier | Harris, John |
Hills, The (NZ)
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Darby, John |
Howick
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Unknown |
Invercargill
|  | Visitors welcome | Invercargill | Unknown |
Jack's Point
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Darby, John |
Kaikoura
|  | Visitors welcome | Kaikoura | Unknown |
Kauri Cliffs
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Harman, David |
Kerikeri
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Unknown |
Kinloch, NZ
|  | Visitors welcome | Taupo | Nicklaus, Jack |
Lake View
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Unknown |
Lakes Resort - Pauanui
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Puddicombe, Sid |
Levin
|  | Visitors welcome | Palmerston North | Unknown |
Manawatu
|  | Visitors welcome | Palmerston North | Redhead, C.H. |
Mangawhai
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Dale, Harry |
Manor Park
|  | Visitors welcome | Wellington | Unknown |
Manukau
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Various |
Methven
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Unknown |
Millbrook
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Charles & Turner |
Mount Maunganui
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Redhead & Dale |
Muriwai
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Bourke, Glasgow & Sim |
Napier
|  | Visitors welcome | Hastings / Napier | Unknown |
Nelson
|  | Visitors welcome | Nelson | Various |
New Plymouth
|  | Visitors welcome | New Plymouth | Redhead, C.H. |
Ngaruawahia
|  | Visitors welcome | Hamilton | Unknown |
North Otago
|  | Visitors welcome | Dunedin | Unknown |
North Shore
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Unknown |
Ohope
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Unknown |
Paraparaumu Beach
|  | Visitors welcome | Wellington | Russell, Alex |
Pegasus, NZ
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Kerr, Kristine |
Poverty Bay
|  | Visitors welcome | Hastings / Napier | Unknown |
Pukekohe
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Unknown |
Queenstown
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Unknown |
Remuera
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Babbage, Harold |
Rotorua
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Unknown |
Royal Auckland & Grange
|  | On application | Auckland | Hood & Souter |
Royal Wellington
|  | On application | Wellington | Unknown |
Russley
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Clements, Joe |
Sherwood Park
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Unknown |
Southland
|  | Visitors welcome | Invercargill | Turner, Greg |
St Andrews, NZ-Hamilton
|  | Visitors welcome | Hamilton | Gillies & Duncan |
St Andrews, NZ-South Is
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Unknown |
St Clair
|  | Visitors welcome | Dunedin | Unknown |
Tara Iti
|  | Private club | Whangarei | Doak, Tom |
Taumarunui
|  | Visitors welcome | Taupo | Unknown |
Taupo (Centennial)
|  | Visitors welcome | Taupo | Unknown |
Tauranga
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Rutter, Fred |
Te Anau
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Unknown |
Terrace Downs
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Cox, David |
Timaru
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Wolveridge, Mike |
Titirangi
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | MacKenzie, Dr Alister |
Tokoroa
|  | Visitors welcome | Taupo | Unknown |
Waipu
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Babbage, H.G. |
Wairakei Intl
|  | Visitors welcome | Taupo | Harris, John |
Waitangi
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Unknown |
Waitikiri
|  | Visitors welcome | Christchurch | Unknown |
Waitomo
|  | Visitors welcome | Hamilton | Redhead, Babbage & Dale |
Wanaka
|  | Visitors welcome | Queenstown | Unknown |
Wanganui
|  | Visitors welcome | Wanganui | Unknown |
Whakatane
|  | Visitors welcome | Tauranga | Unknown |
Whangarei
|  | Visitors welcome | Whangarei | Unknown |
Whitford Park
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Eccles, Jack |
Windross Farm
|  | Visitors welcome | Auckland | Thomson, Brett |
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Koksijde Golf ter Hille Golf Club: on what was previously open farmland, an enjoyable and challenging links-style layout has been crafted. Perhaps the inspiration for Koksijde's new course came from a renowned Harry Colt layout that existed in the 1920s just a couple of kilometres to the west. Read more... |
The Duke Golf Club: represents the latest in a trio of private courses to arrive on the Dutch golfing scene. All prefixed by the definite article, The Dutch (2010, designer Colin Montgomerie) and The International (2012, Ian Woosnam) have now been joined by The Duke, which firmly targets a business clientele and the corporate golf market. Read more... |
Drentse Golfclub De Gelpenberg: as the oldest golf course in the Dutch province of Drenthe, De Gelpenberg offers a partly-wooded and partly-open heathland layout, guaranteed to test all facets of your game. It is arguably the best of the country's more northerly layouts, together with Lauswolt (50 km away to the north-west). Read more... |
Golfbaan Stippelberg: located 25 kilometres north-east of Eindhoven, this relatively new addition to championship golf in the Netherlands has fast become one of the country's "must play" courses. |
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