Golf Links Rd,
Whakatane, Bay of Plenty
Office
+64 (0)7 308 8117Pro shop
+64 (0)7 308 7921Fax
+64 (0)7 308 0247Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Grant JamesAcademy
Whakatane Golf CentreThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Relatively flat terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Rural countryside.
Designer:
Unknown
-37.930236
176.939229
72 km E of Tauranga
From the western side of Whakatane take direction Tauranga / Airport. Approx 4 km outside Whakatane turn right into Thornton Road. After o.5 km turn right into Golf Links Road. After 1.5 km turn left into golf.
Whakatane
Whakatane Golf Club: Sheltered from and out of sight of the sea, Whakatane feels more parkland in character, rather than exuding a traditional seaside links persona. From the course you'll mainly see pleasant farmland views beyond the course, rather than panoramic ocean vistas.
The terrain here is gently undulating, easy walking, with a nice variety of trees and flowers adorning the course. The tree-line is never too dense, which helps make ball-finding relatively easy. The combination of taller, more mature trees on the par-34 back-nine, and a more interesting layout, gives the inward-nine the edge over the front in terms of golfing interest and challenge.
Straight hitting will definitely help your scoring here, with the first five holes all gun-barrel straight, and several later holes as well. Greenkeeping is generally good, the greens even-paced and not too undulating, with good quality bunkering around them.
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
Whakatane is a place rich in history, known to Maoris as the birthplace of Aotearoa (the "Land of the Long White Cloud"; Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand). It was here that the great Polynesian navigator Toi te Huatahi first landed. The remains of his pa (fortress), on the highest point of the Whakatane Heads, is now the site of the Wairaka Marae.
Two centuries later, another great Polynesian canoe, Mataatua, landed here bringing with it the kumara plant. This was to become the staple diet of the Maori throughout NZ and is still a popular vegetable today.
With magnificant beaches and bays, Whakatane, enjoys a reputation as one of the three sunniest spots in the country. Whakatane is pronounced with the "Wh" beginning, pronounced as "F".
New Zealand's 40th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2025/26).
No
Whakatane
Ohope
No
Whakatane
Ohope
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