Best golf courses: NZ - North Island

NZ - North Island: the table below provides brief details about the top golf courses in this country or region. Each golf club has been visited and/or researched by Where2Golf. Click on the course name below to discover more. The course ratings below range from 5 highest, to 2 lowest. They attempt to provide an indication of the golfing experience you might expect at the course (based on its design, condition and surroundings). Hover your cursor above the Rating Key for the rating definitions.
3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Layout designed by club members. First nine in 1974; extended to 18-holes in 1977.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Wellington
Pitman, Chris

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wellington

Designer

Original designer of layout on present site unknown. Full redesign by Chris Pitman (2012).

2-star: Reasonably okay course - if better courses not available.
Visitors welcome
Hamilton
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hamilton

Designer

Unknown

5-PLUS: In the world’s elite - has few peers; one of our top-rated 5s!
Visitors welcome
Hastings / Napier
Doak, Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hastings / Napier

Designer

Tom Doak

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Dye, Matt

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Matt Dye

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Auckland
Charles, Bob

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Auckland

Designer

Bob Charles

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Hamilton
Gillies & Duncan

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hamilton

Designer

Current course laid out by H.T. Gillies and Arthur Duncan (1913).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Hastings / Napier
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hastings / Napier

Designer

Unknown

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Hastings / Napier
Harris, John

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hastings / Napier

Designer

Commander John Harris

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Wardell, Goldie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Goldie Wardell

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Harman, David

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

David Harman

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Taupo
Nicklaus, Jack

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Taupo

Designer

A Jack Nicklaus signature design.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Auckland
Puddicombe, Sid

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Auckland

Designer

Sid Puddicombe Associates

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Palmerston North
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Palmerston North

Designer

Unknown

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Palmerston North
Redhead, C.H.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Palmerston North

Designer

Original design by C.H. Redhead, an Irish engineer (1928). Further improvements by H.G.Babbage (1955).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Dale, Harry

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Harry Dale

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Wellington
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wellington

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Redhead & Dale

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

C.H. Redhead & H.P. Dale

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Hastings / Napier
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hastings / Napier

Designer

Unknown

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
New Plymouth
Redhead, C.H.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

New Plymouth

Designer

Existing layout designed by C.H. Redhead in 1933.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Hamilton
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hamilton

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

Unknown

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Wellington
Russell, Alex

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wellington

Designer

Current design by Alex Russell (1949), who worked with the great Alister Mackenzie on the design of Royal Melbourne (1926).

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Hastings / Napier
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hastings / Napier

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

Unknown

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
On application
Wellington
Unknown

Visitors?

On application

Nearest city

Wellington

Designer

The current layout dates from 1972.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Unknown

Private: A course for members and their invited guests only.
Private club
Whangarei
Doak, Tom

Visitors?

Private club

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Tom Doak

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Taupo
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Taupo

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Taupo
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Taupo

Designer

The Centennial course dates from 1973; the Tauhara course from 1931.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Rutter, Fred

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

Original design by Fred Rutter (1914), with later significant changes made over the years. Recent improvements by Alex Glasgow (1994) and Jeff Asche (2002).

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Doak, Tom

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Tom Doak

5-star: Fabulous – courses don’t get much better than this.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Coore & Crenshaw

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Bill Coore & Ben Crenshaw.

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Taupo
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Taupo

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Babbage, H.G.

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

H.G. Babbage designed the layout when the Club moved to its current location in 1966.

4-PLUS: Must play course - excellent standard; worthy of 4½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Taupo
Harris, John

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Taupo

Designer

Collaborative design by Cmdr John Harris, Mike Wolveridge and Peter Thomson.

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Unknown

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Hamilton
Redhead, Babbage & Dale

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Hamilton

Designer

Harold Babbage, C.H. Redhead & H.P. Dale.

4-star: Above average course - well worth a visit.
Visitors welcome
Wanganui
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wanganui

Designer

Unknown

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Wanganui
Southernden, Ernie

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Wanganui

Designer

Professional golfer Ernie Southernden from Napier laid out the course at this location (1965).

3-PLUS: Good course - several memorable features; worthy of 3½ stars.
Visitors welcome
Tauranga
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Tauranga

Designer

Unknown

3-star: Good course – an enjoyable test for your game.
Visitors welcome
Whangarei
Unknown

Visitors?

Visitors welcome

Nearest city

Whangarei

Designer

Unknown

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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

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