9 holes of golf out on the Awhitu Peninsula, the most far-reaching golf course from Auckland City in the district. We were visiting Juan the rabbit sitter in Waiuku. A short drive of 20 minutes from Waiuku to Awhitu allowed me to enjoy 9 holes on this lovely community course.

We were quite far from a major centre, the course you might encounter can be a bit of a lottery. Awhitu Golf Club has only 113 members, I didn’t expect anything to write home about. But … surprise! A tidy wee number, nice setup, with smallish greens but in good order. Country courses love a small green.

It was a good walking course with a few wee hills to get the legs pumping. There were points were the views over the Manukau Harbour were making the visit worth every penny. I didn’t pay in pennies.

A helpful par 3 to start you off is followed by a short par 4 – I found the green from the tee – lifting my spirits quickly coming off away with a birdie.

There were a variety of people out enjoying the conditions, it was a very pleasant day out.

The 3rd was a par 3 before you crossed over a farm road to the nicest part of course. A short uphill par 4 was a challenge and needed a well-positioned tee shot.

Hole of the Day

The 5th took the hole of the day award, a great driving downhill par 5 at 448 metres, with a farm laneway in the middle of the fairway to move stock through the course. The 2nd shot should not be an attempt at the green which is tucked up in a dangerous corner. The small green needs an accurate pitch shot. The right-hand side of the green was not an option. The view over the harbour was best enjoyed from the 5th fairway.

Coming back up the 6th my tee shot landed in the laneway. I hit a great 9 iron up onto the green from there. A young friendly pensioner informed me that I could have had a drop from there – not needed!

A nice dogleg driving hole up the 7th was followed by a driveable par 4. The ninth was an awesome way to finish, sweeping up next to the clubhouse to a 2 tiered green.

In this part of the world, $10 for a great day out can’t be beaten. The Top 9 hole courses in the country are high on my radar in the next few weeks. Drummond Golf Club is already on top of the list, but Awhitu Golf Club will be added after this experience.