If you are looking for a quick nine holes, (or a slow nine) we have many choices across the country. I found nine samples in different locations across New Zealand.

What is the ideal number of holes for a golf course? Is 18 holes really the golden number? The traditionalists need to listen for a minute before starting a march and camping at the gates of parliament in protest. Park your purist thoughts on the well-known 18 holes that have been the bread and butter of the game long established by the Royal and Ancient.

Following the rule changes in 2019, we all quickly got over the iny or outy debate over whether a flag should be in, out, or held. Is this the next big hurdle to questioning the fabric of our game? Why is the perfect number of holes 18?

Playing a full 18 holes, including getting to and from the course, plus the after-match beers and sausage rolls will take up a full day. It isn’t for everyone. If you want to open your club to a range of players, this thought might be holding you back.

There is nothing better than a respectable 9 holes. It is short enough to get done before breakfast in the summer, and you can squeeze it in between finishing work and getting home for a late dinner. Some say that 12 holes are perfect, enough time to recover from a bad start and long enough to put the pressure on the second half if you get off to a flyer.

Don’t get me wrong, 18 holes are the real challenge to level the playing field for all of us inconsistent hackers out there. A full range of opportunities to be the hero or the villain over 18 holes certainly sorts the wheat from the chaff.

On this trip, I discovered Mangakino Golf Club and their 4-hole bash, a late evening event that is great for extended families to give our game a go. A progressive club with a mission to attract new players to the game.

The selection of 9-hole golf courses in our country is impressive. The latest leg of my journey to play every course in the land allowed me to tick off nine of the 9-hole courses.

One Quarter of the way through!

On this trip, I made it over the threshold of one-quarter through the country of golf courses.  Golf course 96 was a memorable milestone at Mossburn Golf Club and I had a wee lie down on the soft greens to celebrate.

The First of the nine courses is the Southern cracker at Bluff. The course is 15 minutes out of Invercargill, in an area called Greenhills. The course is a sloping affair overlooking the Mokomoko inlet. On approaching the clubrooms down the driveway, you get a good sneak peek at the sweeping layout.

It is cash only with no room for online payment, I was skint for cash and left a note worth $10 that I’d promise to pay somehow. I “Set Sail” down the aptly named first with the course to myself except the company of a mower man.

The course is a simple layout up and down the slope. The open nature of the terrain was good for confidence off the tee, with only a smattering of flax bushes in your way most of the time. The greens were on the rural small side, so a difficult proposition to get on.

The mower man was following me around the greens– I was getting trimmed and non-trimmed variations on the soft flat surfaces. It would be tremendous if on the PGA tour they stuck a greenkeeper on the course to work around the pros during a tournament. The Bluff man wasn’t worried about me hitting the greens as he moved about his work grabbing the flag as he buzzed past the hole.

The hole names were cool, Kaitoa, Tarewa (up to a hanging green) , Moki Moki( a skint or lizard.) Maranui ( Long sands ) and finishing on the 9^th with Anchorage ( which marries nicely with Set Sail at the 1st) and they didn’t mess with new names if you repeated the nine to make up 18 holes. I have never seen the point in that.

The nine holes measure 2,545 metres, it is a short course but the hill and the wind make for a challenging journey.

Dunedin – a city of golfing heaven and tradition

Dunedin has many golf courses in and around the city. The oldest club in the land, Otago Golf Club set a foundation for golf in the Scottish-branded Southern City. They say the Scots came 12,000 miles and landed in the Bay of Islands. They found it a wee bit too hot. So, they marched south until they found a climate more like home, stopping when they could go no further and get no colder.

I tried 3 courses in the city, Island Park Golf Club, Gladfield Golf Club and Otakou on the Otago Peninsular. All very different and I wondered which of them would enter the Top Nine Hole Courses of New Zealand list. Mahia Golf Club sits on top of the pile right now, is there a genuine challenger to their crown?

Gladfield Golf Club didn’t appear to be up for that. A walk-up and play public golf course 15 minutes from central Dunedin. The main sign on the way in claims a $15 green fee will get you on this nice wee course, the discounted rate of $10 is offered where you pay. This is good psychology, to underpromise and overdeliver. With an extra fiver in my pocket, the spirits were lifted on the first tee.

There is a wide and downhill drive to start you off and give you a warm feeling of achievement. I followed a nice drive with a sweet gap wedge leaving a birdie chance first up. Four putts later I headed to the second tee.

A four-ball of local fellas were still fluffing around on the 2^nd tee, the last combatant topped his tee shot a good 10 feet. “You can play through chief” was the friendly advice from the fellas. Feeling gallus I jabbed a thank you and commented that it would give them time to practice! “We saw your putting…” they retorted, and I felt better now being part of the local banter.  My tee shot off the 2nd was a ripper, and the fellas acknowledged the effort for me. But this hole is a monster. A sharp sharp dog leg to the right and then up and up a hill. There is a dangerous drop-off if you miss your second to the right, it makes you aim well left to leave an approach that gets a view of the green. This is a cool hole.

The course is not a bland old public golf serving, it has some chops. There were two par 3’s back-to-back, the 4th and 5th are attractive and challenging. The 6TH has a hedge along the right-hand boundary of the fairway, 2 men ahead were in the hedge, they saw me and waved me through. I got up close to them and passed the time of day. There was a hole in the hedge, and you could see golfers on the other side. “What is in there? “I asked the men.

“That’s JJ”s another 9-hole golf course.”

This is the first time I’ve seen two 9-hole courses side by side. Was it a messy breakup of golf lovers? Was it bravado from competing neighbours to see who could make the best 9? Who knew? The only other side-by-side courses that I know to date are Gulf Harbour and Whangaparaoa which are next to each other on one fairway.

Gladfield Golf Club is a great place for a quick hit when you need to stretch your legs before getting into the city of Dunedin. Don’t pass it by.

The next day, I got a very early start, waking up to the waves on St. Clair Beach. I wasn’t sleeping on the beach, I was in an apartment overlooking the famous surf paradise.

 On the easternmost part of Dunedin out past Portobello, is the Otago Peninsula. If you trek over the hill on a winding road, you’ll discover this hard-to-find 9-hole golf course. Otakou Golf Club is 3,085 metres of links golf that you will enjoy at every turn. A remote wee place where you will need $15 of honest money to cover the cost of the round.

When you drive into a car park of an unknown golf course in a quiet, out-of-the-way location, you don’t know what to expect. It is a common thought of mine, “I don’t know what to expect from this course today”. Which is a little dumb, a bit like walking into a random restaurant you’ve never been to before. You don’t know what to expect, it will have food and some beverages, but the rest of the experience will be a mystery until you try it. Otakou Golf Club will have 9 holes on the menu, but I do hope it isn’t all vegan.

The course has a linksy feel, humps and hollows, with contoured links-like greens. The greens were excellent, firm, good rolling and better than you’d expect. There were a few too many pine trees on the course to make it feel like a true links. (whatever that really means) The course has a sandy bottom and is well laid out, with no hills to speak of.

Scrubby sandy rough is an indication that the course keeps at one with nature. The approach to the greens allows for the traditional bump and run that makes it feel just right.

This could be the best Nine holes in Otago and is pushing for a spot on the best of New Zealand List.

A mix of long par 4’s gettable par 5’s and attractive par 3’s. The 8^th is 286 metres long from a blind tee shot giving the course authenticity in the links world. Risk and reward is a huge part of the links experience. And followed by the last at only 226 metres so reachable, with a road so close to the fairway to make you think twice.

If you are looking for a nine-hole menu of taste sensations then I’d suggest you add Otakou Golf Club to your hit list when in Otago.  

The last of my dreamy Dunedin trio was Island Park Golf Club.  

The course is an up-and-down affair, 9 holes that offer many challenges. Treelined fairways, nice bunkering and a view of the Kaikorai Estuary are pleasant.

It is only 10 minutes from downtown Dunedin to visit this little parkland beauty that claims to be the premier 9 holer in Dunedin. I did pull up to the car park, unsure what to expect, which by now was to be expected.  

The first is an awesome way to start. A short par 4, with a steep hill down to the fairway that was nice and wide. Golf will be easy today.

The last is your opposite, a long tough uphill challenge and a very tricky way to finish. Get your punches in early when stroke hole 1 is your last.

The course is in good condition, the greens are somewhat better than most at the nine-hole level. I met a cross-section of locals as I sprinted around, I nearly felled a young couple from the first tee as they appeared from nowhere, hidden at the bottom of the steep slope. My drive whistled over their heads, not a good look. They let me play through. I met a lovely local couple who were having a leisurely game. I stopped for a natter with them and also 2 slow-moving gents from across town who were enjoying the peaceful facilities. Dunedin is a very friendly place with amazing local people, this is aligned with the world of golf.

The 8^th is a good hole, a semi-driveable short par 4, with many hillocks and humps to negotiate, some local knowledge on where to land would have been a help. The nice wee green is protected by a bunker.

This course is tidy, not remarkable but worthy of your attention. For a well-utilised 9-hole golf course it is in better condition than most and has the variety across the nine holes to make a play for the best in New Zealand List.

In the hills of South Otago, the little town of Clinton has a golf hub worth a visit. The course is 9 holes, formed back in 1937. The town is called the five-horse town as it celebrates its local Clydesdales. Located in the centre of the town are sculptures created to celebrate the long agricultural history. A few years ago there were 3 horses, but with inflation and progression, they are now 5.

There are under 300 people in Clinton, so it is magnificent that it can maintain a golf course that is a fair challenge and very tidy.

For the $15 green fee, you will get a curious wee course. The fairways are wide in places but there are enough trees to keep you focused. The downhill first is called “Popotunoa”, named after the hill reserve in the distance.

The greens are soft and typical for a rural course. Flat, small and approachable. The rolling course is an easy walk, in pleasant surroundings.

“Little Moe” the 6^th is 118 metres over a gully with the road terribly close behind the green. A great wee hole you should play once in your golfing life.

The day I pulled over was a roaster in the south, I stopped to gather plenty of liquid for me and my company. By the 5^th we’d drank everything and were sweating our way around this great nine-holer. We were the only players, probably because you should never play golf at the height of the heat like us dehydrated losers.

Halfway between Dunedin and Balclutha in the Otago countryside is a nine-hole golf course that will surprise you. Toko Golf Club isn’t pretending to be anything other than a place for the local community to meet and walk with golf clubs. I may have had no expectations in the car park when I arrived, “I don’t know what to expect from this course today”.  By the time 9 holes were done and I was back in the car park I was expecting to come back and play again. I had found a course that ticks a lot of boxes.  

The mainly flat easy walking course is in good condition, including various pretty gardens. There is a creek that weaves through the course and plays a part in four of the holes.  There is limited bunkering, only in play on 3 holes. This is a normal country course set-up, keep the maintenance low and use the resource well.

It is a great course to play on wide enough fairways and short enough rough not to lose your ball, on the first there was a two-armed man raking the bunker, a friendly fella enjoying the rake, the sand and the scorching heat.

The dog leg 4^th is a nice hole as is the par 3 5^th. On the 6^th make sure you take your tee shot up the 7^th after your approach to the 6^th green to save time. And don’t tell the rules committee. Toko doesn’t seem to need many rules.

Country courses with limited membership hinge on a few good ladies and gentlemen. It was 29 degrees when I got out of the car. There were 3 guys sitting in the shade of the clubrooms. “whoosh it’s hot today fellas.” I said. “Come back when it heats up.” I was told by the good southern men in the shade. The online payment wasn’t working I left another promissory note that I’d pay somehow.

“Are you a good golfer” I was asked by one of the men. Be careful, this is a question you can’t answer. It is relative to nothing, good v’s the effort you have put into the game over the years, or good just today, or good is better than the average. “I’ll let you know when we finish.” I’ll walk with you said the ex-shearer Melvin who took up golf later in life.

“Is there a tap somewhere ?” “yes over by the gate, the water is funny but the prisoners drink it.” (the is Otago Correctional Facility is nearby) I filled the water bottle, the liquid was brown like dirt, I packed it in my bag anyway.

The Greens are country-soft but well looked after and true. There was a choice the club made a few years back. They had a chance to acquire the farmland next door and turn the excellent current nine into a full eighteen. A wise old member warned the committee that they could expand to a full 18 but most likely the quality would drop, they had no time or money to maintain additional holes. So, the decision to keep 9 and make it a top-quality course was the right one.

I enjoyed the company of Melvin on one of the better country nines. I was nearly out of golf balls going up the last couple of holes. I am not sure how this happened, there were spares in the car, but I didn’t check my ammunition levels before getting out on the course. You hear that occasionally in the professional world where the caddy only packs a dozen balls and the pro sprays a few around and hands out a couple to the local kids on his way around. The caddy notices on the 16^th or somewhere that he is on his last ball, lose it and that is disqualification! The caddy is best to keep that a secret from his employer.

You know that a tube of toothpaste is always near full, right up to the moment when it is near empty. It’s like golf balls, you have a bag full of them and then hold on, why is there only an old Titleist with JC written on it and a pinky orange slightly rubber number that just appeared in your bag? Where did the rest end up? There are many things in life that fit this irritating order of the universe. Petrol gauges show full and then the panic of the red light appears as you pull out of a country golf course with no idea where the closest garage will be. And of course, the charge on your phone fits this model, plenty of charge right up til the screen dims and you’re on less than 10% .

I emptied the muddy water from my bottle on the ground in the car park, I was stunningly thirsty, but there was no chance of me drinking it.

Deer capital and soft greens

The town of Mossburn is known as the deer capital of New Zealand. The 9-hole golf course is not dear, $10 and you are away. A flat course with wide fairways underneath the attractive Takitimu Mountains.

The course is the rural variety, small green that was so so soft, if I had brought the rolly puppy dog from the toilet tissue ad he would have loved lying on the grass, I gave it a go on the 4^th. It took a good few minutes to get up, very enjoyable.

The first is stroke hole 1, which we don’t like that much as a starter. A long tree-lined hole with long fairway grass adds extra degrees of difficulty.

There was no one around except a wee dog and some sheep penned between 2 fairways. Surprisingly it was humid for a trip around a Southland course, there were large sprinklers firing out protection to the greens. These weren’t going away quickly so there was the need to dodge the sprinkler to and fro as I putted.

The course boasts many majestic Douglas fir trees. The layout is not remarkable, but it is an attractive place to play.

Halfway around I met a nice fella who was wondering which fairway was needing cut the most. I pointed him to the first.  

Mossburn Golf Club does mess with different names for the second of the same nine, but I must say in their defence, just like Tuatapere Golf Club they have significantly different tee boxes. The ninth particularly goes from par 3 to par 4. So I’ll let them off this decision.

These types of golf courses are all over Southland, very local affairs, looked after by the community. Not the most trodden of golf courses but well-loved for their contribution to local life. I was honoured to be here on my quarter point on the journey to play all 392 in the land.

The last two of my nine nines are in the North Island. Mangakino Golf Club, north of Taupo, is mainly flat easy walking golf. A pretty little place to view from up at the club rooms looking down across the layout. In the heart of the dam country, there is a hydroelectric power station at Lake Maraetai. 

I arrived at the car park late in the day just before 7 pm. Enough light to see me around before heading to my accommodation for the night in Taupo. To my surprise, there were many cars and some activity in the clubrooms.

It was probably twilight and it was probably finishing up, so I headed inside the clubrooms to pay my fees. I was warmly greeted by a lady asking if I was here for the 4-hole frenzy. I wasn’t really, I told her. I  might play the whole 9 if that’s okay.

She took $10 from me and told me to hurry up and join the family on the 1^st tee. I missed them as they took off as a family 4 ball. It seemed the community were being encouraged to get into golf. Nice one I thought.

I walked up and joined the family and played alongside them at the first. They were lovely people getting introduced to our lovely game. They released me on the 2^nd to march on to get around before dark. The course was in country nick and very pleasant.

The front and back nine differ by 180 metres – the front has 2 par 3’s the back has 3 of them but one less par 5. This would make for a thoughtful second run at the nine-holer.

There is a nice lake -Maraetai – flanking the course and the undulation down the far end of the course makes it a worthy experience. The 5th/14th is a 243-metre par 4 or 133-metre par 3. This is the hole of the course for sure just for that variation but a very intrusive pond at the front of the green makes it a challenge from either tee.

I also love that the 7^th is stroke hole 1 on the front as a 376-metre par 4 and stroke hole 18 on the back as a par 5 404 metres only.

The last is a nice wee par 3 under the club rooms, when I got there the family were just finishing their 4 holes, I put my tee shot 2 feet from the pin. I looked a shoo-in for the closest to the pin prize. Except, the guy who won it took away the marker after he hit his shot! That is one way to guarantee the prize.

There were pizzas in boxes being passed around the club rooms and I joined in with a lite beer and talked with the crowd. A friendly bunch who had forgotten all about covid and were enjoying their community place. The guy running the show told me he was trying to get the club back on its feet. Make it more of a focal point for the local community and those with a bach to get involved with the locals. He was certainly going to give it a nudge and spruce the place up a bit.

Very good luck to him and the community there, golf will keep us all in high spirits, even in a pandemic.

To conclude the Nine o’ Nine, I took on my first Taranaki golf course. This region looks like a very interesting challenge with its 19 courses offering a range of experiences. Urenui Golf Club is north of New Plymouth by 30 kilometres.

The course is short and flat, ideal for holidaymakers who are attracted to the swimming spots and caravan park that borders the course. An unusual $12 green fee is required in cash, if you have only folding money this leaves an honest man’s choice, pay $15 and contribute more or put in a tenner and feel like a bandit stealing the club of $2. You decide where you sit. I found a two-dollar coin in the car and saved myself from the dilemma.

Who doesn’t love a Pouhutaka tree-lined fairway? This course has much to offer aesthetically. Views out over the Tasman and Caravans banking around one green to vindicate its name, the 5^th, “Caravans”

The tee boxes with the ocean in your backdrop are excellent. Add in a couple of tempting dog legs and it makes for an entertaining golf course.

I enjoyed this course, it is well suited to the jandel-wearing golfer as well as me in my proper shoes. I met a one-armed man in the bunker raking to his heart’s content. I later found out he is a local legend who looks after the course. The Taranaki golf course kept in shape by a one-armed greenkeeper | Stuff.co.nz

The course was in fine condition and what I would say was an interesting find on the coast of Taranaki. This region might surprise a few with what golf it offers. I’ll be back to find out.

At the time of writing, there are 392 courses in New Zealand. Nine-hole golf courses are the backbone of small-town New Zealand golf. The quality of these courses is variable, but always the golf courses are there because of the hard work of local people. Building a golf course for your community is no mean feat and maintaining it takes dedication.

I have loved discovering these amazing places and will continue my journey to play every one of them. Go well, fellow golfers.

There is a new leader in the race for the best nine holes in New Zealand.

I had a  lucky discovery in the countryside and the course makes it to the best courses in the land list.

A storm blows me into a rustic beauty in Shannon.

There are many golf courses in this land of the small white ball. 393 in fact, some of them will take your life savings for the privilege of teeing up. But my focus has moved to the lifeblood of New Zealand golf and those courses in the countryside feeding our communities.

Country courses can be all rustic – sheep, fenced greens and honesty boxes. Some are more angled towards country community affairs, a home for social gathering. Most are in quiet parts of our land giving you time to hear the wildlife, see the trees and listen to yourself muttering over missed putts.

My recent travels started at the king of rustic courses. Hawkes Bay is an area of New Zealand that can claim to have a true international golfing attraction in Cape Kidnappers. But I was there to play Te Pohue Golf Club.

Where? Taupo to Napier is a nice drive touching the southern point of the mighty Kaingaroa Forrest. It climbs up to the summit of the Turangakuma ranges and once you cross the bridge over the Mohaka river, you rise again to get up over the Titiokura Saddle. One of the great New Zealand road trips to be ticked off. 30 minutes short of Napier is this nine-hole golf course. Proper rustic with sheep in the fairways and sheep tee markers. Oh and nobody else on the course.

I played this course in a wind that was part of a weather bomb heading up New Zealand. It made for a perfectly wild day on a course that has a charm all of its own and should be a must stop if in the area.

At the start of this Rustic Tour of New Zealand, I was well organised. My wallet was filled with cash to feed the honesty boxes. I mentally prepared myself to share the course with wildlife. I mentally prepared for the various greens I would encounter. I downloaded an audiobook to focus on my putting prowess.

There is a man called Dr. Bob Rotella, a golf coach guru. I listened to his “Putting out of Your Mind” audiobook on the road. This has changed my life, both the audiobook thing and the lessons learned in less than an hour.

If you need any improvement on the greens I’d advise downloading the short audiobook. Audible gives you a free book when you sign up, so I challenge you to listen and not gain the confidence over a putt that I have now, thanks to Dr. Bob. Click the pic and tell me I am wrong.

The day after Te Pohue, I headed to the legendary 12 holes at Takapau Golf club, born in 1898. The weather bomb was severe and it wouldn’t let me out of the car to find out why there was a legendary attached to my description. I had to drive off.

It took 2 hours of navigating the storm to find a break at Shannon and I was blown through the 2 farm gates of Buckley Golf Club.

In the hospitality world, you use phrases such as, ‘we under-promise and over-deliver’. Buckley didn’t make any false promises, but my expectations were easily beaten by this little country course. Some sheep early on, but some cool hole designs lurking behind the clubhouse.

“Pond” “Hazard” and “Drop Shot” are worth the green fee alone. The club has been around since 1919, so it knows what it is doing.

The Best Nine Holes in the Land (so far)

The morning after a storm is always calm, I found a cracker clear day in Titahi Bay in Wellington. Titahi Golf Club is where Michael Campbell started his rather splendid career. This course is 9 holes and following the day out here it went straight to the top of my best nine holes in the country list.

A remarkable course on sweeping undulating slopes with brilliant risk and reward holes. Understated but not unnoticed. I’m glad I missed Titahi in a storm, my impression may have been somewhat different.

I once played Tokanui Golf Course in a breeze that was much stronger than stiff. I was actually very pleased to be playing the Southernmost golf course on the mainland with a Foveaux straight wind belting across the course. It made the whole course make sense, you don’t go to a water park and not expect to get wet.

Country golf courses struggle to get recognition, people don’t go country very often, the greens staff are usual one, with volunteers keeping these place in good order. That is why I was surprised to find Walton Golf Club. Following a closed sign at Tirau Golf Club due to the dreaded coring season, I stumbled up the treelined Walton driveway. In the Waikato countryside near Cambridge, this is a real hidden gem.

I didn’t expect it would end up on my top NZ golf course list. It slowly grew on me as I walked the fairways of this top-class country golf course. The layout, the location, the well looked after greens and fairways and the beautiful TREES. Like being on a garden tour it was a well thought out and a great place to play golf.

If you want to get lost in rustic whilst in the Waikato, there are many choices. “The best 9 holes in the Waikato” according to the team at Hukanui Golf Club is found 30 minutes north of Hamilton. Hard to disagree with that sentiment, the bar was open, the welcome friendly, the variety of challenges across the 2 hours was remarkable.

“Canyon” the signature hole across a small canyon was fun. The last green on the course is nearly in the clubhouse, “Walnuts” is a great finishing hole.

If this isn’t rustic enough for you, get in the car and find Waiterimu Golf Club. Proper electric fences and a flock of green keepers to manage the fairways. Somewhere near Huntly, you’ll enjoy the solitude of the country here.

An excellent collection of rural golf courses in New Zealand, and only a little slice of what is out there. When you come to plan a wee golf trip, don’t rush passed a small rural offering in favour of the big names out in the press. Save yourself a dollar and play a course that will give you some real character and might even surprise you just a wee bit.