Top-notch greens are hard to find on a country golf course. In the blazing heat of Waikato, I found just that at Horsham Downs Golf Club. Situated north of Hamilton, near Flagstaff the club is a wee stunner, nine- holes of great golf.

I sat in the car looking out over the Waikato River, a peaceful fast-moving body of water. Peaceful until a jet ski buzzed by. The golf course is on the east bank of the Waikato, it doesn’t really come into play unless you hit a big sliced thin on the 3^rd.

I caked myself in sunscreen from the boot of my car, it was hot and I wasn’t too used to sunshine as yet this summer. There were plenty of folks around on the course and a few were getting ready in the car park. The chap in the shop was a proud Waikato man in a rugby shirt to match his pride. He juggled the shop and bar, he ducked away to serve a couple of beers whilst I was printing my card. He gave me excellent instructions on how to get around the course and set me on my way with a large drink.

The opening hole is an exceptional way to get going, a par three of 167 metres into a beautiful two-tiered green, flanked by a couple of bunkers. A challenge from the get-go for sure with the added bonus of the incoming driveway in front of the green.

The blind drive off the 2^nd is interesting, a short par four of 266 meters. If you know where you are going a well-hit drive up and over the hill might have a surprise eagle putt at the end of it. Or you might just nestle into one of the 2 bunkers sprawled in front of the green.

From the 3^rd tee, you can see a glimpse of the Waikato River, but it shouldn’t be in play on this 143-metre par 3. The back of the green is all out of bounds so the pressure to not thin your tee shot is the biggest worry. I was very impressed with the greens at Horsham Downs Golf Club, they have put a great deal of effort into maintaining top-quality greens at such an unlikely course. You can have the confidence to fire at the flag and know you’ll get a receptive surface.

I started with a solid three bogeys in a row, my frustrated gate made it to the 4^th tee box and was delighted to view another par 3 down into a bowl of green below.

I felt my fortunes improving as I stood over the shot into the classy green which was 144 metres away. A quality strike and 2 indifferent putts secured my first par of the day, and at the last of the par 3’s on the course. It is unusual to have 3 of the first 4 holes as par 3’s.

I nailed a drive up to a blind and narrow 5^th fairway and bowled up to my ball swigging most of my drink, it was hot and the fairways were baking. As Winton Peters might say, “The drapes don’t match the carpet “– the fairways are typical Waikato country course fairways, with limited irrigation they are at the mercy of the weather. Not poor just not up to the standards set on the greens.

My shot from the middle of the 5^th fairway was down into a green some 40 metres below, a little daunting with the driveway behind. Another par secured I moved across to the 6^th – the longest par 4 at 383 metres with a road all down one side. My ball is still bouncing down that road…triple bogey later I needed more liquid.

The only par 5 is the 7^th only 423 metres, if you know where the fairway was on this hole – it is an easy drive, and you can really let loose. A large bank on the left side of the fairway almost guarantees success, if you don’t go too far left, your ball will make its way onto the fairway. The green is a monster – I found that out when I got there in 2 mighty hits and took 3 mighty awful putts to make par.

With only 2 holes to go I could see the clubhouse from the 8^th tee and knew there was beer there. The final two holes are unique for sure, both have two greens, one for the front nine and one for the back nine. Normally you will find different tee boxes so this was unusual. All holes have 2 flags one for each nine so encouraging you to go around twice. The issue I uncovered on the 8^th fairway was that the distance marker in the ground didn’t tell you which of the two greens you were 135 metres from, an added challenge for sure.

When I was heading down the 9^th – having avoided the OB on the right – I felt very satisfied with my outing. Only 258 metres, the last is a hole that could be a Wrecker if you take a swing to get there in one blow. The OB might get you or the tree in front of the green if you are on the wrong angle.

The green I was shooting for was small and sloping steeply towards me. I played a safe 4 iron up to a good spot to attack the hole. That I did and came off the last with a tap in par.

It is difficult to pick a hole of the day, I reckon the 1^st just pips the rest. The amphitheater beginning to a 2-tiered green is a great opening challenge. The guy in the shop likes the 7^th – because it is a hole with no danger on either side of the fairway. He said to me when I was enjoying a beer on the outdoor deck that he would challenge any small course in the country to compete with their greens. Who am I to argue? Horsham Downs Golf Club is up there as one of the best nine-hole courses in the country, just for their greens alone. Add in the target golf of the three excellent par 3’s, the risk-reward of the short par 4’s, and the quirky double greens on the 8^th and 9^th they must be a contender.

The attractive rolling farmland that surrounds the Purangi Golf Club leads you to believe this country affair will be easily tamed.

The course is situated close to some of the great beaches on the Coromandel Peninsula. Hahei Beach is the gateway to Cathedral Cove. Cooks Beach is delightful and the legendary Hot Water Beach – it is legendary for people sitting in self-dug holes of hot water.

Catering to the locals and the holidaymakers this full-length nine-hole course is no pushover. 5,200 metres twice round, it is well worth feeding the honesty box with $20 for unlimited all-day golf.

In years gone by I believe livestock and fences were in place, I was expecting a rugged rural presentation. But wait, as I pulled up she was an attractive wee place and dressed to impress.

The greens were small – as expected in rural NZ – but very tidy, undulating and tricky to land on with your approach shots.

The first was a good opener, “MAUNGATAWHIRI” – there was a house on the edge of the fairway looking right at you. I’m sure the poor bugger who lived there has seen his share of golfers in his garden.

A simple little downhill par 4 at 274 metres -an easy way to get going for the day. I had a hard-fought and well earned triple bogey.

Purangi Golf Club is a very well presented golf course and the hole names were interesting enough.

The 2nd was called “Wrecker”, now we know this is a common name around the country for a golf hole. When it appears on the card as the second hole into your round, you have to worry.

There was a creek running through the course, it seemed to appear everywhere. The other natural hazards have to be managed carefully as you work your way around. Thankfully, some of the holes had good directional poles to keep you right. But some joker just put them in the middle of the fairway, which was accurate but may be a waste of a pole.

“The Gap” was truly that with trees offering you a space to find the green 155 Metres from the tee. The green wasn’t welcoming anything left and you are faced with a large drop off and a tricky chip.

The 4th was a long par 5 with the ever-present creek short of the green, guarding the silly 2nd shot aiming the green.

I was really enjoying this course, the surroundings, the difficult choices from tee boxes and tricky approaches all made for proper golf.

The 5th “Devil’s Point” was no Elbow. What the point was only the Devil will know. His plan for me was a double bogey. Scoring here is tough my friends. A nice looking hole only God could have made. I thought right them that there is no Devil just God when he is drunk. It made sense at the time.

“Pine Lake ” was my hole of the day. A par 4 at 327 metres. Firstly the lake of pines to be avoided from the tee were cool enough. A downhill shot at the green needed to avoid the creek ( of course) – an attractive part of the course too.

The 7th was a delightful par 3 ” The Dell” – I found a cool wee bunker next to the green.

Next, I had to mentally wrestle with “Temptation” – a shortish par 5 but needing a belter of a tee shot to an uphill fairway to have a chance to get up to the green in two.

There were Turkeys on the green. I was not surprised by anything that Purangi Golf Club had for me. I bagged a par and was happy with that. The course was teaching me a lesson for sure.

“Punchbowl ” is an uphill 159 Metres to finish you off. A delightful hole with a rustic bunker.

Well done to the team at Purangi Golf Club, you have a great golf course. I’ll be back when you fill in the creek.

The on-course toilet was presented well, so adding to the excellent day out.

The town of Coromandel is a big focus for the latest COVID lockdown. The Coromandel Golf Club should be open as a welcome relief to the good people of this town. If there is a sport that should be exempt from restrictions we all know it should be golf.

This course is a wee bit special. All the holes are named after a gold mine according to the history lesson on the wall of the clubrooms. I wonder if “Try Again” the 10th was a failed 2nd attempt at a gold mine I’d like to think it is.

Just on the edge of town, the course is an unassuming affair. “Scotties” the opener is a simple straightforward par 4. Make the most of this as each hole has its own character – just like a gold mine – I’d imagine.

The 2nd, “Hauraki” takes you straight back to the clubrooms, good if you left your sandwich in the car. A gentle downhill par 4 with a couple of nice-looking bunkers at the green.

A nice run from here, down “Bunker Hill”, up “Union Beach” and a great drive off “Tokatea” – a par 5 which should be a scoring hole if you can keep your cool off the tee. This is a nice and challenging part of the course.

The 5th takes you back to the clubrooms, good if you left your drink in the car!

The 6th is the start of the best of the course, it is called “Success” without knowing the history the hole didn’t look like success. Uphill to an elevated green (again) short but shitty – we all know someone like that.

The par 5 7th and the brilliant downhill par 3 8th leave you enjoying every bit of this golf course. Ending on “Slaughterhouse” is much better than the old standard elsewhere called “Wrecker”.

I find this course very different across the 9 holes. The greens are in good nick, the hole names are some of the coolest around. I like the number of times you get back to the clubrooms. Good for never getting caught short, grabbing a chocolate bar, a cold beer, or fresh pencil.

Definitely worthy of making the Top Nine Holes in New Zealand. A really good place to be, so get out and support our regional courses, when the lockdown levels drop.

If you meet a politician then have a word in their shell-like. Golf should be free to play at any level, if you can ride your bike for exercise then the pleasure of a round of golf will keep the morale of New Zealand up in these tough times.

The town of Paeroa is world-famous in New Zealand since ages ago. I have never been to this legend of a town and I was a bit excited driving down the main street. The Paeroa Golf Club is 6 km from the massive L&P bottle in the heart of the town. Paeroa town is more than just a fizzy drink, there is interesting shopping and it has a cool vibe.

The course was very quiet, sitting lonely at Rotokohu, in the Valley of the Mist. It was a beautifully clear hot day, no idea where that name came from, not today anyway.

The history of Paeroa Golf Club has been very well documented in the “Century of Golf Strokes” published for the centenary celebrations in 2004. It was a pleasure to be playing a golf course with such a rich history and at the heart of the local community.

There is a par 3 to start, just like Thames Golf Club I like this unusual choice of starting hole.

The next 3 holes have a boundary fence tight to the right-hand side of the fairway. I would recommend leaving your slice in the car.

Following the short starter, it gets serious on the 2nd, the longest hole on the course a 482 metre par 5.

And wakey wakey the 3rd is another monster par 5 at 466 metres. Fully warmed up now, I enjoyed the run through the 4th-6th, “Summit” had a great looking approach to the narrow green.

“Elbow” the 5th need a power fade to slide around the corner and get up near the green on the short par 4. I enjoyed the drive here, blind from an elevated tee box.

The hole of the day was the spectacular 6th. There was water on the right and bush on the left to attract your eye. But the view across “Chasm” was enticing. 133 metres down across the steep valley, just lovely in a lovely part of the world.

A new local tee, – the L&P Tee – is slightly high but encourages you to hit up on the ball.

The ninth is a cool hole with a tight corridor of trees to negotiate from the tee. The green is protected by a stream and a couple of well placed bunkers.

The back nine starts with a “Westward Ho” – I have been critical of this hole name previously. From reading the 100 year history of the club this name was in place many years ago. So maybe I need to nod to the past and pull my head in.

But what I did discover from the pages is that the 3rd was called “Donga” in 1948. In 2004 they dropped this name in favour of “The Pines” – good bye Donga and good riddance. ! That’s one for the record books, other clubs take note you can alter your past and move your club forward with better hole names, come on…..

The back nine has good scoring opportunities with mid-length par 4’s and generous fairways. The far end of the course brings you back up stroke hole 1, the 14th, “Homeward” needs 2 good shots to get up to the green.

The closing 4 should set up your card, if you haven’t run out of puff. So keep a can of the good lemony stuff on hand to power you home.

18 is a short 286-metre par 4 taking you back to the clubrooms. “Journey’s End” is apt, enjoy the peace of the valley and remember those that have gone before. A great kiwi classic with a little fizz.

The Kopu Bridge that crosses the Waihou River into the Coromandel is the gateway to Thames. This was the busiest one-laned bridge affair in the country, until 2012 when the new bridge was completed with 2 full lanes.

I stopped before the bridge to fill up the tank and get provisions, unsure if I’d find an open clubhouse at the golf club with drinks on show. The man at the gas station was stout and had a baritone tonality to his voice. Deep but smooth as he bid me a good day.

A quiet car park at Thames Golf Club, but the golf shop was open, I felt a little disquiet as I wasn’t for adding any revenue to the club on this occasion. The lady in the clubhouse shop was dressed in shocking pink and welcomed us with husky gravel in her timbre.

Was there something about this area that attracted this type? Golf club manager by day – Jazz singer by night? She was interested, like most Jazz singers. Where we were from and do we know the course?

I bought a pitch marker repair tool with the Thames Golf Club logo on to make up for the previous lack of confidence in the drink supply.

She pointed out that we start playing toward the hill and this loops back into the flat of the early part of the course. The back nine is back out towards the hill for another loop.

From the car park, I thought the course was on the flat, no she affirmed not so flat. It does venture up the hill. Not quite as testing as the Pinnacles – a local stiff climb which needs a ladder ascent near the summit to get you up top.

Near Death Experience

I played a few weeks back with a couple of older chaps. The conversation turned to which golf courses were the hardest walking. This quickly led onto which course had put my playing partner in the hospital. Waitakere was the obvious first choice. He nodded and mentioned the 18th at Maungakiekie, and how he fell over at Pupuke, ” you need one long leg and one short leg to play there every week.”

Thames Golf Club was not that bad! A few hills out the back of the course to get the thirst up but generally manageable without a cart.

A flat start and a 163-metre par 3, I was glad of this. The driver had a month of excellence but has recently hit a speed bump. Bryson Dechambeau won the US open with only a 41% driving accuracy. I was doing the same but just significantly further from the green.

I had a lesson with the trusty Ross, which gave me a focus on how to straighten the long stick somewhat. We all know it takes 2 games and some practice to get out the other side of a lesson. This was game 1 – it could spell danger!

The course here looks like a simple affair. There was only a handful of game souls out there on the day. So I was full of inaccurate assumptions that it wasn’t much of a course.

The elevation changes start a the 3rd, 15 metres up from tee to green. Then another 10 metres up on the 4th.

The 5th is from an elevated tee in case your legs hadn’t had enough. A 295 metre dogleg par 4. A sloping fairway and tricky green made this shorty much harder than it appeared on first viewing.

The course has 7 par 4’s 300 metres or under. This should make for good scoring if you can get your drive in the right place. My driver was doing okay following the lesson, but I wasn’t feeling it. Too much thinking was getting in the way.

The front nine was a success due to a good run of pars, including a nice par on the 8th – “The Drop” a 169 metre (all downhill) par 3 – followed by a nice birdie on the par 5 nineth. I felt good about my score at the 10th tee, only 3 over the card.

Our Jazz singer appeared on the 10th tee, “not as flat as you thought eh?” she improvised.

Getting Jazzy

Following on from a front nine to be (quite) proud of, the back nine took a hold of me. I slowly realised that my golf life was like being in a big Jazz band. The marriage of golf and music came to me as I hit an off-tempo slice into the trees on the 11th.

I knew my golf game was inconsistent, it was proud and daring and stupid and brilliant. I couldn’t just learn a simple rhythm and stick to it. Always tweaking or improvising. Never happy with the pop song cookie-cutter approach.

I am Jazz in a golfer. There no definitive explanation or definition of what Jazz is. The Jazz musician has a keen sense of improvisation that allows them to thwart all attempts of confinement.

A long line of questions around where the term Jazz comes from has provided no answers. One hundred years of the birth of Jazz was celebrated in 2017, the answers to the questions of its origin and what it actually is, remain elusive.

It is spontaneous, improvised, a syncopation of ideas. This is the accenting of a note that usually would not be accented. Often described as offbeat, the true essence of Jazz. If this is not my golf game I don’t what is.

Add the realisation, the “swing” is a large part of what Jazz is and I now agree with myself that golf is Jazz. The spontaneity of Jazz allows a Jazz man to have no planning, he can walk into a Jazz “Club” that he has never visited, with guys he has never seen, and just play. Golf affords the same luxury.

When you look at a hole called “Temptation” (the 5th ) or the “Devil’s Elbow” ( the 12th) – these are risk or reward holes. If you have seen La La Land – the jazz pianist Seb frets endlessly about what is and isn’t jazz – “it’s conflict and it’s compromise, it’s new every time…” Yip that’s Jazz and that’s the choice between the Driver or the 6 iron, conflict, compromise and a new outcome every time.

I stumbled through the back nine, not playing to my full potential or to the audience. But I really enjoyed this part of the course.

There were 4 cracking risk or reward drives, a short par 5 and a cool 100 metre directly up par 3, called “Summit.” This was the opposite twin of “The Drop” on the front nine.

I’m not sure how I dropped 7 shots over the nine holes to put me back in the pack, but I enjoyed the ride.

Devil’s Elbow required a clever iron off the tee and a precise wedge into the green. The course for me came to life on the back nine and filled me with the jingling sound of a great golf course.

I think running through the hole names of a course gives you a sense of what is in store. Thames had all the classics, including “Donga”, an overly used name that should be impeached. It means a dried up ravine formed by an action of water. Why is it so prevalent across the country?

I do favour the “Hopeful” and “Calamity” they no doubt are phycological warfare on the weak minded golfer.

Back to the quality of Thames Golf Club, it is a great course over some lovely countryside. If you are crossing the bridge into the Coromandel swerve off and enjoy all that this course has to offer.

A morning spent watching the third round of the Masters spurred me into the car and off to golf. A little known Waikato nine hole course in the countryside was a mystery box.

I was surprised to see the club rooms open in the afternoon at Hukanui Golf Club. I was more surprised that the friendly welcome was all genuine. Following the financial transaction the lady in the club talked me through the layout of the course. I headed off down the laneway towards the first, excited by the prospect.

The first is right next to the road, “Roadway”, not Roadhole, it was a drive you don’t want from the first tee. The noise of the busy traffic drew your attention. The group in front were walking the road line peering across the tarmac.

With the tee shot sorted and in the fairway, I found that the green isn’t too far from the passing cars either. A small green which was soft and slow.

Number 2 was into the wind and a challenging hit, 189 metres – with the road still on the left. Following a lavish swish of my hybrid from the tee, I headed off to peer across the tarmac. It was a beautiful high draw that bounced down the road, missing the oncoming traffic thankfully. 3 shots out of my 4 handicap for the nine dropped on the 2nd, this could be a tricky round.

My confidence was still high, I’d scored my best round in the year of lockdown down at Clarks Beach a few days before. Five over the card on the course, that made me feel like a golfer.

Okay, the classic hole names of Homeward Bound and Westward Ho were nowhere to be seen. But we got “Long John” on the 3rd, is this a Treasure Island pirate reference – it could be my new most cringe-worthy hole name.

It was a long par 5, of course. Right-hand dogleg needing a powerful draw from the tee. I imagined the laser tracer thing that follows a drive at the Masters on the TV, bending perfectly around the corner. Nailed it! Visualisation works after all.

The 4th was another par 5, called “not so Long John” – no it wasn’t – but it was shorter and a great driving hole over a ridge to a blind fairway. I nearly hit a random foot golfer.
The club has opened up to footgolf, which is cool and will provide much-needed revenue. The footballers have no idea how hard a golf ball is, so it may end up in disaster.

I was enjoying the course and the conditions but my excitement following the clubhouse lady’s description had lessened at little, nice course but maybe not great.

I was wrong, the uphill short par 4 fifth hole was a great golf hole – fairway bunkers to ask you the question and a hidden gully to stop you laying up. There were wonderful views from the hilltop green. It started a run of 5 holes that were excellent.

The 152 metre downhill 6th, “Beehive” was buzzin’ from it’s elevated tee. I had been told that the 7th over the gully was the course’s signature.

The Canyon

We cracked a can of zero alcohol beer for the occasion and let 2 foot golfers pass through, (very short are these soccer players). If you want a bit of fun at the supermarket ask them why they need a supervisor to the check out to allow you to buy zero alcohol beer, it’s beer you see.

So “Canyon” is the risk or reward hole of the day. Drive over the gully, canyon might make you think of the place in America, not quite as big here at Hukanui Golf Club.

The hole is all risk, OB on the left, trees on the right, a narrowing fairway leading into the green protected by a great deep bunker. Don’t hit the driver, there is no reward.

Just as hole names were improving, we got a “Deception” – the 8th needs a high fade over the corner. DJ was doing it around Augusta all day so why not me. Visualisation saw a perfect DJ like drive ( minus about 100 metres or so)

Walnuts

At the last you get “Walnuts”, the road comes back into play on the left and the clubhouse is 2 paces from the back of the green. You could put your drink order on your ball ready for a quick thinned tee shot. 123 metres to the green it is a lovely way to complete the course.

I was even more pleased to see the bar was still open, not normal for a country course later in the day. Sitting at the back of the ninth enjoying a real beer was very pleasant indeed.

The club claims they have the best 9 holes in the Waikato. I tend to agree, but I’ve only played one other. It ranks up there on the Top 10 NZ Nine Hole Golf Course list.

The course is tidy, the layout is challenging and the clubrooms are very friendly. Cheers Hukanui Golf Club for a great day out.

By accident, on this day I discovered Walton Golf Club. The hidden gem of New Zealand golf courses. A claim made by many but not always backed up. This course could be the real thing.

Following an overnight stop in Taupo, I searched for a course heading north that has appeal on this rustic tour of NZ golf courses. Breakfast on the lake was amazing. I had a quick look at the Lake Taupo hole in one challenge, it was packed with suckers trying to hole out for cash. Like the traveller rigged fairground games – heads they win – tails you lose.

Today’s decision of where to play my round of golf was not dictated by the weather gods. It was the warmest day of the year so far.
When you head north out of Taupo you pass Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary, I slowed knowing that quality lies behind the walls. But this not for today’s challenge, I was going rustic.

I made the decision to pass 2 courses, Tokoroa Golf Club and Putaruru Golf Club, before stopping in Tirau, the corrugated capital of New Zealand. Tirau Golf Club was CLOSED! Arghh bloody coring. The greenkeeper came over to offer an apology that we missed out on the chance to play, he suggested Walton Golf Club. Only a little way up the road near the Cambridge area.

We drove merrily along in search of Walton, through some beautiful countryside with horse stud farms dotted all around the area.

The tree-lined arrival into Walton was a hint to what we had in store ahead of us. The car park looked busy for a little course in the countryside on a Monday. Was there some International COVID
defying event taking place?

There were many ladies in purple around the clubhouse, luckily they were finishing up their round. So we had the course to ourselves mainly.

Lathered in sunscreen for the first time this season and the smell of fresh blossom put a pep in my step.
Golfers should not like trees. I don’t study trees and have little expertise in this field. I do know Onewhero Golf Club has too many macrocarpas.

But here at Walton I maybe have loosened my dislike of a tree. Someone has taken great pride in planting a vast collection of trees here, plenty of cherry blossoms, and well-manicured conifers, a magnolia or two plus more species I need help with. It was a pleasure to see such a spectacular spring day be reflected in the trees all around the course.

There were recognizable tall tall pines trees and wispy
willows plus a rhododendron when needed. The course could easily host a garden tour visit as well as golf.

No hole names here today at Walton Golf Club. The 1st had a nice elevated look at what was coming up. A par 5 first up is always good news in my opinion.

Following a long time sitting in the car getting to a golf course, I always think a wee warm-up should be included before starting the round. I didn’t do that and struggled to find the fairway pulling my driver into a different culture of trees on the first few holes.

The course is longer than most rural courses at 5,725 metres a par 72. There are no easy wins here, the 7th, a par 5, the par 3 8th and the 9th heading back up to the side of the clubrooms was a nice run of holes. All with good bunkering.

I’m not sure of my favourite hole on the course. The 10th through to the 13th was enjoyable. Ending with a cool water pump windmill thing at the back of the green.

After this, the course had more trees and a great outlook in front of me. It was certainly a very pretty part of the course. This golf course had a charm all the way around and it seemed to me that it was comfortable in its own skin.

The greens had been cored 5 weeks before – the Tirau Golf Club greenkeeper told me, so they were hard and difficult to hold the ball on. You needed to drop most approaches onto the front edge. That said they were very true and made for good putting. With my new found putting religion, I enjoyed the short game today.

The area is new to me, the farmland surrounding the course was a good looking affair and well-groomed. There are views out the distant mountain ranges. A thoroughly pleasant place to play golf. I might have found a golf course that has missed the limelight, but maybe the locals like it that way.

Adding Walton Golf Club to the Top New Zealand Golf courses list was an easy decision. I felt the community in the trees, the love in the fairways and all of this with one greenkeeper.

As toilet situations go, they were in pretty locations. Fine loo’s to match the rest of the course. So if you got to go, go to Walton. You will not be disappointed with this country golf course in the heart of the Waikato.

I got out of the airconditioned car and stepped into a pizza oven. It was roasting in the Waikare Golf Club car park.

The chap in the shop had a history, 80 years he’s been attached to his club. His Grandad was the first president in these parts. I pleaded for a cart, even if it were only for nine holes. He said he would be gone soon, but he didn’t live far so gave us a cart and asked if we could park it up after our round. He’d come back later to put it away.

I was getting the sense that there was a love of their club here at Waikare. A golf course in the Waikato not far from Lake Waikare.

Waikato was burnt to a crisp, and so was Waikare Golf Club. But the greens were in excellent condition. The brown fairways and open nature of the course was a pleasure to play. Stocked up with drinks and sunscreen a good day out followed.

There are plenty of features at Waikare. The top of the course offers a fantastic vista and the collection of statues and pond life leaves you feeling like this is more than a dry old golf course.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

A golf hole needs a name, a golf hole name needs some thought, Waikare has a collection of names to rival most. No “Westward Ho” in sight, no “Homeward Bound” and I’ll let them away with a “Devil’s Elbow”

“Rangitoto” starts your round from an elevated tee to a short 420 metre par 5. It’s not such a long way to “Tipperary” 317 metre par 4 2nd. The course is a par 70 at 5,160 metres. Not a long course with 3 reachable par 5’s – 2 of them in the first 3 holes. “Tea House” number 3 has a large landing area from an elevated tee box. An opportunity to start well before the heat sucked the life out my golf swing.

The 5th is only 299 metres, “Tomos” has 3 hollows (or Tomos) to catch your tee shot and give you coin flip stance in the process. I have played Waitomo golf course, so I should have known what a Tomo was, I soon found out when my ball ended up in one.

There are 3 par 3’s in the last four holes of the front nine. The first of these is “Whizz-Bang” my pick of the hole of the day. The carry to the green over the pond and the name win the day! This is a great part of the course.

“Bella Vista” starts the short back nine. Scoring should be easy looking at the card, but this course punishes poorly positioned shots. And there is always a pond to keep you on your toes.

I was looking forward to getting to the 12th “Devil’s Elbow” you know it is a risk or reward slog off the tee. A cracking wee hole at 254 metres with a pleasant and perfectly placed pond to sink a sliced drive.

I birdied the 13th “Waitare” the last of the par 5’s. By now it was a windless boiler of an afternoon. I was so glad of the cart.

“Outlook” up on the 15th tee has a great view across the countryside. Fully exposed to the heat, I made a mess of this hole and the classic 16th “Jerico” which has a lovely framed green with a pond short of the green to catch your eye.

The life was drawn out of me by the time I got to “Temptation” the 17th – we all know that this name for a hole is telling us to hit an iron off the tee to the 277 Metre par 4. Or just take on the tree and irrigation storage pond with a driver. I gave way to the temptation and managed an easy par.

Heading up “Clubhouse ” to finish my round I was certainly pleased to have visited this Waikato staple. I was for sure planning to come back when there was more green on the fairways, to see it at it’s finest.

The clubrooms were excellent and overlooked the course. No one was there when I came off the 18th, sweating buckets and looking for a beer.

A country course that is well looked after and a friendly place to play. The bunkers across the course were well placed, the water features too, the statutes really pulled it all together. Well done Waikare, I see you when it rains!

Waiterimu Golf Club in Waikato is not easy to find, off the beaten track, with not a lot of web presence. I knew about this course from the man at Huntly Golf Club.

Coming off State highway 1 just before Huntly I couldn’t bring the course up on the maps app. I stopped on a deserted road to do some research and find the place.

A hard-working car pulled up alongside me, a worn and weathered man barked something at me. I couldn’t make out a word. I rolled down the window and spoke at him, ” I’m looking for a golf course”

He lights up, ” Are you Scots??” He told me he was a laird, the rightful owner of Castle Inch. Following this information, he affirmed, “I’ve never been to Scotland” He then rattled off a long story starting with him being born on the side of the road in America, “on Highway 66!”

His nationality was an extraordinary mix of Scots, American, Welsh, Portuguese – possibly the father of Rohanldo – and something about having a connection to the German Reich. He did look Maori.

He owned land all over New Zealand and heard this area was up for sale that’s why he was here. He also heard a rumour that an International golf resort was planned for the area, he winked at me knowingly – I was the buyer for sure.

Pulling into an empty car park is a nice feeling. I was looking forward to the nine holes ahead of me. I get more of a kick out of a true country golf course than some courses who think they are something that they are not.

Unpacked and ready to get out there, a rain shower came through and turned into a thunderous 10 minutes of a downpour. We cuddled under the clubrooms parapet until it passed. There was a great outdoor area for post-round socialising.

A healthy mob of sheep roamed freely on the course. Electric fences kept them off the putting surface. The greens were soft and smooth and pretty good really.

This little country course was no pushover, substantial par 4’s and tough par 5’s. The 9th was the hole of the day 140 metres in full view of the nobody watching from the clubrooms.

This journey was taking me to places I never knew about. The countryside here is lovely, rolling farmland. To know that this course exists in rural New Zealand is heartwarming.

The Greenkeepers were friendly all the way around and seem to maintain the fairways will dedication. Although I did get a shit lie now and again.

As a course layout I was impressed, not a cookie cutter design. A local design to keep you challenged. The first was a tempting dog leg a bit early in the round to smash the driver over the corner, or was it?

Number 3 needed your attention off the tee at 389 metres with a dogleg it was deserving of number 1 stroke hole status.

The 5th is a deceptive par 3 at 162 metres. Followed by another dogleg at the 6th tee.

The 7th, a par 5, was a good driving hole narrowed by the trees in front of the tee box. A sloping fairway and tricky elevated green made the short par 5 a little harder than it may appear. The front nine suggests it is stroke 17 but playing it again on the back gives it stroke index 2 as it drops down to a par 4.

Number 8 is another par 5 longest on the course at 444 metres. But the hole of the day is the finishing hole. 140 metres back up to the clubhouse. A beautifully framed way to complete your round in front of those watching from the deck.

Time to go

A word on the loo. Was it a loo on the 5th? If you don’t need to go on course, don’t go is my humble advice. On the card it said toilet so let’s assume you can go there.

I’m not in a position to judge this or add it to the list of top 10 on course toilets. If it was, in fact, a toilet.

What I will say is that on the clubhouse wall there is an amazingly informative sign making sure you know where the toilets are.

By No.10 Tee apparently, which is where the 1st tee is and also this sign.

If you are nearby Waiterimu drop in for the loo or better still a round of golf on the Kiwi classic.

I dropped my wife at Auckland airport for a business trip away. Huntly didn’t seem that far, so I headed south to the Waikato.

I arrived and headed up to the clubrooms to find someone to give my $25 green fee. There was a hot and thirsty looking collection of men settling into their chairs. The man behind the bar took me downstairs to get a card.

He told me the group in the bar were too thirsty to play more than 9 holes today. It was a stinking hot day.

“What brings you around this way?” the man asked. I looked a wee bit townie and obviously not local. I unfolded the dream to play every golf course in New Zealand at his feet.

He bobbed his head and shoulders in appreciation of the task. “There are nearly 400??” he learned and quickly processed the challenge ahead of me. “If you do one course every month – you’ll be dead before you finish.”

I agreed and rushed to the 1st tee, I better get a move on.

It was a dry intense heat beating down on the Huntly fairways. This had been the weather story for a while. The course was a light brown colour like many more in the New Zealand countryside at the height of summer.

I was sporting a new pair of golf shoes, a half size bigger than normal to allow for swelling of the plates of meat. They were exceptionally comfortable.

The front nine passed me by as I struggled to get in a rhythm. The dry course was generous off of the tee. If you hit a straight drive you would feel good with the added run metres, I couldn’t muster much of that. You had to hit the green or else the miss was magnified by the hard ground around them. The greens themselves were in good condition.

Foolishly unprepared, there was no water in my bag so at half time I was glad that the man was still around to sell me much needed hydration before he packed up for the day.

I picked water from the fridge and noticed a box of Speights. ” Can I grab a can ?” – the man wondered why I had asked that “Looks like you need it.”

On the 10th tee I demanded more from myself, I drank all the water. I will keep the very cold can of beer in my bag until my game improves.

Number 10 was a par 3, a nice hole to get the back nine started. I thinned an eight iron onto the green for par. This was the start of a good stretch of golf.

A drivable dogleg of 259 metres was a nice 11th hole. If you can find a power fade you’d be happy. Another par on 11 and following a great iron shot into the par 3 12th, there were signs I would soon crack the beer. I’ll drink it if I nail the birdie putt… Missed it.

The 13th is a tough 354 metre par 4 needing a good drive. I came off the green with another par. I was wondering if I could keep this up and I was wondering if the beer was getting warm.

The 14th was a par 5 and made for an easy 5th par in a row. I couldn’t take the risk any longer on the beer temperature and I had played well enough to deserve it.

Time for a beer

I sat on the lovely 15th tee and whipped off my sweat sodden hat and delved into the bag for the can of Speights. Yes, it was still cold. There was no one anywhere in sight, it felt right to pull off my shirt and lie back on the tee box.

I’ve never been shirtless on a golf course in my life. I must take this moment to apologise to the good people of Huntly. For the disregarding of all etiquette rules on your golf course. Any one who may have seen the sun reflect off of my white Scottish skin and wonder what was going on, to them I apologise too,

The beer and the moment was such a pleasure. I got ahead of myself ( again) and dreamt of a bogey-free back nine. 3 quarters of the can already drunk, I stood up and stared down the 15th, a mere 168 metres later I came off with a double-bogey 5. The beer and the sunshine knocked me off my pedestal.

I finished the can, put my shirt back on and made sure that I was dressed appropriately for the final stretch.

Melting back to the clubrooms, it was a tough final 3 holes, wishing for more cold Speights but no luck as everything was locked up.

I enjoyed the back nine here at Huntly, the course is well worth a visit. I was glad there were no hills to tackle in the heat of the day. I was glad I took the drive to the Waikato to experience the 18 holes. I felt the tinge of sunburn on the way home, best to keep my shirt on in the future.