At the bottom (or top) of Lake Wakatipu. Kingston Golf Club is the most northerly of the clubs that make up the Southland golf district. Kingston is the southern gateway to the Queenstown Lakes district. Just under 50 km’s along the Devil’s Staircase from here will bring you into Queenstown.

I played here many moons ago when there were fences around the greens to keep the sheep at bay. I was surprised to see them gone and the course was in good condition.

We came across a full course with the annual sponsor’s tournament in play. We squeezed onto the course between the field. At the clubrooms, there were no scorecards in the honesty box. A friendly local on the course offered to go and find me one, but I settled on taking a photo of his card. We had a laugh at his score so far, as they headed off in front of us.

A straight forward short par 4 to start the round should boost your confidence. The par 4’s at Kingston are all around the 300-metre mark so quite accessible for good scoring.

An uphill par 3, number 2 was named after Michael Hills poor brother. A testing hole needing a solid shot to get you up to the green. But once up there the view back down towards the lake is remarkable.

The undulating mounds at the back of the course were an interesting feature going down the 3rd. The first of 2 par 5’s at 418 metres. A nice looking driving hole with a tricky green.

At “Ben Nevis” the 140 metre 6th we bumped into another of the tournament players who insisted we come to the clubhouse for a beer after our round. I was beginning to like the good people of Kingston.

The 7th was a tough driving hole with a narrowing fairway. What made it tougher was the weather that was galloping up the lake at us. A quick stop to hide under trees ensued whilst we waited for it to blow through.

I can offer some advice on the 8th, a short 288 metres, asking for a ripper off the tee. Don’t take your driver from the bag. An easy 7 iron will leave you far enough back to get over the substantial tree guarding the green. I took the driver.

The clubhouse was full of people when we finished. I sometimes forget to de cloth my cap when entering the clubrooms. It is a tradition to remove your headgear in clubrooms through the land. Golf people are quick to give you notice, by looking at you and tapping their heads. In Scotland that is code for your mental/crazy.

The prize table was laden with prizes, for their biggest tourney of the year. The president came and introduced himself – we found out the club was born the same year as us ( me and the wife) 1968.

There was news of thousands of houses planned for the area and with this comes the fear that course may be taken from these good people. We met a few other local people and shared stories of great courses in the Southland area, including the deceased Oreti sands in Invercargill.

It turned out that one of the ladies in the room was a relative of the first-ever person to tee off at Oreti sands.

These clubrooms were full of a great bunch of people enjoying their big day. For me, another lucky day to play a local course which had been immaculately presented for the tournament.

The difficulty to get the community to look after the course year-round was raised. New people coming in to live but not utilizing the golf course. We can’t accept this fate, we need Kingston golf club to survive another 50 years. I’ll be back to play in the tournament next year proper. A Brilliant day out and a course worthy of being on the Best Nine Holes of New Zealand list.

The toilet didn’t make the list of top on course toilets.

It was a swift Boxing Day drive to Invercargill to visit Greenacres Country Club. Carrying a few pounds of extra weight following an excessive family dinner, I needed a good walk.

I’ve passed this course a few times previously on the way to the airport. I had the impression that it may be high end and a wee bit exclusive, but it was not quite that. It must have been the name that drove up the expectation.

There is a good 2 levelled driving range at the course, as it was boxing day the range was closed.

50th jubilee of Greenacres Country Club is coming up very soon, opened in 1969 the locals will no doubt have a great weekend celebrating.

The first is a straight forward par 4 at 303 metres, urged on by the signage, I lashed at a hazy boxing day drive to leave me “Embarrassed.” The aptest opening hole name I’ve encountered.

The course was relatively busy with various groups out and about. There must have been a Boxing Day tradition for a rugby team on the course as I passed a massive group of 15 odd folks playing together. There was a lot of laughter and banter amongst them.

The course measures 5,780 metres and set amongst mature trees on a parkland setting. The front nine passed me by pretty quickly, a combination of the Christmas day indulgencies and an irritable wind were to blame.

The inclusion of another “Bonanza” was mystifying me – does anyone have any light they can shine on this title for a golf hole?

To continue the luck I was having on the Southland trip I found the back nine had just been mowed which set up some nice playing conditions.

From the 10th I had 4 pars in a row and then a birdie. My blood was pumping at the thought of an under-par 9 holes. A swift double bogey on the 15th stopped that thought in its tracks.

One Small Step for Man

As I write this a light has gone on, the actual reason for the name of the 12th hole. At the time I thought the green might be hard to reach or it was made of cheese or once you’ve gone you will never really go back.

Man landed on the moon at the same time the Greenacres Country Club was born in 1969. A World Significant event with 2 men playing lunar golf up there a few years later. Check out the astronaut’s swing here. Play golf wherever you may be, on the moon or on the fairways of Southland.

The best hole on the course is the 13th. At 320 metres with a sharp dogleg to the left. Your tee shot could be a long high draw over and around the trees or a steady layup just passed the corner.

There was an irritable wind which was pretty annoying during my 4 hours at Greenacres Country Club. The course was okay, the wind and my expectations of the country club meant I didn’t quite get this course on the best in New Zealand list.

The greens had been sprayed with something that had turned them white very odd-looking. They were still true to putt on.

I preferred the back nine set up. The 18th is a lovely wee finishing hole. The four par 5’ are all challenging, long enough to be true par 5’s. A few months ago it would have been 2 good hits and a long pitch but now a drive and hybrid or long iron are getting me close to the green. My coach has done a great job at adding distance to my game. I feel a par 5 is a scoring hole for me now.

$20 green fee is good value for money for a well looked after affair. The Toilet facilities were not up to Tuatapere standards, but useful when in need.

It says boldly on the Tuatapere Golf Club welcome signage, “Southlands Best 9 Hole Golf Course.”

Only time would tell as I continue to enjoy the tour of Southland. It was Christmas Day and what a great gift to myself to have 2 hours out on this much loved rural golf course.

Located near the Clifton Suspension Bridge, a local attraction along with the Clifton Limestone Caves. Tuatapere township is 10 kilometres up the road. A little town that was gaining a reputation as a tourist hotspot. The Hump Ridge Track is a catalyst for this growth.

Tuatapere Golf Club is a flat parkland course, looked after by the members, it is in very good condition. Mature trees, a water hazard and an artistic sculpture make for a pretty place to be. The sculpture is obviously a nod to “the Hills” in Queenstown- Tuatapare for sure will be much better value for money.

I played here a long long time ago, but I am certain that the green fees were $10 way back then. The honesty box is probably the same and signage suggests there has been no price gouging here in the South.

Bellbird Terrace is nice par 4 at the far end of the course, at one with nature and the bird song was there right on cue. 308 metres with a marvellous closed in fairway due to the hedgerow.

Long Drop

A good on course toilet is not easy to find. But here on Tuatapere Golf Course at the 8th hole, you’ll find a classy wee loo. A fresh smelling long drop with deer horns on the outside.

Number 8 was named after the local river, Waiau, a par 4 with the stone and metal sculpture behind the green.

The front nine and back nine tees have a good variety. None more so than the 6th/15th, 118metres on the front directly over the water and 165 metres from a different angle on the back nine.

I got the ultimate Christmas present of a birdie 4 on the last hole. A Par 5 443 metres staring down the clubhouse. A special day for me as I headed away to enjoy a Christmas family dinner.

What makes Tuatapere a contender for the top 9 holes in Southland? It is certainly well looked after and the variety of front nine and back nine go a long way to getting the crown.

The course has a nice flow with a layout of 5,501 metres over the 2 sets of nine holes. A par 72 – 2 par 5’s and 2 par 3’s.

Is it the master of Drummond Golf Club? I’m not sure it is. I may have to return to the South to play both courses on the same day. A sort of shootout, finale, last chance to impress, best foot forward, head to head session.

I’ll be back to Tuatapere one day soon to put my money in the slot. A wonderful place to play a round of golf. Definitely one of the Best Nine Holes in New Zealand.

Mataura Golf Club is a flat 9 hole course. With impressive hedgerows and established trees. The recent rain had subsided enough to get the greenkeeper out. I was fortunate again on my Southland tour to get the best of conditions.

A quiet day at Mataura Golf Club, there was only one other group out on the course. The Clubrooms looked good from through the window. Although the practice putting green obviously wasn’t used much.

Just over 5,500 metres for the 2 rounds of nine, the course is no pushover. 2 par 5’s and 2 par 3’s on each nine make it a par 72.

There is a neat little bridge to help you cross a gully in the 3rd fairway. It was dry but I wondered at the time if maybe there was some flooding in the area that would change the dynamic of the hole.

Following the recent flooding event in Mataura and surrounding districts, they were in a state of emergency which certainly would have covered the golf course. This was the biggest flood seen here since 1978.

My thoughts go out to the people of the area and I hope the recovery is swift for you all.

The 4th par 3 is …oh no .. Westward Ho at 139 metres on the 2nd nine it turns into “Good Hit” 171 metres.

Sponsored by a local Windscreen company – clever marketing with a car park close enough to the course to generate some business eventually.

After “Good Hit” came “High Tension” due to the overhead cables. They certainly came into play with your approach to the green.

There was a Bonanza on the card, not quite as common as Westward Ho. But why Bonanza? A great western show in the 60’s but what has it got to do with golf course names?

I enjoyed the last towards the clubhouse, called “Clubhouse” and “Last Chance” A par 5 needing clever placement of your drive to get a shot at the green, even laying up needed some thought to avoid the encroaching trees.

I found a surprise package at Mataura Golf Club. Surprisingly well ordered and surprisingly mature as a nine-hole rural golf course. The fairways around Mataura are quite wide and inviting. The greens were fine and flat.

Can it compete with Drummond for Southland’s best nine holes? Not quite, but I suggest if you are in Mataura bring the clubs and get out to enjoy the course.

Arriving at Tokanui Golf Club you realise you are about to “take on” the course. Located on the majestic southern coast with views out to the southern ocean and over the Mataura Estuary. Tokanui is the most southerly golf course on the mainland.

Not far from the most southerly part of New Zealand, Slope Point is an awfully exposed location. This course comes with its own unique challenge. Reading from local sources, “the course is spectacular and plays differently in a stiff wind.” Today was a wind day so taming Tokanui was not going to be easy.

This is classic links golf, no tress just open fairways and wind. The
1st was as an opening shot over the road that separates the 2 parts of the course.

Your tee shot is out to a humps and hollows fairway, to get you started on this little links beauty. The 2nd was a 150-metre par 3 which today required a well-hit hybrid into the wind to get up to the green.

I gave up trying to stand my bag on its legs. With the wind, it was getting blown over far too easily.

Going up the dogleg 3rd, an uphill Par 5 of 362 metres it was the longest hole on the course. It was called “Toi Tois” – now here is the educational part of the story. At first, I thought it was Toes Toes – names after Toetoes Bay which is roughly where we were. But it was actually Toi Tois – was this hole sponsored by the fine wine called Toi Toi? Unlikely I thought.

Eventually, I found the Toi Toi tree – the only sign of flora and fauna on the course. So I took a picture to remind me of the Toi Toi tree…. This is not a Toi Toi.

Check the wine bottle label to see a lovely whispy grass which is the Toi Toi.

I then read an article about the Toe Toe grass, often misspelt Toi Toi. So was this hole named mocking the spelling? OR maybe it should have been “Toi Toi Toi” – a cry heard at the theatre to wish an actor good luck, similar to “break a leg” – I am going with this explanation until the hole naming committee chairman corrects me otherwise.

I needed all the luck I could get hitting into the wind. “Toi Toi Toi !!” I cried bent over into the wind.

“Norwester” and “South Pole” were 2 holes with names fitting for the occasion.

There had been a greenskeeper out and about just prior to me teeing off. Not another foolish soul on the course in this wind. One thing I noticed is the mower did not need any kind of catcher. The wind took the clippings and shared them with the district.

I enjoyed the “Roadhole” number 6, only 277 metres, with a challenging tee shot over the corner of the road to an elevated green.

The 7th, 8th and 9th were back across the road to finish the blustery round of golf and back in the car to find a bottle of that wine. The pleasure of playing Tokanui Golf Course was still whistling in my ears.

The card here has a grainy picture of golfers on the ninth green, but also a sponsors message from the Tokanui Tavern pointing me in the right direction.

If I were you put this course on the bucket list. It definitely makes the Top 10 Nine Hole Golf Courses of New Zealand so far.

It was club day at Hedgehope Golf Club. A lively bunch were out for the pre-Christmas loud shirt day out. People gathering quickly in the small car park. We shared a bit of banter with a man opening clubrooms and we got out quickly ahead of the pack.

The night before I had gathered directions on how to find the Hedgehope Golf Club. Asking in the local Speight’s house how far is it from here? “Oh, it’s 15 minutes out of Winton. “

Still none the wiser as I was not in Winton. Heading to Winton to find Hedgehope Golf Club, the weather was dry and overcast. Southland had experienced a lot of rain in the last month, good for growth but hard for local communities to keep their golf courses in good playing condition.

As it was club day we welcomed the sound of the mower tidying up the greens and fairways. We got the best of the conditions and the moisture dried off quickly.

The 1st hole heads down along the roadside, a par 3 to get you going, and then across the road for the next 2 holes. “Why did the Psychic Golfer cross the road?” … “To get to the other side”….

“Moonshine” was the 2nd a sweeping risk or reward par 4 at 263 metres. My hole of the day; a challenging drive to cut the corner and chase your ball up towards an elevated green.

After finishing on the 3rd – the longest hole on the course at 324 metres. It was back across the road for a short par 3, Glen Coe. One of my favourite parts of Scotland, an amazing heather laden valley.

There were a few interesting holes on Hedgehope Golf Course including doglegs, including “dogleg” which was a dogleg.

On the back nine, number 5 “Dogleg” is renamed, number 14 “Tractor Shed” a great observational name. I assume the tractor shed was built in the same location when the course came into being.

With mature trees all around and a tidy wee nine-holes, it was a pleasure to play at this community golf course. There were traditional club rooms which I am sure over the years has seen a few interesting gatherings.

Dating back to 1968 the club is a great example of golf in rural Southland. I left with a sense of pride that golf still keeps us all together, with a happy group of golfers out as a community enjoying life.

If you are looking for a breathtaking location with views to die for, you’ve found it.
A friendly man in the clubhouse gave me good instructions about the course layout. I had played Te Anau Golf Club some 20 years ago – before the accident. *

I could not remember the hole by hole layout but I’ll never forget the views. It is situated at the bottom of Lake Te Anau -or is it the top of the lake, surely the lake is flat and doesn’t have a top or bottom?

The 1st is a par 5 on the lakeside, a flat sweeping hole. I lost sight of my ball as I drove off the first tee. I was mesmerized by lake Te Anau. There are 2 fairway bunkers to catch that first mistimed tee shot of the day.
I had not a care in the world where my ball went as I drunk in the hot mesmerising landscapes all around.

Interestingly, the 2nd is also a par 5 along the lakeside. I was glad to see the back of 2 long holes this early and good to play them when my fitness is still in check.

2 par 5’s and a short par 3 3rd was a good opportunity to score well early. A great front nine is completed when you stand up on the 10th tee heading back to the clubhouse. A shorter than short par 5 at 386 metres and surely it is birdie time. The views from the tee across Lake Te Anau and out at the tip of the Fiordland National Park are the highlight of this course. The Murchison Mountains and Mount Luxmore dominate the skyline.

Number 10 isn’t as easy as the card suggests, stroke hole 18, with a tight fairway and even tighter approach to the raised green. Miss on either side and you will be glad of a solid par. This would be my hole of the day and onto the best golf holes in New Zealand list.

The 12th is a cracking hole, Te Anau is not the manicured course it may have been in the past, but the 12th shows off the location which is the USP for this course. Although I say that, every hole has a little bit of magic, with Lake Te Anua on the doorstep.

I’m a fan of a tee box back in the trees, even better if it is up a hill into the back of the trees. It is nice to leave your bag down below and push on up the hill with a driver in your hand.

Do you take a spare ball or mid-iron just case? You could find out of bounds or maybe the drive looks dangerous and you waive the white flag with an iron? I usually sneak another ball in my pocket and grab the 6 iron. ( with no actual intention of using it)

I tend to perform well from these situations, is it the extra oxygen fired into your ventricles as you suck in some big gulps up the hill? When you get to the top, are you on an adrenaline high, putting extra metres on your drive?

On the 13th tee, marvelling at the vista, blood pumping through my chest and arms. I was coiled like a spring on a cold morning, I unleashed the drive of the day. No need for the extra ball!

Te Anau Golf Club should be on every man and woman’s golfing radar. The course is in okay condition, well presented but in need of a little extra love. BUT location location location is the winner here. You will not be disappointed to spend 4 hours of your golfing life on this golf course. It will appear comfortably in New Zealand’s Top Golf Courses thanks to the part of the world into sits in.

*the birth of my kids*