Auckland

Howick – Don’t park too close

Boom what a view!

There are 20 golf courses in Auckland. What a treat awaits on the varied courses within 30 minutes of the city centre.

Overcast and 23 degrees at the outset. Full blazing sun and 27 degrees at the turn. Pulling up to Howick the car park was FULL not a space, even for a lime scooter. I circled until someone moved on. Every course in the country has a selection of reserved spaces, President, club captain, caterer, life member .. usually empty spaces … surely the club knows if these guys are playing today… We squeezed into a freed up space and unloaded the weapons for the day. We had plenty of time prior to our tee slot for putting practice. The practice green was ridiculously small no actual holes just 2 flags with rubber rings on the bottom. We messed around waiting and started to notice the topography. Sweeping undulating fairways, elevated greens, encroaching ocean. This looked awesome, dangerous but awesome. Partner for the day, Lochy was eyeing the 9th green. A tee shot over a gully to the green, no real drama except the closeness of the green to the pro shop.

We headed to the 1st tee – I take back my previous comments there is a lovely practice green over by the 1st.
The golf course is on the peninsula at the end of Bucklands Beach. There is some real estate money down in this part of Auckland, it is a beautiful suburb. After my shocker last week my handicap has moved north to 11.9, so 12 for the day. 1 more shot would be helpful but now further from my dream of single figures. 

Shoulda read the signage Practice Green is lovely

I love this course, the greens are good, fairways okay but location and variation of the challenges really appeal to me. It is a Par 33 on the front 9 – with 4 par 3’s. A wee seat in the shade at half time to tally the scores. I’m playing on handicap, 6 over, nice I’m in it! My partner Lochy had a 50. Now Lochy has never beat 100. Howick is a par 69 for 18, this is his chance. The heat of day got stronger and temperatures rose, so did Lochy’s game. He was smashing his drives a long long way. His putting was coming together just when he needed it. I’m not a great one for keep score during the round but we stopped on 16 to assess the situation, 2 pars for me and I’d play to handicap at 12 over. Two 6’s and Lochy would break 100. No pressure. A bogey at 17 burst my bubble but Lochy had a 5.


Now, 18 is the easiest hole on the course ( says the index on the card) it is a par 5 with OB and ocean all down the left hand side. Who works out these stroke holes? Lochy skirted with OB on his drive and then really skirted with OB on his 2nd as it scuff up the fairway. But eventually he made the green in 4 followed by 2 putts later he has nailed a 6 and ends up on 98! What a legend! I fall off the pace to be 14 over and 2 over handicap.

No pressure on 18 – the ocean is calling!

Great golf -wonderful location – straight to the top of the list of Top Auckland golf courses I’ve played.
We celebrated with a beer ( ginger) and 2 bags of chips ( we missed the kitchen fryer by 5 minutes.) Lochy was pleased with his milestone and I had that feeling I was growing into a potentially good round some time soon.
We were left with  a parting post-it note on the car complaining we had parked too close to the next door car and they couldn’t get in to their car. My apologies to you whomever you are. You will be pleased to know I have kept the note and will gift it forward next time someone parks too close to me.

1 of 1 Top Auckland Golf courses played.
Howick - Don't park too close
There are 20 golf courses in Auckland. What a treat awaits on the varied courses within 30 minutes of the
Waitemata - Forgettable Unless you use your Driver
Waitemata 26 degrees full sun stiff SW wind during 1st nine easing to a light breeze coming home. Companion Lochy 
4 Golfing goals.
Dear fellow golfers. come with me on this journey, to play every golf course in New Zealand, 3 putts at


North Harbour

Waitemata – Forgettable Unless you use your Driver

Waitemata 26 degrees full sun stiff SW wind during 1st nine easing to a light breeze coming home. Companion Lochy  ( my boy)


1st official round of the mission to play every golf course in NZ. Nestled in the Narrow neck beach suburb on the north shore close to Devonport.  Waitemata is a flat course with little or no interesting features. A well established course in a lovely parkland setting, a great walking course, established as one of New Zealand’s collection in 1905.


Interesting thing I lived in Auckland 14 years ago and resided in a street overlooking this golf course, but I never played it. My number 1 son went to his first school here so I have some fond memories of this area of the world.


The front nine is a par 34 – 2 par 3’s and no par 5’s. EVERY hole is straight and flat. Should make for easy scoring – apparently not 9 over the card – only 2 shots left for the back nine on today’s course handicap of 11. 
The tee boxes and greens are all a bit close together at Waitemata and the layout lends itself to great deal of near misses as some average golfers poke their way around. I’ve never heard as many “four!” calls in a nine holes of golf.  We did tee off late, 1.30pm – it’s a different class of golfer playing late in the day usually.

The first nine layout was not obvious, we got lost looking for tee boxes a few times. There was one hole which had a sign pointing out the next tee but it sent us the wrong way for a moment until a friendly local sorted us out. Funnily enough when we neared the tee there was a sign saying ” this way” nothing else just a re affirmation of something is this way.

Look out for the Law


The back nine has the odd dog leg and the interest factor increases, coming in is a par 36 with much shorter par 4’s and a couple of straight forward par 5’s – should be much easier than the front. Not according to my card – following a 9 over on the front, I went 1 better at 10 over on the back. Leaving me 19 over the card and 8 over my handicap. So much for single figure aspirations – staying under 20 might be a result.

The 11th is a dog leg right 290 metres – perfect for my power cut ( aka super slice) but no – you are prohibited by law to fire a driver around the trees onto the green. You will be prosecuted – with the right like mind judge there would surely would be no fine for using a life long slice to good effect…. I should have been arrested for imitating a golfer during the back 9.

1 course down, 1 handicap going up. This is going to be awesome!

North Harbour

4 Golfing goals.

Dear fellow golfers. come with me on this journey, to play every golf course in New Zealand, 3 putts at a time.

There is a reported 393 courses in NZ and this is declining as developers and councils carve up our greens and fairways to put up town houses. Some courses are on the brink of bankruptcy and will be lost to farmland. So I thought I better play them all now before it is too late.
You might learn a little about the course, the clubhouse food and beverage offering, the weather, the thickness of the rough, the new rule changes or nothing much at all about golf.

New  Zealand has the 2nd highest number of courses per capita – behind the home of golf… Scotland.. I am a Scotsman living in New Zealand so it would be only fitting that I get around each an every course in the country.
Why am I tackling this now? I have just turned 50 – I was a bit busy for a mid life crisis so maybe this is it. I loved golf as a young man and played a lot with my brother. He was much better at the game than me. But after the accident I didn’t play and trying to regain the aggressive and expert game that I once had is proving difficult.

I’m taking lessons for the first time, I was asked “what are your golf goals?” I never had any, I mumbled a reactionary goal to my golf coach, ” single figure handicap before I get too old”  ( I’m currently on 11.2 – don’t be fooled can’t play anywhere near that ) Fred, my coach,  said ” you are going to have some fun this summer” as he rips my swing to pieces and starts to rebuild.
I decided to get some golf goals

1. Play off of a single figure handicap- I have a ridiculous historic handicap which won’t go away- my scoring is currently around 85-90

2. Play every golf course in NZ – not sure how long this will take.

3. Never mention the accident again as a excuse.

4. Stop referring the birth of my kids as the accident.

The journey to play every golf course in New Zealand