Across the picturesque landscape of Southland, there are six 18-hole golf courses. Invercargill Golf Club is the jewel in the crown and is the oldest. Established in 1900 it has a reputation as the best in the South. The New Zealand Open was hosted here in 1960 and the way back in 1934 Eugenio Saraceni as his birth name goes, played here. Gene Sarazen was 32 years old when he trod the Links of Otatara and famously proclaimed that these links had the best fairways in New Zealand. Thanks Gene, but I will be the judge of that!

A year later Gene was at the Augusta Masters and hit his second shot, a four wood, into the hole at the par 5 15^th – the albatross helped him win the tournament. He went down in history and went on to be a legend of the game winning all 4 majors.

I was looking forward to playing at Invercargill Golf Club, I chose a windless and warm day to make the trek to the linksy course just 6 minutes out of Invercargill city centre. The course is halfway between Invercargill and Oreti beach, where Burt Munro roared on his famous World’s Fastest Indian. I wonder if he was a member of the golf club. If you haven’t seen the movie, go to the video shop and rent a copy, it is awesome.

Preparing for my round putting on my shoes I encountered a wee rip in the side. I pondered the possibility of playing with a hole in my shoe, it was dry so no worries there. As I walked to the golf shop, I could feel the side of my shoe coming apart. Bugger, I will need to invest in new shoes. The lady in the shop was very helpful and I picked up some Ecco shoes that looked smart. I saw this as a lucky omen, the last time I had a successful pre-round shoe purchase and low score combo was at Cromwell Golf Club. Superstitious or not, the choice infused me with a sense of buoyancy for the round ahead.

 There is a charming putting green in front of the clubhouse, I used it to test out the shoes. I didn’t stay long as I was eager to get into the course proper. Looking around at the lay of the land, it may have been built on links land, with a sandy bottom but there was more of a parkland feel with more trees and native New Zealand bush than I expected. There was good undulation to the look of the course which pointed it towards a links feel. The bunkering across the course underscored this links point alongside the shapely greens.

The scorecard I had didn’t have hole names on it, but there was a second scorecard that did provide this missing narrative. There was simple wooden hole numbering on each tee, with no hole names on the course. The first hole is a short par 4 at 290 metres – “the Nest”. The course isn’t overly long, a tad over 6,000 metres with 3 par 5’s and 3 par 3’s. A smart play off the first tee is a long iron and focus on the approach to the lovely setting in the undulations of the first green.

It is wise to research Invercargill Golf Club before visiting, this is not a course where you pull the driver from your bag on every hole. A good strategy and a calm head will minimise the effect of that inconsistent loop in your backswing. Unfortunately, the driver was needed on holes two and three, they are long, with a stroke index of 3 and 1 respectively. The 3rd 402 metres, is called “Rushes” – don’t rush – the tee shot needs a long and accurate shot to a narrow fairway. And then get up to an elevated green surrounded by deep bunkers.

The par 3’s are excellent, only three of them, so enjoy every moment. “Schoolhouse” the 4^th is 139 metres and flat, seemingly simple enough except for the protective bunkers and the narrow green. The Takitimu mountains are a majestic southland feature seen from many golf courses and that usually leads to a hole name with this signature. “Takitimu” the 6^th is well placed next to the clubrooms if you have forgotten to put a drink in your bag.

I do like an “Elbow” – the dogleg 7^th hole is 327 metres and about 200 metres up to the bend of the elbow.  A nice wee hole.

The stretch from the 8^th through the 11^th offers some good scoring opportunities. A couple of par 5’s and shorter par 4’s. I enjoyed the elevated outlook off of the 10^th tee box, aptly named “Outlook” which has an attractive opening shot to a fairway with a ridge that needs taming.

The next part of the course was very enjoyable, the 12^th – a testing 183 metre par 3 – was easy on the eye, a shapely green with a rotten-looking deep bunker in front. My hole of the day and now added to the best holes of New Zealand List.

Your eyes will water on the 13^th if you attack the last par 5 on the course.  A full 500 metres with water, OB, and boasting the name “Eastward HO” – confronting all the “Westward HO’s “across the country. I haven’t met this polar opposite name to date.

The run home from here was a pleasure, undulating fairways and great bunkering stood out, I thought that “Pines” -the last – was an appropriate final challenge to find a spot on the narrow fairway just in the right spot to avoid the rows of tall pines.

The course has impeccable maintenance which ensures an enjoyable but challenging test.  The layout incorporates thoughtful design, the varying fairway undulations, deep bunkers, and strategic hazards require a clever golfer to navigate.

My new shoes performed well on the sandy-bottomed ground; I got off the course on my playing handicap for the day. A testament to picking a windless day, the rough here is not particularly punishing but there is plenty of danger if you stray. The greens are the best in Southland so there are no excuses on the putting surface.

With only half a dozen Southland courses remaining on my checklist to complete, the allure of Invercargill Golf Club will pull me back for another round. It is the best in the region, it is storied with history and undeniable quality making it an irresistible destination for your golf in the South.