This is the black sand course, a true links masterpiece on Muriwai beach.

I hadn’t played a full round of golf since April at Jack’s Point. Today I jumped in the car and headed to Muriwai Golf Club. The car hadn’t moved far since the awesome news that Delta was in the community and we were living with the virus. We were not living with it, we were hiding from it in our apartment.

If any game on earth is the game of the pandemic, it is golf. There is no risk, none, that you will be grabbed by Johnny COVID when wandering the fairways of a golf club. It seemed okay for the public to exercise on a golf course with their dog, or partner, or bubble but don’t bring a wee ball or an iron stick with you, elst you’ll end up a statistic.

I have played Muriwai Golf Club before, in the rain, heavy rain at that. My return to the club was thrilling, there was not a puff of wind and the sun was very welcome on my face. The people here are friendly, nice beach town people.

I moved fast to the 1st tee to get a lick on, it was a late start but there would be plenty of light to see me around. The 1st is upon an elevated tee looking out across the course and the ocean, I was glad to be right here.

It is one of the easier par 4’s, 322 metres with a downhill tee shot. The par 4’s across the course are all longish, the shortest of the collection is 319 metres. I would pick, that with the wind blowing hard, the length of a par 4 would become irrelevant, taking the win downwind and taking your medicine into it.

As I got to my ball resting in the middle of the 1st fairway, not the rough, a bunker, or sand dune, I remembered what I love about Muriwai. The grass is awesome, it is Kikuyu. I am no student of grass, but this stuff
is lovely. Tightly shorn Kikuyu fairways give you a perfect lie every time.
I popped the ball on the green and walked up to the elevated surface.

The green looked amazing, so true, and right up my alleyway. I had a new putter in hand and in a positive frame of mind for my evening on these greens. There was nothing wrong with the previous putter, I just like this one more.

Will it change my fortunes?

I once went to dog training classes (with a dog, not on my own) the lovely trainer commented after the first session, “ the dog doesn’t need training the owners do.”
Similar idea to the putter and its owner I think.

A solid par secured on the first, and off to the second, a par 5. The par 4’s being long and not easy scoring holes contrasts with the par 5’s. Four of them on the course, not all gettable in 2 but with good course management, these are your best opportunity to get a respectable round on the card.
The sweeping dogleg 2nd heads back to the clubrooms and starts a run of holes where the ocean isn’t as evident. I claimed another par, thrilled with my opening after such a long layoff.

There are 4 par 3’s at Muriwai Golf Club, the 3rd is the longest at 175 metres, a fair clip indeed. The par 3’s are all unique and a good scoring chance if you’re on your game.

The course which was built in the late 1950’s – it has been a favourite of many over the years. A top 20 contender in New Zealand for sure amongst those who keep score. I rate it highly on my Top NZ Golf courses list.
The location is serious links, the condition of the grass and the greens plus the magical black sand bunkers give it an edge. The black sand is very black when it is raining, it looks cool.

I was puzzling over what keeps Muriwai from challenging the top 10? Why is Paraparaumu Beach better? The difference is found on the stretch through the 2 long par 4’s of the 4th and 5th and onto the par 5 6th finishing with another long par 4 at the 7th . This stretch is nice but not exceptional, simple holes with none of the clever challenges of other top courses. It doesn’t mix it up enough to deliver a true golfing great. But I’m being a bit picky.

Or it could be the ridiculous Kikuyu grass.

In a past paragraph, I lorded the grass here as the reason you have to play. But a word of warning to those that are not students of grass like me. The rough has long Kikuyu grass, not the deep hard to find your ball rough. But the grass grows up from below itself, is that possible? What I mean is that your ball sits on top of the mess of kikuyu waiting to devour your clubhead.

I’d forgotten this and foolishly took a recovery club out on the 7th to recover from a poor tee shot. I swiped madly at the ball and watched as the ball popped upwards and backward – the grass
sucked my club under and I was sucked in. I don’t recall hitting a shot backward before.

Writing the double bogey on the card on the side of the 7th green was disappointing. My assessment of the course at this point was nice but average. I had a sweat up and trudged up the wee hill to the
8th tee. Ahh now, this is class, playing straight back at the ocean a par 3 to rival the best that you’ll find. Links bunkering and a small sloping green to tangle with, this is links heaven.

At 143 metres the length means nothing when the wind blows, they talk about pitching wedge to driver is the range of club choices due to the wind. No wind today, I’ll take the win on that one.
The 8th gets this course back on track, the 9th adds more to the story. Heading back to the clubrooms, the approach to the green needs your attention elevated with sloping drop-offs on each side. A
Norfolk Pine behind the green frames the picture well.

I picked up more water at the shop, I was beginning to falter in the heat. My golf fitness was being put to the test as I moved swiftly to the back 9.
I enjoyed the start of the second half, it felt more like it should. And then the 12th took my fancy, a par 5 that looked at one with nature and the god of links.

A dogleg to the left with a sweep of spindly trees and bunkers all the way up the fairway, making it a really good golf hole. 4 greenside pot bunkers were the icing on the cake. I secured a par making it 3 out of 3 pars on the long holes so far, my plan was working.

The greens today were in fantastic condition, not slick but so true that you had confidence in your stroke every time. The new putter was playing along nicely and was put to the ultimate test with a 7
foot birdie putt on the last of the par 5’s, the 14th . I popped it in, and walked off the green grinning at my one under across the four par 5’s.

This was not the same story on the par 3’s where I couldn’t equal the accuracy. Even the short 103 metre 17th couldn’t yield a par.

This is a cracking wee hole – uphill only a gap wedge in hand but a scary shot to the undulating green, the green is quite big but if you miss it like me, you’ll struggle.

I stood buggered on the 18th needing a par to go around bang on handicap, a fine feat given the layoff. But the 18th is 374 metres, beautiful to look at but a tough way to finish.

It took a whollop off the tee and a fully flighted 5 iron to the back tier of the green. This finishing hole is one of the best around, missing short or right is not an option on your approach. The gallery on the clubhouse balcony will be watching too.

The Kikuyu also means you don’t get the run up of Scottish links, normally a bump and run will get you up onto a green but the Kikuyu grabs the ball and gives you nothing if you are short. The trusty new putter got me home in par and everyone was happy.

I was impressed with Muriwai Golf Club, one of New Zealand’s finest places to play. A quick mention of the hole names, every hole has it’s own name. No Temptation or Devil’s anything in sight. “Long Tom Kirkup,” “Where’s Joe,” “Don’s Leg” and “Thar she blows!” have a personality not borrowed from someone else. Be your own golfer people, with your own name, good work Muriwai. I personally would put the 12th ahead of the 8th on my best holes of NZ list. But you should go and make up your own mind.