At the top of Lake Wakatipu is the town of Glenorchy. The television people came here to film their drama series “Top of the Lake”. Two rivers, the Dart and the Rees, flow into this lake with the enthusiasm and icy water – a local legend suggests even the fish wear beanies around here.

The journey from Queenstown to Glenorchy takes precisely forty-five minutes if you are the sort of person who measures such things. This drive time isn’t precise if you stop for photographic opportunities. Every corner of the 45-minute drive unveils a new view of the lake and the surrounding mountain ranges. I chose the meteorologically perfect day to make this trip, with perfect blue skies, not a breath of wind and fresh snow on the mountains.

The 9-hole course is in the town and shares its premises with the racecourse and the rugby club. One solitary group preceded me on the course, brave souls indeed. The temperature had dropped below zero overnight, which in Celsius means something different than in Fahrenheit (for our American viewers). I strategically chose to play in daylight hours, sound judgment indeed, with a warm sun and still conditions, it was perfect.

There are no particularly long holes at Glenorchy Golf Club, it’s a flat affair with limited rough. A course for all comers and those who hadn’t played much over the winter months. I was a little winter-weary, like an old abandoned bicycle, I might have grown rusty. The first tee offers views of surrounding hills that would inspire poets, assuming poets played golf, very inviting and with plenty of space for a rusty opening drive.

Considering the time of year, the course was in good condition, and even the greens were palatable.

The second is a nicely framed 143 metre par 3, with a public walkway next to the tee. A rambler came by and insisted on watching my tee shot. Not a particularly interesting sporting moment from the day. The rambler by nature walks for pleasure and feels compelled to offer unsolicited advice; he suggested I was a club or two short; he was right, but goodness only knows why he had to tell me. He rambled away, as ramblers do.

The 3rd is an interesting dogleg 218 metres, but you are not cutting the corner, a strategic lay up to the corner and a pitch should yield a par. The green was shaded from the sun by the bank of trees, that created the dog leg. I found out after I lost my ball that the green was still frozen, and my second shot, albeit precise, bounded with the enthusiasm of a bouncy ball down an airport runway into the bushes.

I enjoyed the 6th hole up to the racecourse finishing line; it was narrow, but I managed a par for the first time today, so I was a winner by a nose on the day… of the imaginary race that I wasn’t in.

The course here is in such a lovely setting that I ignored my poor performance and the rustic nature of the conditions. Glenorchy is a course to turn up, play, and drink in the surroundings and a few beers. The Lord of the Rings has many movie sites close to Glenorchy where the trilogy was filmed. If you drive up to aptly named “Paradise”, you will be guided to some impressive backdrops for your Instagram.

The 7th is the only longer hole here, a par 5 of only 407 metres. a chance for a birdie if you get off the tee and avoid the road hugging the right-hand side of the fairway.

The 8th had a unique bunker protecting the front of the green on the 97 metre par 3, though guarding what from whom remains philosophically unclear. It shouldn’t really be in play on this target hole, but I enjoyed the bunker shot I played out of there.

I departed having had what the happiness industry would term “a great day out,” though whether greatness can be measured in lost bouncy balls, magnificent scenery, unwanted commentary, or frozen greens remains a question for greater minds than mine. I love Glenorchy golf course, as it has put me back on track to achieve a full house of New Zealand golf courses. I am now over 30% complete on my mission.