There is one true hero in Southland, and that’s Otatara Links, five minutes south of Invercargill. But it’s not the only stop worth your while if you’ve got three days in Southland to play golf.
I’d rank Southland as one of the friendliest and most relaxed places in New Zealand. The people are genuine. Like a pie or a cheese roll, you know exactly what you’re going to get from them, and the golf courses are the same. Southland has 24 golf courses, and only six of them run to a full 18 holes. That tells you the character of the place: honesty boxes, nine-hole gems and locals in Swanndris who’ll laugh at your slice with you rather than at you.
So if you’re coming down to play for two or three days, let me walk you through the highlights.
The trip at a glance
| Morning | Afternoon / evening | Overnight | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrival evening | — | Bluff twilight nine, or a warm-up and a beer at Prime Golf, Dee Street | Invercargill |
| Day 1 | 7am start: Curio Bay, then Tokanui, the southernmost course on the mainland | Queens Park, Invercargill | Invercargill |
| Day 2 | Otatara Links (Invercargill Golf Club) | Tuatapere, Sausage Capital of NZ | Te Anau |
| Day 3 | Te Anau, lakeside magic | Home via Kingston to Queenstown, or via Winton to Invercargill | — |
Drive times are approximate. Allow extra in summer and in wind, which in Southland is most days.
Arrival evening: a 7pm tee-off is still a good idea
Try to get into Invercargill late on a long weekend. Bear in mind that in the height of summer the sun stays up here until after 9pm, so a 7pm tee-off at Bluff Golf Club still makes sense in this part of the world. Bluff is coastal golf with a rugged charm.
If you’re in town too late to get to Bluff, scoot along to Prime Golf on Dee Street, in the middle of town. The team there will look after you with a warm-up, a beer and some advice on how to get around the courses in this part of the world. It’s a great place to start your tour.
Where to stay: the Langlands Hotel in the middle of Invercargill. Or, for something quieter, try the Charming Nature Escape, an entire home out at Otatara. It’s an Airbnb Guest Favourite, and it’s only minutes from the first tee at Otatara Links for your Day 2 early start.
Day 1: The bottom of the map, then back to town
Rise early and head for the southernmost golf in New Zealand: Tokanui.
On the way, call in at Curio Bay. Next door at Porpoise Bay, the rare Hector’s dolphins come in close to the beach over summer. Grab yourself a blue cod sandwich for breakfast from Blue Cod Blues, then carry on to Tokanui. If you’ve time, make the short detour to Slope Point, the southernmost tip of the South Island and “an awfully exposed location”.
Tokanui Golf Club may not be the most glamorous golf course in New Zealand, but it is the most southerly course on the mainland. It’s nine holes of open, treeless links, fully exposed to the wind, and it plays differently every time the breeze swings. Look out for the par-5 “Toi Tois” and the Roadhole. Put it on your bucket list as rustic Catlins golf at its best: nine holes to blow you into the afternoon. You’ll be back in Invercargill by about 12.30pm.
Day 1 morning timing: 7am to 12.30pm, Invercargill and back
- Driving: 2 hours 30 minutes round trip, via Curio Bay, Blue Cod Blues and Slope Point
- Golf: 2 hours for nine holes at Tokanui
- Stops: 1 hour for dolphins, breakfast and photos at Slope Point
- Total: 5 hours 30 minutes. Leave at 7am and you’re back in town for lunch and an afternoon round.
Afternoon: Queens Park or Otatara? Both are close to town, but I’d pick Queens Park Golf Club for this afternoon. It’s a flat, easy walk and a bit of fun in the middle of Invercargill, an oasis right in the city’s big park. Save Otatara for tomorrow morning, when you’re fresh.
Off the course in Invercargill:
- Bill Richardson Transport World. If you’re a motoring buff, this is possibly the best motor museum in New Zealand.
- Burt Munro. Remember you’re in the land of The World’s Fastest Indian. Burt Munro tested on nearby Oreti Beach in Otatara, and E Hayes hardware on Dee Street has his Indian on display.
Day 2: The jewel in the crown, then sausages
Rise early, get out to Otatara, and play the jewel in the Southland crown.
Invercargill Golf Club at Otatara was founded in 1900 and is the oldest and finest course in Southland. It hosted the New Zealand Open in 1960, when Peter Thomson won. Gene Sarazen played it back in 1934 and declared its fairways “the best in New Zealand”. Thanks Gene, but I’ll be the judge of that!
It’s a links-style layout on a sandy base, with good undulation, strategic bunkering and native bush. It runs just over 6,000 metres with three par 5s and three par 3s. The 12th, a 183-metre par 3, made my best holes in New Zealand list. Pick a calm day, use strategy rather than driver, and respect those elevated greens. It’s one of New Zealand’s best links courses, and you’ll see why.
Don’t rest on your laurels:
- Grab a quick lunch. Riverton, about 30 minutes west on the way, is a good stop. It has its own nine holes of seaside links if you’re greedy.
- Head on to Tuatapere, the Sausage Capital of New Zealand.
- Play nine holes at Tuatapere Golf Club in the late afternoon. It’s a nice flat parkland course, beautifully kept by the members, with an honesty box, no price gouging, and the best toilet of the tour (deer horns included). Its sign calls it “Southland’s Best 9 Hole Golf Course”, and it has a good case.
- The locals will find you a sausage to sizzle on their barbecue.
Then on to Te Anau for the night. Stay at the Kingsgate Hotel. The hosts are the best in town, and the chowder is to die for.
Day 3: Lakeside magic, then the road home
Morning: Te Anau Golf Club. Location, location, location is the winner here. You play on the edge of Fiordland National Park with the Murchison Mountains and Mount Luxmore watching over you. The view from the 10th tee, across Lake Te Anau and out to the tip of Fiordland, is worth the drive on its own, and the 12th is a cracking hole. It’s well presented, though it could do with a little extra love. You won’t be disappointed spending four hours here.
Afternoon: pick your road home.
- Heading for Queenstown? Go north through Mossburn to Kingston Golf Club, a charming nine-hole lakeside course at the bottom of Lake Wakatipu, then on to Queenstown. That’s where our Central Otago golf road trip begins (coming soon).
- Looping back to Invercargill? Stop at Winton Golf Club, championship quality at about a quarter of the price elsewhere. It’s flat and walkable, with wide fairways on the front nine and narrow ones on the back. It has “the most expensive honesty box in the area, worth every penny”.
Got a fourth day?
- Gore Golf Club (“Croydon Links”) has clever design, some of the best greens in Southland and history to match. It’s a strong case for New Zealand’s top courses list.
- Riverton, Otautau, Nightcaps and Drummond are all classic Southland nine-holers.
- See every course on the Southland golf courses page, or my best golf courses in New Zealand.
- My full roundup: Unveiling Southland’s Best Golf Courses.