Tuatapere Golf Club

Nine holes outside the Sausage Capital of New Zealand, on the road to the Hump Ridge Track.

Outside the town of Tuatapere near the Clifton suspension bridge is the 9 hole golf course. The township was built on timber mills and farming. Now the Hump Ridge Track is bringing tourists to this area along the southern scenic route.

Here in the Sausage Capital of New Zealand, there is much to enjoy but the golf course stands out as one of the best in the South and maybe New Zealand?

The Course

A green with the flag, fairway leading back toward the clubhouse — Looking back down the fairway to the clubhouse

A green with a sand bunker, a ball in play, and the clubhouse buildings behind — A green guarded by a proper bunker, clubhouse behind

A fairway winding round a pond, framed by pines and forested hills — The fairway curls around a pond, hills rising behind

A rock feature topped with a large riveted metal sphere sculpture beside the green — A rock garden topped with an eye-catching riveted sphere

A long fairway lined with tall pines under a moody sky — A long, tree-lined fairway under Southland skies

Get to Know the Holes

Tuatapere’s nine holes are played twice to make up a full round — the honesty box down at the clubhouse prices it that way outright, “18 Holes $10.” Three of its hole markers made it into this photo set, numbered 2, 4, and 8.

Hole 2 sign, Clifden, par 4, 295 metres, with open fairway and hills behind — Hole 2 · Clifden (Par 4, 295m)

Hole 4 sign, Clubhouse, par 5, 480 metres, with the long fairway ahead — Hole 4 · Clubhouse (Par 5, 480m)

Hole 8 sign, Waiau, par 4, 317 metres, with limestone cliffs and bush behind the green — Hole 8 · Waiau (Par 4, 317m)

Club History

A weathered wooden roadside sign reading Tuatapere Golf Club, with hay bales and hills behind — The club’s own roadside sign, out among the hay paddocks

A clubhouse sign reading Visitors Welcome, Green Fees $10, and Southland's Best 9 Hole Golf Course — The clubhouse’s own verdict — “Southland’s Best 9 Hole Golf Course”

Local Character

Tuatapere calls itself the Sausage Capital of New Zealand — a nickname the town backs up with an actual roadside monument — and the golf club has its own small-town charm to match, right down to how it collects its green fees.

A giant fibreglass sausage skewered on an oversized fork, with a plaque reading Tuatapere, New Zealand's Sausage Capital — You can’t miss it coming into town — New Zealand’s Sausage Capital, in monument form

A Green Fees sign reading 18 Holes $10, place money in envelope, deposit in slot, with an envelope in the slot — Eighteen holes for ten dollars, honesty box and all

A laminated rules card taped up in the clubhouse, explaining the rule on hitting the flagstick — Even the noticeboard keeps golfers current on the rules

Ken’s Visit

Tuatapere Golf Club – The best Nine in the South

PHYSICAL ADDRESS:

2/4 Clifden Domain Road, Clifden, Tuatapere 9691

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