Kia Ora, and welcome to Golf in New Zealand!

New Zealand is a land full of wonders! A land of snow-capped mountains, lakes in more shades of blue than you ever thought possible, glaciers and fjords, crystal clear rivers, made for movie landscapes, star-filled night skies, unpopulated beaches, generous friendly people, white sheep that dot the green countryside, and the All Blacks, the national treasure. It is a country unlike any other we have ever seen. 

Just as importantly for us, New Zealand is also a land full of incredible golf! This golfabond journey of ours took us to the land of the Kiwi as we set out to Golf in New Zealand. We traveled for three months in the early spring (September to November) of 2019, logging just over 6000 kilometers in our campervan, and played our way from the most northern golf course all the way to the most southern, with many stops in between.

What we found while playing Golf in New Zealand was a land full of bucket-list-worthy golf courses, honesty boxes, wind, and warm and welcoming people that opened their doors and even homes to us.

According to the book True Links by George Peper and Malcolm Campbell, New Zealand is also home to 9 true links golf courses, and so we made it our goal to play all the True Links Golf Courses of New Zealand! We are so happy to report- mission accomplished!

Traveling the North Island for a full month, we started in the Northland and made our way south:

Waipu Golf Club, our biggest surprise

Houhora Golf Club, New Zealand’s Top Golf Club

The Kinloch Club, Jack Nicklaus’s only golf course design in New Zealand

Cape Kidnappers, a true Bucket List golf experience

Waverley Golf Club is one of the greatest golf courses you’ve never heard of

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club, New Zealand’s ‘spiritual home of golf’ and our favorite golf course in New Zealand

We had 2 full months in the South Island and traveled from the north, down the stunning West Coast, then to the southern tip before heading back north via the East Coast:

Nelson Golf Club, a knock over your trolley kind of wind

Takaka Golf Club, made for television, made better by Dave

Westport Golf Club, throwing strikes like Orel Hershiser

Karamea Golf Club is a long way from anything, but so worth the effort

Hokitika Golf Club, red then yellow, a true out and in

Invercargill Golf Club, a shot makers golf course

Oreti Sands Golf Club, the world’s most southern true links golf course

Tokanui Golf Club, New Zealand’s most southern golf course

Otakou Golf Club, our very first Albatross

The Otago Golf Club, the oldest Golf Club in the Southern Hemisphere

Chisholm Links Golf Club, can you keep a secret

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