Michael Donaldson – Sweetspotgolfbook.com
I recently moved from Auckland to New Plymouth. There were plenty of reasons … and one of them was golf!
I’m only partly joking. The wider Taranaki region is probably the most blessed in the country when it comes to density of golf courses. Christchurch is also right up there, but what Taranaki has is a real diversity of intriguing layouts.
Within a few minutes of New Plymouth itself there’s seven great tracks — Waitara, Manukorihi, New Plymouth (aka Ngamotu), Fitzroy, Kaitake, Inglewood and Westown — making it a great base for a golf holiday.
And you could drive around the mountain finding wonderful courses as you go, including the gems at Waverley and Hawera.
I want to look at two relatively cheap courses in the region which I reckon are as good as you’ll find anywhere in the country.
Waitara costs just $20 and it’s one of the most entertaining courses in the country, with six intriguing par 3s.
This seaside gem is one of New Zealand’s shortest 18-hole courses, playing just 4756m from the back tees with a par of 67. But with the Tasman Sea swishing in on one side, Mt Taranaki looming in the distance and deliciously contoured fairways underfoot, it’s possible to get completely lost in this small patch of paradise.
Some of the opening holes are plain, but buckle in for the back nine, especially the stretch from 11 to 15. The variety is astonishing and it’s the rolling sand dunes that make it all possible.
At the other end of Taranaki is Waverley, which has developed a cult following in recent years.
To the untrained eye it’s a typical wild and woolly Kiwi farm-course but look closer, past the rustic ambience, you will find the very definition of a hidden gem, an architectural wonder in sheep’s clothing.
And it took an American visitor to reveal what was hidden in plain sight.
Golf architect Tom Doak is one the world’s leading golf course critics.
He visited, loved it, and included Waverley in his book The Confidential Guide to Golf Courses, bringing the gem out of hiding.
At the end of his Confidential Guide, Doak includes a ‘best of’ section for Asia and Australasia, and Waverley gets two notable mentions—best bargain and in the top 10 for the best golf contours. The first is indisputable at $30 a round, while the latter is staggering — others in the same category include world-famous tracks like Royal Melbourne, Barnbougle Dunes and Paraparaumu. Waverley seems well out of its weight class in this company, but the stunning terrain justifies the call.