I’m about to head off to Wellington for the annual Beervana festival and whenever I’m down that way I have to visit Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club for a round of golf.
I’d go as far as saying Paraparaumu Beach is my favourite golf course in New Zealand. And yes, I’ve played all the hard-to-get-on greats such as Tara Iti, Te Arai, Kinloch, The Hills, as well as Cape Kidnappers, Kauri Cliffs, Jack’s Point and Wairakei.
But there’s something very special about Paraparaumu, which compared to all those courses listed above, is almost boutique in nature.
It might not have the sleek elegance and views of Tara Iti, or the high-in-the-air drama of Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs, but it’s got plenty of assets those courses lack.
If you’ve recently watched the British Open on TV and want a true links golf experience like Royal Portrush, Paraparaumu is where you’ll find it.
It is the epitome of links golf and would not be out of place in Scotland, Ireland or England — and is often compared to the great courses in that part of the world.
Paraparaumu is built on, around, and through a collection of sand dunes with fantastic pot bunkers, and ball-gobbling rough that more than make up for the lack of length.
The gently rolling sand dunes and the intimate scale of the fairways and greens are matched by a friendliness in the clubhouse.
A lot of the difficulty in Paraparaumu are the decisions about risk and reward — it’s always asking a question about what’s possible and what’s worth taking a chance on.
What Paraparaumu has is variety, charm, memorability, drama and a fun factor dialled up to 11; and – as caddie extraordinaire and hometown hero Steve Williams will always say – the best set of par-3s in the country.
The 16th in particular is a diabolical gem with a narrow green that’s perched on top of a small sand dune.
The course, created in 1929, remains the only venue in New Zealand where the great Tiger Woods has played a tournament, when he came out for the 2002 New Zealand Open.
The fact that Woods, in his heyday, didn’t demolish this course is a testament to its bite.
The first time I played it I struggled – the wind roared and I was uncertain of the best routes to take. Now, with a few more outings under my belt in different wind directions I can’t wait to get back to see how it behaves and how I react to the questions it asks.
Michael Donaldson – Sweetspotgolfbook.com