The 5 Best Courses in New Zealand Open To The Public

Discover the allure of New Zealand’s breathtaking, yet ever changing landscapes through its top publicly accessible golf courses. From dramatic coastal cliffs to rolling green fairways, these courses offer not only a challenging game but also an immersive experience in one of the world’s most scenic destinations. 

Whether you’re a seasoned golfer or a casual player, New Zealand’s diverse range of golf courses promises an unforgettable round amidst some of the most picturesque settings imaginable. 

Explore the best of these courses and see how the country’s natural beauty and exceptional design come together to create a golfer’s paradise.

North Course – Te Arai Links Golf Club

Tom Doak was asked to design the North Course and it is a walking-only beauty with superb turf and lots of waste area sand along the fairways. It is generous off the tee but typical of Doak, the creative green complexes offer plenty of challenges. 

Wind is always a threat, and the fescue fairways and greens make it play links authentic. Some holes wind inland through the trees and it returns to the ocean for a spectacular finish. Another fantastic Kiwi golf experience is in store here on the North Course.

Opened: 2022
Par: 71
Length: 6931 yards
Designers Include: Tom Doak
Difficulty: Slope 116

South Course – Te Arai Links Golf Club

The large acreage purchased by Ric Kaine in New Zealand where he built his dream and very private Tara Iti GC, has so much land left over that he brought in Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw to design another links course. 

The resulting South Course, designed for walkers only, trundles across this wonderful landscape with views of the ocean and eight holes directly along the beach. Stunning is the only way to describe it and it immediately jumped into the world top 100!

Opened: 2022
Par: 72 
Length: 6843 yards
Designers Include: Bill Coore (2022)  Ben Crenshaw (2022)
Difficulty: Slope 155

Cape Kidnappers Golf Course

Take a 5500-acre piece of oceanfront property in the lush wine country, with dramatic 450 foot cliffs, and ask the talented Tom Doak to design a “world-class course”. The late Julian Robertson did just that, and the new course is always ranked in the world top 100. The drive from the gate alone takes almost 20 minutes through some of the most spectacular scenery you will ever see – it’s like Big Sur on steroids! 

This is one of those rare courses where the challenge of the holes is outstanding, with 5 sets of tees for all players (but hard from any of them!), often windy conditions, and always stunning Hawkes Bay / South Pacific Ocean views!

Opened: 2004
Par: 71
Length: 7184 yards 
Designers Include: Tom Doak (2004)  Eric Iverson (2004)
Difficulty: Slope 145 / Rating 75.4

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Regarded by many as one of the greatest links courses in the southern hemisphere, Paraparaumu was for years a world top 100 course on the undulating dune land of the Kapiti Coast, just a 45-minute drive from Wellington. 

The true links course has hosted the New Zealand Open over a dozen times and was designed in 1949 by former Australian Open champion Alex Russell, also a highly acclaimed course architect who designed Royal Melbourne East.

Opened: 1949
Par: 71
Length: 6577 yards
Designers Include: Alex Russell
Difficulty: Slope 125 / Rating 72.4

Jack’s Point Golf Course

With a backdrop of 2300 vertical meters of the razorback Remarkables mountain range and an armchair view of an outstanding lake and mountain panorama, Jack’s Point Golf Course is visually one the most spectacular in the world. 

Designed with minimal excavation, the course stretches to almost 7000 yards from the championship tees and is built on the most spectacular Queenstown terrain of rocks and hills down to the edge of Lake Wakatipu.

Opened: 2007
Par: 72
Length: 6986 yards
Designers Include: Brett Thomson (2004)  Darby Partners Limited
Difficulty: Slope 140 / Rating 73.5

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