Tokanui Golf Club, Fortrose, New Zealand

Following my spectacular links experience in Dunedin I was hungry for more! This next stop in New Zealand is arguably the most southern golfing links in the land. Tokanui Golf Club is a rumpled and rugged 9-hole sheep track, forty minutes outside of Invercargill. This 9-holer couldn't feel any more remote. Having hugged the coast in my car through the Catlin mountain range I pulled up to the golf course over a gravelled one car bridge, passing several scallop farmers, in full waders, up to their chests in the bay. Erol the lone green keeper advised me to take full relief from any tractor ruts in the fairways, I played the ball down however, I felt it to be in the spirit of the day. The golf was fun, but getting here was half the adventure.

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

When I set out to drive to the South Island of New Zealand I knew I would be passing one of New Zealand's best golf courses. However, it is a mystery to me why I waited until the end of my trip to play this course. Paraparaumu (or 'Paraparam' in the local vernacular) is one of the few true links courses you can play anywhere in the world. The golf holes here are found simply amonst the nature of the dunes. The course is fairly short, mostly in the length of the reachable par 5's. But the course defends itself well with some narrow fairways, long fescue rough, and some tricky green sites.

Joshua C. F. Smith : Golf Course Landscape Paintings

I am posting a link to this website because I admire his work. Anyone who is a fan of great landscape art will enjoy, golfer or not.

Joshua C. F. Smith : Golf Course Landscape Paintings

Chisholm Park Golf Links

I finally found a true New Zealand Links! Chisholm Park rolls on top of large sand dunes and perches itself on a cliff above St. Kilda Beach just 10 minutes from Dunedin's city center. Holes 9, 10, and 11 afford golfers spectacular views of the coastline and surrounding city.
The proximity to the ocean and stunning views draw close comparison bewteen the 10th at Chisholm Park and Pacific Dune's 4th along the cliff's edge in Bandon, Oregon.



Comparing the level of conditioning would be unfair however, Chisholm boasts only 2 green keepers! The fairways exhibited inconsistent turf conditions but the greens rolled surprisingly well. If you are a fan of the links Chisholm Park is cant miss while traveling in New Zealand.