Eketahuna Golf Club

On State Highway 2 in New Zealand about 30 minutes north of Masterton (which is 1 hour north of Wellington) is a scenic country course in Eketahuna which is excellent value at only NZ$20 per round.

The course is a par 71, with a total distance of 5,283 metres.

The 14th fairway is stunning and with 225 metres from tee to green, the straight shooter can drive the green.  I don't recommend this for the average golfer - I shot 11 & lost 3 balls.  A 5 iron off the tee would've been smarter!

I did manage a net 71 round though, shooting 47 on the front 9 & 46 on the back 9.

There are flocks of sheep on the course who manage the rough & fertilise the fairways!

Clearwater Golf Resort

Not far from Christchurch airport is one of New Zealand's finest courses. It has a great balance of difficulty in a beautiful setting.

Clearwater is more enjoyable in light (or no) wind. It's a course that is achievable for the average golfer playing on the white tees (I shot 47 on the front 9 & 52 on the back after losing 5 balls in the water).

Play sensible shots that avoid trouble and you will be rewarded. The par 5's are achievable if played with 3 up the middle. The par 3's all play across water, so take an extra club to ensure you carry the water.

Enjoy the great facilities at the club house afterwards. The pro shop is well stocked and the Course Marshall will sell you drinks & nibbles on the course.

Check out their website & pay attention to the strict dress code at www.clearwaternz.com

The best golf course in the world

England's Daily Telegraph has rated Cape Kidnapper's the best golf course in the world.

Having played this course I can understand why. It is set in an amazing cliff-top location with dramatic views of the east coast.

From the moment I arrived at the gate and drove up the sweeping driveway, I knew this was going to be a special day.

The club house was opulent & the pro shop had everything required. The practice range had courtesy balls piled in pyramids for players to warm up. The practice green gave me a taste of the incredible greens.

We were given some tips for putting:

• Light green is fast.
• Dark green is slow.
• The ball tends to roll towards Napier's port.

We were advised to play from the green tees if we wanted to enjoy our round & this turned out to be good advice for all but the top golfers.

The course itself was challenging and rewarding. If you ever get a chance, make sure you play this amazing course.

Manor Park

I love the challenge of my home course and was looking forward to this round.

It started well off the first tee & I even birdied the second par 3 hole which doesn't happen very often!

I ended with 48 on both the front & back nine, but lost 3 balls. While looking down a bank by the river, I thought I might find one of Dan Perry's balls but didn't - but I did think about his idea and thought a return addresses on the ball could be worthwhile!

Royal Wellington - Heretaunga

Wellington's premier golf course is a fantastic course and more than a little challenging for the average golfer. The club itself is extremely well appointed and I felt like a VIP the moment I arrived.

The first hole is an achievable par 4, dogleg left. The tee is elevated with a small pond punishing the really bad shots (yes, I've been in the water once). Also avoid slicing or hitting too long as this will make the approach on to the green challenging.

The next hole is a par 5, over water from the tee. The average golfer can get to the green with 3 average shots. This hole is followed by a par 3 which is made easier if you can land it on the green.

Be careful with the next two par 4's. The are tricky and any wayward shot is punished.

The 6th is a beautifully sculptured par 3 and you'll be fine once you land on the green.

Take it easy on the par 5. Being stroke hole 1 you are better to play safe and make the most of the extra shots your handicap allows.

The eighth & ninth par 4's require smart play. Use a higher iron to get on the elevated 8th green.

The 10th is harder than it looks, again an extra club probably won't be punished because you don't want to be short on this par 3 with an elevated green.

The next par 4 is easy as long as you take it easy. The following par 4's are fairly long but not overly challenging (unless you are playing from the blue tees).

I love the par 5 14th. There's a creek that can easily punish a good 2nd shot, so think about laying up & it's an easy iron to the green.

I won a bottle of wine for being closest to the pin on the par 3 15th! I've seen some big scores on this hole though! A tricky green & bunkers.

2 more par 4's before the stunning par 5 18th that takes you back to the club house.

Enjoy the walk, make the most of the club facilities and you will experience the best the Wellington region has to offer at the Royal Wellington Golf Club.

Check out the club dress code before you go, otherwise the pro shop can sell you all the right gear!

Today's occassion was the Centurions Rugby Football Club charity golf tournament. I recommend this event to all players because it's based on best 2 ball stableford and a lot of fun. All 4 team members play each hole & the top 2 stableford scores are added together. Today the top score was 95.

Wainuiomata, New Zealand

This course is a real gem and I rate it better than many other Hutt Valley courses and membership is very reasonable.

Today my usual playing partner was unavailable but I showed up at the course and found someone looking for a round.

I bought myself some new golf balls - Maxfli Revolution Distance and I was very pleased with their performance. I plan to get some more. I had some nice straight drives, good fairway woods and irons and my chipping & putting were usually solid. I let myself down by not having enough pars and having too many double bogeys. I shot 48 out & 50 back.

The 4th & 17th par 4 greens are driveable from the tee. The 4th is 194 metres from the white tees, over a bushy gully on to a tricky green with bunkers and trees. The 17th is 245 metres and favours straight shots or those who can play a draw. I have played with a guy that eagled the 4th after driving the green and hitting a ball already on the green, right next to the hole.

The 14th par 5 is called The Wrecker, because it can wreck a card. It is a massive 491 metres long from the white tees! My 4th shot landed on the green, level with the flag, but I 2-putted for bogey. I was fairly pleased with this playing into the wind.

If you want to play an interesting course that is well suited for any level of golf, I definitely recommend playing Wainuiomata.

I can recommend playing Wairakei

No matter what level of golf you play, I thoroughly recommend playing Wairakei in Taupo, New Zealand. This is one of the very best courses I have ever played.

Although a cart is not mandatory, it will make the course more enjoyable, especially the back 9 which has some hills to climb.

Take time to appreciate the course, the birds and the layout. It has been well designed and is well maintained. The tee blocks all have our native tui which is also the course logo. In the January 2005 US Golf Digest, Wairakei was named in the top 100 courses in the world.

As an average golfer, the white tees were the logical choice. The total length was 5.8 kilometres (in a straight line). I travelled considerably further. The longest par 4 is the 9th hole which is 376 metres. The shortest par 4 is hole 12 at 284 metres. The 4 par 3's range from 131 metres to 156 metres. The 4 par 5's range from 462 to 493.

There are 108 bunkers, so remember to pack your sand wedge!

I am keen to play the course again. It cost me NZ$95 + NZ$40 cart hire and was worth every dollar.

I was pleased with some of my shots, especially the pars. Even though I tried to play smart golf and lay up rather than trying to smash the ball off the tee, I was sometimes penalised by my natural slice. However everything about my round was enjoyable.

If you come to Taupo, play Wairakei