New Zealand – Golf Course Review

Golfer’s Tips

• Accuracy from the tee is paramount – fairways are somewhat narrow, pinched by heather at many points, but find the short grass and this is not a long course and can be attacked.
• Be careful of hidden winds – you may not feel much of a breeze at ground level, but hit your shot above the tall trees and you can get caught out.
• The tee shot on 17, which bends around a very sharp dogleg left, does require thought. Favour the right and look to hit somewhere around 215-230 yards, which will give you the best chance of the best unobstructed angle to a well-protected green.

Signature Holes

• 15th – the most interesting of the mid-length par 4s, with a fairway that tapers and is cut off by a ditch on driver length, prior to an approach to a green sat diagonally with additional contouring and swales to the safer left hand side.
• 16th – a fine par 3 set in the far corner of the plot, with the green set within an attractive but rugged mix of heather, long grass and deeper bunkers.

Review:

On a flat patch of heathland in wealthy Surrey, the whole plot feeling like a local millionaire’s converted back garden, a perfectly pleasant golf course is carved.

New Zealand starts with a fine opening hole, doglegging left with heather and tall pines either side, setting the tone for the round, prior to an approach over or around some very prominent fairway and green-side bunkers.

Despite being located within the busy and hugely affluent Surrey stockbroker belt, New Zealand has a wonderfully tranquil feeling, with surrounding noise dampened by the tall trees surrounding all holes, allowing the small number of golfers playing the course to focus on the beauty of the spot as well as the task at hand. It’s also worth noting that due to the course being a short par-68 and flat, this is a relatively easy walk.

There is perhaps some shortage of real interest and course design, beyond a multitude of pretty mid-length par 4s played between heather leading to a shot into flat greens with a few bunkers but little or no contouring. The 4th hole is a fine example of this, pretty as a picture from the tee, but find the fairway and it’s not a difficult or particularly thought-provoking second.

The back nine starts with a very short par 3, almost ‘Postage Stamp’ length yet surrounded by purple heather, followed by three more mid length holes and then the only par 5 on the course at fourteen.

The finishing four holes is comfortably the strongest and most interesting section. 15 is an excellent par 4 with ditch running across at driver length, and a far more complex green site that requires greater strategy, and then the 16th is a wonderful heathland par 3 heading into a corner of those tall pines. Seventeen then turns sharply left, requiring a well-judged tee shot placed at or beyond the corner, and then 18 is a decent finisher played around another protruding copse of trees to the green that sits in front of the old clubhouse.

New Zealand is a beautiful spot and, in isolation, without unfair comparison to the wonderful heathland courses parked just nearby, it’s still a lovely place to play golf in pristine conditions. One could argue that a place in the top fifty of England is somewhat flattering given the relative monotony of some of the holes, but top 100 is warranted and this remains a beautiful heathland track.

• “Top 100” Ranking: 14th (Surrey), 41st (England)
• Golfer View Rating: 76%

https://www.nzgc.org

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