State Highway 1,
Taupo, Waikato 2730
Office
+64 (0)7 374 8152Pro shop
+64 (0)7 374 8152Fax
+64 (0)7 374 8289Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Steven Jessup (PGA, Head Golf Professional).Academy
Wairakei School of GolfThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Undulating terrain - several slopes to climb.
Surroundings:
Woodland and open countryside.
Designer:
Collaborative design by Cmdr John Harris, Mike Wolveridge and Peter Thomson.
A nine-hole Resort course is located 1 km north at the Wairakei Resort Taupō (now separately owned and managed from the Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary championship course).
-38.636869
176.087815
7 km N of Taupo
From the centre of Taupo head north on Hwy 1. After 7 km Wairakei International golf is on your left (and Wairakei Resort accommodation is less than 1 km further on, on your right). 3.5 - 4 hours drive from Auckland.
Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary: A bunker-strewn par-5 gets you underway on this superbly presented and excellently maintained Top 20 New Zealand golf course. The general environment is pine-forested hills, although many other species also adorn the mainly tree-lined fairways, including palms, birch and several more exotic bushes and grasses.
The layout includes many elevation changes, which adds to the character and definition of each hole, as well as providing for several wonderfully elevated tees, and some great views onto the surrounding hills. Water hazards in the form of small lakes and streams play their part in creating a very attractive golf setting, and excellent (ponga-walled) bunkering provides the final touches.
The greens, although good, seemed a bit slow and bobbly when we played the course, but did not detract from the overall top-quality experience of playing at Wairakei.
Stay&Play at Wairakei: luxury onsite accommodation available, see Where2Stay section below.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Must book in advance. Handicap required.
Contact club for full details, discounts, packages, etc. [Last updated: 2024].
Non-metal spike facility. Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire.
Excellent
Wairakei was commissioned and built by the New Zealand Government's Tourist Hotel Corporation. The objective was a green-fee paying golf venue of international standard, which would be available to all golfing visitors to the area.
The Wairakei Sanctuary complements the golf course. It was inspired by the Wairakei's current owner, Gary Lane, and uses the natural ecological canvas surrounding the course. It was concluded that a fence excluding all pests and predators was the only effective way to create a "sanctuary", enabling research into ways to enhance the natural habitats of the area's wildlife. As a result a 5.5 km boundary fence was erected, preventing both climbing and burrowing animals access to the property.
New Zealand's 12th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2023/24).
640 Wairakei Drive, 3384 Taupo.
+64 (0)7 374 9004
Visit websiteWairakei Resort Taupō offers comfortable accommodation, excellent serice and plenty of leisure facilities amid the forested slopes of Wairakei's Thermal Valley in the centre of New Zealand’s North Island. You can enjoy golf on the hotel's nine-hole course and/or nearby 18-hole championship Wairakei Golf & Sanctuary course. The hotel's facilities also include two geothermally heated swimming pools, fitness centre, floodlit tennis courts, onsite spa, and six outdoor hot tubs.
Wairakei
Taupo
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No
Taupo; Wairakei.
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124th US Open: the No.2 Course at Pinehurst once again plays host to this most illustrious championship (June 13-16). Wyndham Clark defends his title, having won at Los Angeles CC in 2023.
79th Women’s US Open: the second women’s major championship of the season gets underway at Lancaster CC in Pennsylvania. It’s the second time the championship has been held here.
(May 30-June 2).
Nelly Korda: won the Mizuho Americas Open (May 16-19) at Liberty National GC, continuing her extraordinary form in LPGA events. This was her sixth win in seven starts in 2024.
Xander Schauffele: recorded his first major championship win, and second record-equalling low score of 62 in a major. Only he, Branden Grace, Rickie Fowler and Shane Lowry have achieved this feat in a men’s major championship.
Marco Simone Golf & Country Club: With a clubhouse that might befit a Roman Emperor, and a golf course to match, you can be sure of a memorable outing at Rome's most talked about golf facility.
Jim Fazio's original layout was much changed to create a modern Ryder Cup course ... now one of the Eternal City's (and Italy's) most revered.
Here at Prince’s Golf Club you'll find 27 excellent holes of links golf. Just over the fence and sharing similar terrain is Royal St George’s; but Prince’s is far from overshadowed by its venerable neighbour. The three nine-hole loops at Prince's, laid out over gently undulating terrain, are sure to bring a smile of satisfaction to all lovers of links golf.
Stay&Play at Prince's: excellent onsite Lodge accommodation available
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