Golf Links Rd,
Whakatane, Bay of Plenty
Office
+64 (0)7 308 8117Pro shop
+64 (0)7 308 7921Fax
+64 (0)7 308 0247Website
Visit websiteGolf pro
Grant JamesAcademy
Whakatane Golf CentreThe Course:
18 holes. Tree-lined & open parkland. Relatively flat terrain - easy to walk.
Surroundings:
Rural countryside.
Designer:
Unknown
-37.930236
176.939229
72 km E of Tauranga
From the western side of Whakatane take direction Tauranga / Airport. Approx 4 km outside Whakatane turn right into Thornton Road. After o.5 km turn right into Golf Links Road. After 1.5 km turn left into golf.
Whakatane
Whakatane Golf Club: Sheltered from and out of sight of the sea, Whakatane feels more parkland in character, rather than exuding a traditional seaside links persona. From the course you'll mainly see pleasant farmland views beyond the course, rather than panoramic ocean vistas.
The terrain here is gently undulating, easy walking, with a nice variety of trees and flowers adorning the course. The tree-line is never too dense, which helps make ball-finding relatively easy. The combination of taller, more mature trees on the par-34 back-nine, and a more interesting layout, gives the inward-nine the edge over the front in terms of golfing interest and challenge.
Straight hitting will definitely help your scoring here, with the first five holes all gun-barrel straight, and several later holes as well. Greenkeeping is generally good, the greens even-paced and not too undulating, with good quality bunkering around them.
Visitors welcome on weekdays and weekends.
Worth booking ahead to ensure tee-time availability, especially at weekends.
Walking permitted at all times. Golf carts available for hire.
Good
Whakatane is a place rich in history, known to Maoris as the birthplace of Aotearoa (the "Land of the Long White Cloud"; Aotearoa is the Maori name for New Zealand). It was here that the great Polynesian navigator Toi te Huatahi first landed. The remains of his pa (fortress), on the highest point of the Whakatane Heads, is now the site of the Wairaka Marae.
Two centuries later, another great Polynesian canoe, Mataatua, landed here bringing with it the kumara plant. This was to become the staple diet of the Maori throughout NZ and is still a popular vegetable today.
With magnificant beaches and bays, Whakatane, enjoys a reputation as one of the three sunniest spots in the country. Whakatane is pronounced with the "Wh" beginning, pronounced as "F".
New Zealand's 46th best course (Australian Golf Digest, 2023/24).
No
Whakatane
Ohope
No
Whakatane
Ohope
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
You can subscribe to the Where2Golf channel on YT if you like to see more video content. You'll find a "Subscribe" button on any of our YouTube videos. Or if you want a quick and direct access subscribe here. Once done, any new published videos will show up in your Subscriptions feed.
