On the world clock, New Zealand is well ahead of the United States. But North American golfers have been catching up.
They’ve come to recognize the country as a must-visit, magnetic for the quality and diversity of its courses, the beauty of its landscapes and the welcoming spirit of its people.
That awareness wasn’t born overnight. It began stirring decades ago with the opening of Kauri Cliffs and Cape Kidnappers, luxurious resorts whose seaside layouts, stunning scenery and A-list accommodations remain emblems of New Zealand’s coastal splendor. The more recent arrival of marquee properties like Tara Iti and Te Arai — which combined to deliver three new courses to GOLF’s World Top 100 list — attracted next-level attention that was further magnified by the Covid golf boom. As the spotlight brightened on the North Island, it radiated outward, illuminating a golf scene of remarkable depth and range.
At roughly the size of Great Britain, New Zealand is home to some 400 courses, the most per capita of any country after Scotland. Those layouts run the gamut from designs by Golden Age master Alister MacKenzie and his protégé Alex Russell to impeccably conditioned modern parkland courses to rustic sleepers where you drop a modest fee into an honesty box and head straight to the first tee, paying less for 18 holes than many American clubs charge for a burger and a beer. Transported to the U.S., courses of that caliber and character could easily command several hundred dollars a round. That used to be a secret. Not anymore.
No wonder, really, when you ask avid golfers about their next dream trip, the answer, increasingly, comes back: New Zealand.
GOLF.com recently spent 10 days in the country, exploring the full spectrum of North Island golf (the South Island offers an ample golf smorgasbord of its own). We arrived rested and ready to hit the ground running, thanks to an Air New Zealand flight that had us riding in resplendence at the front of the plane.
We were booked in Business Premiere Luxe, which delivers the kind of comfort and amenities you’d expect at a luxury hotel: lie-flat beds with memory-foam mattresses, a choice of feather or hypoallergenic pillows, and an ottoman that doubles as a dining seat for a travel companion. The menu draws on New Zealand ingredients and wines for a refined culinary experience, with service to match.
Business Premiere Luxe is offered on nonstop flights from San Francisco to Auckland, and seasonally on flights out of Honolulu, Vancouver and New York, putting New Zealand within relaxing and easier-than-ever reach for North American golfers. The timing is sweet, too: depart in the evening, touch down in Auckland the following morning, fresh off a good night’s sleep, with an adventure unlike any other awaiting.
You can follow along in the video below.
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