ROYAL WELLINGTON GOLF CLUB - 15 poINTS

New Zealand has seen an explosion in new golf courses over the last 20 years. High-end resort courses are popping up everywhere, often with ‘made for social media’ views and luxury service.

While these courses make the headlines around the world, some locals consider them more positioned for the international market than for the Kiwis.

Royal Wellington isn’t one of these courses. It is very much geared towards members, although guests are made very welcome. Golf has been played on this land since 1908, but the golf course that you’ll find today has moved on a lot from those times.

The Heretaunga opened in 2013. New Zealand architects, Greg Turner and Scott Macpherson, took land from the existing course, as well as a new parcel of land after trees were cleared by the Hutt river, to create a largely new layout.

While the course may be, to all intents and purposes a new course, it feels very established and is in keeping with the old-school clubhouse and general ambience of the club.

I went into my round at Royal Wellington without any preconceptions as I hadn’t done a huge amount of research. And I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. It’s a largely parkland course, but the playing lines through the trees are broad enough that I rarely found myself tangling with a tree trunk. In fact, the trees serve to frame the holes very nicely on occasion.

The new holes by the river come early in the round and they are very good, although slightly different in character to the rest of the course as they have a more linksy feel to them. The fourth is a really excellent par 5 – reachable in two with the right wind but, with a lake on the right, it’s no easy achievement to get there in two. The undulations on the fairway and the shaping around the green are really very good. 

The most memorable aspect for me was the greens, which were excellent throughout. They are a lot more intriguing than most and I really enjoyed the challenge they gave. The ninth is almost a Biarritz green and, although there are no bunkers on the thirteenth, the wonderful swales and bumps make for a real test. The seventeenth was another with great movement. In fact there are too many to mention. Just go into them with the right attitude, of a puzzle to be solved, and you will have a lot of fun!

There are five sets of tees on each hole and you should choose with care. I went from the middle tees and that was plenty. If you go back to over 7,000 yards you will be in for a real test - getting the positioning right on these greens with a long club won’t be easy. I imagine when the wind is up, the rough is high and the greens are slick, this would be a very difficult test indeed.

But from the tees I played, and on a calm day, the course was eminently playable and quite gettable at times. The fairways are wide enough, although there is some very good bunkering to watch out for, and if you get your angles right the greens are accessible.

Royal Wellington will never have the ‘wow factor’ of the big resort courses, but that's not what it's trying to do. If you find yourself in the area, maybe heading up to Paraparaumu Beach, then I would have no hesitation in recommending a round here.

BOOKING THE COURSE

Royal Wellington is predominantly a members’ course but they are very welcoming to visitors. Tee times are available most days and if you would like to be paired up with a group of members they will set you up, which is nice. It’s NZ$275 per person for international visitors (around £135) and $175 for New Zealand Golf members.

TOUR TIPS

Royal Wellington is about half an hour north east of Wellington.

I stayed in the city, but only for one night so can’t say too much about things to do. I wish I’d had longer there.

I stayed at the The Tryp Hotel Wellington, which was a good place - centrally located and very nice rooms.

And a couple of dining recommendations:

Ortega Fish Shack - The menu changes daily and you are assured of a great meal and brilliant service. Ceviche is available every day and if fish isn’t your thing there’s a great steak frites too!

Noble Rot Wine Bar - The wine list is extensive, and excellent, but the sharing plates that you can order to go with your drink elevate the experience.

When it comes to other places to play golf, the obvious choice (indeed the reason I was in the area) was to head to Paraparaumu Beach which is about 40 minutes north of Royal Wellington.

CONTACT DETAILS

Royal Wellington Golf Club
28 Golf Road
Heretaunga
Upper Hutt 5018
New Zealand

Phone - +64 4 528 6900
Email - office@royalwellington.com
Web - https://www.royalwellington.com/

BACK TO NEW ZEALAND →