New Zealand Golf Club

We played again last week & despite being early March the course was in absolutely superb condition. Firm fairways & greens that were quick and beautifully true. It may not look long on the card but as a par 68 there are a lot of long par 4s which give the course its backbone. None feel unfair but they demand two proper shots (at least!) & good positioning from the tee. The heather is properly brutal. Miss it and you’re usually pitching back out. There’s not a single weak hole. The course just asks sensible questions all the way round & rewards patience and accuracy. The most memorable holes for me are the par 3s on the back nine - the 10th & 16th. Both are beautifully set and deceptively testing. Simply a lovely heathland course. Understated, thoughtful golf that grows on you the more you play it.

Wat een leuke baan om te spelen. We mochten hier in de ochtend starten en werden ook weggestart door de starter die tevens de catering verzorgde in de half way house. Een mooie belevenis. Ook als je aankomt. Alles gaat terug in de tijd. Zo is er ook een aparte entrance voor de ladies voor het clubhuis en in de kleedkamer en het clubhuis barste het van de nostalgie.

De baan zelf is vrij vlak en bijna alle fairways zijn omgeven door heide. Prachtig maar ook lastig. De greens waren helaas niet in goede conditie en op de fairways mochten we plaatsen. We hebben desondanks genoten van de dag. De greenfee is niet laag, maar een baan spelen zoals deze is de prijs waard. Ook was het heerlijk rustig. Kennelijk ook bijzonder weinig leden. Mooi dat dit soort banen bestaan en dat je als greenfeespeler toch welkom bent.

Bijzondere hole is toch wel hole 16 waar je bijna geheel over heide moet spelen om op deze lange par3 op de green te komen.

Een drivingrange hebben we niet gezien. Wel een 1-persoons kooi om in te slaan. Dit is voor zo’n baan wel wat beperkt.

New Zealand is like stepping back in time, and all the better for it. The clubhouse has a cottage feel about it, with a big fireplace and club chairs that look as if they've been there since the clubhouse opened. The ambiance is fantastic, exacerbated by the notice in the locker room "deploring" the "masochistic" form of fourball golf. This is a traditional old school 2 ball golf club where foursomes are encouraged. (That said my host said some of that is a nod to history and many of the members do play fourballs!)

The course is one of the prettiest I've ever played, with blooming Rhododendrons and heather everywhere. It's flat and an easy walk and, provided you're straight off the tee, pretty straightforward. For it's ageing membership demographic it's absolutely perfect.

The only slight downside was the greens, which were bumpy. All in all a great and hugely enjoyable day out. Highly recommended.

They do it their way! Old school heather course just outside London; what a joy to experience the ambiance of this club. We were sent off by the starter who told us to enjoy ourselves and if need be take a Mulligan on the first hole; we should have! The opening tee shot looks quite benign, but with firm fairways and it being a little dogleg, we both found trouble of the tee… On all holes the heather is omnipresent making for gorgeous view on this sunny day, but it also got us in trouble quite a few times. The course takes you out and back across a great piece of land. The course was in very good condition. Good tees, fairways and greens that are not overly undulating, but by no means flat and easy to read.

The par 3’s are the cream of the crop. From short to very long and always surrounded by heather and a few bunkers. Miss the green and you have your work cut out. The halfway house offers a nice selection of traditional English snacks. At the end of the round we enjoyed our lunch overlooking the first fairway and the 18th green. Not to miss when visiting the London area.

New Zealand Golf Club is a place for gentle “good mornings”, long lunches and a clubhouse and golf course which combine the qualities of the 2020s with the traditions of the 1920s.

This peaceful oasis of sumptuous golf is just 27 miles from central London and is the perfect antidote to the hustle of life in the capital.

Its unusual name is steeped in the history of its founders who had been involved in the setting up of a British colony on the other side of the world in the 1800s.

And its lockers with names of the departed simply crossed out and replaced by those of their successors is one of its quirks.

New Zealand doesn’t shout about welcoming visitors but once they are through its imposing electric gates, they are treated as if they are a member for the day.

The jovial chap in the pro shop pointed us in the right direction and the ladies who took payments for our rounds and took our food orders in the clubhouse were lovely.

The lounge with its leather seats and wood panelling looked like it may have done more than a century before and my teacup and accompanying chocolate were presented with the club’s woodpecker logo.

Outside there is a small practice green and tiny net adjacent to the pristine first tee and an opening par-four of more than 400 yards.

Meanwhile, the course has wonderful attention to detail and smooth consistent runs on greens with borrows so subtle they can send the ball unexpectedly offline.

Superbly maintained paths wind around the course and even through the rhododendrons, leaving players to emerge to attractive hole after attractive hole.

It is clear from the outset that keen course management is the only way to avoid acres of beautiful purple heather and score well.

And while it may be a par-69, it is certainly no pushover.