Updated on November 10, 2026
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What is the best golf course in New Zealand? Tara Iti, the Tom Doak-designed links course north of Auckland, is ranked No. 1 by Golf Digest and Top100GolfCourses, and 19th on GOLF.com’s list of the world’s top 100 courses. Next are Cape Kidnappers, on the cliffs of Hawke’s Bay, and the two courses in Te Arai Links, neighbors of Tara Iti. The Queenstown and Arrowtown area has four courses in our top 15.
Top photo: The fairways at The Hills, near Arrowtown. Michelle Maria, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
The 15 Best Golf Courses in New Zealand: The Rankings
15 courses shown.
| Rank | Course | Location | Golf Digest 2026 | Top 100 (Dec. 2025) | NZ Golf Rankings 2026 | GOLF.com World |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tara Iti Golf Club | Te Arai, near Mangawhai, Auckland region | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 |
| 2 | Cape Kidnappers (The Farm at Cape Kidnappers) | Te Awanga, Hawke’s Bay | 2 | 5 | 5 | 65 |
| 3 | Te Arai Links (South Course) | Tomarata, Auckland region | 3 | 4 | 2 | 79 |
| 4 | Te Arai Links (North Course) | Tomarata, Auckland region | 4 | 3 | 3 | 98 |
| 5 | Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club | Paraparaumu, Kapiti Coast (Wellington region) | 7 | 2 | 7 | — |
| 6 | The Kinloch Club | Kinloch, near Lake Taupo (Waikato) | 8 | 6 | 9 | — |
| 7 | Kauri Cliffs | Matauri Bay, Northland | 5 | 10 | 10 | — |
| 8 | Jack’s Point Golf Course | Queenstown, Otago | 6 | 9 | 4 | — |
| 9 | Titirangi Golf Club | New Lynn, Auckland | 13 | 7 | 12 | — |
| 10 | The Hills Golf Club | Arrowtown, Otago | 11 | 11 | 8 | — |
| 11 | Arrowtown Golf Club | Arrowtown, Otago | 16 | 8 | 20 | — |
| 12 | Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club | Papatoetoe, Auckland | 10 | 16 | 15 | — |
| 13 | Millbrook Resort (Coronet) | Arrowtown, Otago | 12 | 14 | 11 | — |
| 14 | Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary | Wairakei, near Taupo (Waikato) | 9 | 18 | 6 | — |
| 15 | Royal Wellington Golf Club | Heretaunga, Upper Hutt (Wellington Region) | 14 | 15 | 14 | — |
Consensus ranking = average of the Golf Digest (June 2026) and Top100GolfCourses (December 2025) rankings; New Zealand Golf Rankings 2026 and GOLF.com for reference. “—”: Course not included in the rankings. Click on a column header to sort.
Où se trouvent les golfs de Nouvelle-Zélande?
Click on a number to view the golf course, then click on its name to read its profile. Base map © OpenStreetMap.
How We Ranked New Zealand's Golf Courses
We compared Golf Digest (June 2026, Top 20) and Top100GolfCourses (December 2025, Top 50). The consensus ranking is the average of the two; a course not ranked in Golf Digest’s top 20 is assigned the 30th rank. In the event of a tie, the higher of the two rankings takes precedence, followed by Golf Digest. The national panel’s rankings New Zealand Golf Rankings (July 2026) and the GOLF.com's World Top 100 (2025-26) are displayed for informational purposes. This ranking is reviewed annually.
The Rankings in Detail
Architects and years of opening: official websites of the courses and the ranking lists cited, accessed on November 10, 2026; no information is provided when the source does not specify it. Photos under a free license via Wikimedia Commons.
1. Tara Iti Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 1 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 1 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 1 · GOLF.com Worldwide 19
Built by Tom Doak on land once covered in pine forest: there are no formal bunkers, and players may ground their club anywhere in the sand. No. 1 in the country for the fifth time in ten years in the July 2026 New Zealand Golf Rankings.
2. Cape Kidnappers (The Farm at Cape Kidnappers) 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 2 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 5 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 5 · GOLF.com Worldwide 65
Designed by Tom Doak (2004) on a windy plateau some 150 meters above sea level, along ridges separated by deep ravines. Winner of the 2012 International Environmental Leaders in Golf Awards.
3. Te Arai Links (South Course) 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 3 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 4 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 2 · GOLF.com Worldwide 79
The first of two courses at the Te Arai complex, which opened to the public in 2022. The course is shaped like a figure-eight, starting in the forest behind the dunes and featuring ten holes that run, in whole or in part, along the Pacific Ocean.
4. Te Arai Links (North Course) 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 4 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 3 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 3 · GOLF.com Worldwide 98
Opened in 2023; ranked as the top new course of 2024 in Golf Digest’s world rankings. The course starts at the coast, winds through a conifer forest, and returns toward the ocean, facing Little Barrier Island on the 8th hole.
5. Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 7 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 2 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 7 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Has hosted twelve New Zealand Opens, the first in 1959. Built by James Watt in two phases (1930 and 1937), then redesigned by Australian Alex Russell, a former associate of Alister MacKenzie. Published green fee: NZ$275 (international visitors); NZ$130 (New Zealand residents).
6. The Kinloch Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 8 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 6 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 9 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A Jack Nicklaus-designed course that opened in 2007. It pays homage to the great British and Irish links courses, even though it is one of the country’s courses located farthest from the ocean. Published green fee: NZ$850 (18 holes, international visitors, high season October 1–April 30); NZ$450 during the low season.
7. Kauri Cliffs 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 5 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 10 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 10 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Opened in 2000 on the site of a former sheep farm, atop a plateau carved by canyons overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Six holes (the 7th, 8th, and 14th through 17th) run along the edge of the cliffs, several hundred feet above the ocean.
8. Jack’s Point Golf Course 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 6 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 9 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 4 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
John Darby’s design between the Remarkables range and Lake Wakatipu, with a downhill par 3 at the 7th. 4th in the 2026 New Zealand Golf Rankings and the best course on the South Island. Published green fee: NZ$275 to NZ$400 depending on the season (2026 visitor rates, shared cart included).
9. Titirangi Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 13 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 7 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 12 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
The only course in New Zealand designed by Alister MacKenzie, who spent two weeks there during his tour of Australia; restored in the 1990s based on his sketches. The club was founded in 1909 as the Maungakiekie Golf Club.
10. The Hills Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 11 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 11 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 8 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Billed as the country’s most exclusive club, owned by a jeweler, in the former Gold Rush mining town of Arrowtown. Currently undergoing renovation by OCM Golf; construction began in late March 2026.
11. Arrowtown Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 16 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 8 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 20 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Fairways winding through small valleys, rocks, and gorges, with greens nestled on the hillsides. Cited by architect John Darby as an example of a club that thrives on visitor green fees.
12. Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 10 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 16 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 15 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A 27-hole course (Grange, Middlemore, and Tamaki) designed by Chris Cochran of Nicklaus Design following the merger of the Royal Auckland and Grange clubs. The Grange–Tamaki combination ranked 10th on the 2021 Top 100 list.
13. Millbrook Resort (Coronet) 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 12 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 14 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 11 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
Newer than the Remarkables course, the Coronet follows the natural contours of the landscape: outcrops of schist, rolling hills, and wetlands. It ranked 12th on the 2024 Top 100 list.
14. Wairakei Golf + Sanctuary 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 9 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 18 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 6 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A course winding through geysers, streams, ravines, and geothermal wells. Ranked 6th in the 2026 New Zealand Golf Rankings (down one spot). Published green fee: NZ$465 (affiliated international player, October 1, 2026–March 31, 2027).
15. Royal Wellington Golf Club 🇳🇿
Rankings: Golf Digest 2026 14 · Top 100 (Dec. 2025) 15 · NZ Golf Rankings 2026 14 · GOLF.com Worldwide —
A golf club founded in 1895, which became “Royal” in 2004. Ranked 14th in the 2026 New Zealand Golf Rankings. Published green fee: NZ$320 (visitor, Heretaunga course, 18 holes).
Where can you play golf in New Zealand?
North of Auckland, Tara Iti and the two courses at Te Arai Links are located one after the other along the Pacific coast; Auckland is also home to Titirangi and Royal Auckland & Grange, as well as Kauri Cliffs in Northland. On the North Island, Cape Kidnappers overlooks Hawke’s Bay; Kinloch and Wairakei surround Lake Taupo; Paraparaumu Beach and Royal Wellington are near Wellington. On the South Island, the Queenstown region includes Jack’s Point, The Hills, Arrowtown, and Millbrook.
See also
The Countries with the Most Golf Courses
The 15 Best Golf Courses in England
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Canada
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Australia
The 15 Best Golf Courses in Japan
Top 100 Golf Courses in the WorldFrequently Asked Questions About Golf Courses in New Zealand
What is the best golf course in New Zealand?
Tara Iti, Tom Doak’s links course north of Auckland: No. 1 on Golf Digest, Top100GolfCourses, and the 2026 New Zealand Golf Rankings, and No. 19 on GOLF.com’s World Top 100.
Where can you play golf near Queenstown?
Jack’s Point, The Hills, Arrowtown, and Millbrook (Coronet Course) are among our top 15. Green fees at Jack’s Point range from NZ$275 to NZ$400, depending on the season.
How much does a green fee cost at Paraparaumu Beach?
NZ$275 for international visitors and NZ$130 for New Zealand residents, according to the club's website.
How many golf courses are there in New Zealand?
416 according to the R&A's "Golf Around the World" report: see The countries with the most golf courses.