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The course at the Muriwai Golf Club is a links style course
that faces the sea. The fairways are naturally rolling and the holes are
filled with strategically placed bunkers. The course offers a breathtaking
view of the sea and forests. A series of factors such as the strong sea
winds, deep roughs that can be as tall as one’s knees, and fast and un-bitable
greens make this one demanding course.
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| The second hole consists of a dogleg that bends to the left.
There is a bush on the left and bunkers on both sides that come into play
off the tee. The green slightly slopes from back to front and is guarded
by three pot bunkers on its front side. |
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A straight and long par four. Players should watch out for the O.B. line
that runs along the left side. The green is deep and slopes from right to
left. |
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The fifth hole is a par four with a dogleg that bends to the right and has
an O.B. line that runs along the left. The second shot will be a downhill
lob and the green slopes from front to back, making it difficult for the
ball to land properly on the green. |
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The eighth hole is a downhill hole that has a beautiful ocean view. There
are bunkers that are placed in front of the green. |
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| The twelfth hole is a relatively short par five that consists
of a slight dogleg that bends to the right and a fairway that slopes towards
the left. An area of dense woods covers the left side of the hole. The green
is slightly raised and is surrounded by four pot bunkers. |
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| This par four is a relatively straight hole that consists of
fairways that slope sharply from left to right. There is a beautiful view
of the small mountains that lie beyond the green. |
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| A short par four with a slight dogleg that bends to the left.
The fairway itself slopes from left to right and the hole ends with a green
that is elevated, very wide, and not so deep. |
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The last hole is a demanding and straight par four. The tee shot will require
the ball to be hit onto a naturally raised fairway. The green is triple-tiered
and consists of big undulations. |
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| It is a 45-minute drive to get to the Muriwai
Golf Club from the city of Auckland. Since the distances measured at the
course are in meters, I have converted them into yards for this review.
The Top 100 Golf Courses of the World (top100golfcourses.co.uk) ranks
Muriwai Golf Club as the 20th best course in New Zealand in 2016. It was
ranked 17th in the top 25 courses in New Zealand in 2010 by a panel of
NZPGA Professionals and Golf Travel operators.
Harold Babbage originally designed the course in 1960 and John Bourke &
Alex Gresgou renovated it between 1996 and 2003.
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2nd Par 5 504 yards (3)