• Ohope golf course
    Ohope golf course...pre round pic. The views were fantastic!Note the bucket on the green string coming down from the bar.Te Puke...18th hole...as viewed from the 19th.Te Puke golf course...one of the few water hazards in the area.Where Daryl has been finding himself more often than he would like 😮Need a big swing to get out of trouble.Summerhill golf course...all up and down.Mount Maunganui golf club.

    Golf!

    5 de março de 2020, Nova Zelândia ⋅ ⛅ 22 °C

    A golf course is a great place to be...at least most of the time, when your swing is working and the putts are falling.

    Non-golfers need not read on...but you can still enjoy the pics. 

    Golf in this area of New Zealand - and in most places except maybe around Auckland and Wellington - is very inexpensive.  Seasonal membership at Mount Maunganui, (closest to us) was $315 CAD each for 9 weeks unlimited golf.  That also gets you a $23 rate at all other courses in the area.  However, the Mount's narrow, dry fairways weren't super conducive to Daryl's frequent mis-directions off the tee, so we tried Te Puke - 20 minutes south of us and really liked it. More interesting layout, away from houses and better condition. What they might call a 'country course'.  Super nice people too.  And note in one of the pics the bucket dropped down from the bar - when you just can't wait for that after-round beverage 🍺!  So for $90 per month (each), we've done most of our golf there.  Tried a couple of other courses in the area - one very dry and boring, another one not bad - very hilly.  

    More often than not, fairways aren't well irrigated - so very dry.  On the up side - lots of roll...if you've hit the ball in the right direction!  But most of the greens have been super!  Water hazards are few and far between - but lots of bunkers!

    Today we golfed Ohope International Golf Club - fabulous!  A true links course.  (For those non-golfers who are still reading despite my warning - a links course is the oldest style of golf course, first developed in Scotland. The word 'links' comes via the Scots language from the Old English word 'hlinc':  rising ground, ridge; and refers to an area of coastal sand dunes, undulating ground and sandy soil).  Ohope is right out on the point - fabulous views!  And you can see White Island (where the tragedy happened in December when it erupted while tourists were on it).

    There are LOTS of golf courses here - every 2-bit town seems to have one.  At these, you leave your green fee in the 'honour box' and out you go.

    Kiwis are quite serious about their golf here - competitions are called a 'haggle'.  You always trade cards - even on non-competition days - and both the player and marker have to sign.  There's no entering your own score into the computer - some courses have an automated system that does it for you - or you hand it in to the pro shop and they do it.  Not sure it discourages the serious sandbaggers - as stableford scores are often in the high 40's and 50's... hmmm.

    While golf itself is inexpensive, any golf gear is very dear - balls, clubs, etc.  Probably because it has so far to travel to get here.  But they still have the clothes sale racks in the pro shop that Cindy has taken advantage of 😁.

    The weather has been super, and we've played golf about 3 times a week.  Have enjoyed the different experience here - but as they say...there's no place like home.  And I know we'll love coming back to Cordova Bay golf course.
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