Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club was established around 1920, but the current course was designed by Alex Russell of Australia, who was a colleague of Alister Mackenzie when the famed Scotsman was creating his revolutionary layouts—and revolutionary bunkers—in the "Sandbelt" around Melbourne. The terrain may or may not have been under the waves at some point, but it nevertheless shapes a links course. The stiff breeze off the sea is a nearly constant factor, but the holes vary widely in orientation so it doesn't always play the same way, and the layout is spacious enough to allow for low greenward shots, short pitching and the occasional necessary run-on. The tight fairways are perfectly balanced by the diminutive greens, and students of golf history will appreciate the length of less than 6000 meters. Paraparaumu Beach has hosted the New Zealand Open Championship no less than a dozen times.