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New Zealand, England |
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Founded in 1895 and designed by Samuel “Mure” Fergusson, New Zealand Golf Club is a top-class course located within the famous Surrey heath belt. New Zealand was laid out on the estate of H.F. Locke-King, who also built Brooklands, the world’s first motor racing circuit, on his property.
Following in the footsteps of nearby Woking Golf Club, New Zealand’s design was innovative, being one of the earliest courses to be routed across dense heathland. Fergusson continued to improve the layout during his long term secretarial position at New Zealand Golf Club.
According to Bernard Darwin, "New Zealand is sui generis. It does not compete with other courses, but it sets its own standard and lives up to it. If anyone wants to play a friendly game, uncrowded and unseen, to have a good lunch in pleasant company, and get home early to London, there is no place like New Zealand."
Not a long course by today’s standards, at a little over 6,000 yards, but with a lowly par of 68, it represents a challenge; six of the par fours are more than 400 yards long. Needless to say, accuracy rather than distance is important from the tee. The course plays through avenues of birch trees and there is plenty of heather to catch the wayward ball. This really is a stylish golf course and it’s a privilege to be able to play a round at New Zealand although, as a visitor, you might get the impression that the club is not keen on strangers.
Most of the holes are isolated from each other by the trees; it’s an intimate feeling and a great place to play golf with friends. The ninth hole is about as far away from the clubhouse as you can get – the ninth is the first in a cluster of three holes which are located on the other side of Martyrs Lane – so make sure you have everything you need in your bag before you start your round. | |
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In the section below, headed “Your Reviews”, are golf course reviews posted by visitors to the Top 100 website. There are no specific rules for reviewing a golf course except you MUST have played the golf course first. Merits of each course are left entirely to your discretion. Important factors, such as course location, condition (or presentation), course difficulty and historical importance are all left for you to judge and we have developed a simple rating system where you can allocate one score to each course. | |
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 |  | | Average Reviewers Score: |  | | The New Zealand Golf Club is very much a world away from the trails and tribulations of the rush of modern life... The course starts with a gentle par 4 in front of the clubhouse - with just enough option to slice one through the secretary's window to keep you on your toes (let's face it all first tees should bring in the embarassment factor)- but get away and you should be fine. It's old fashioned in a 'Brancaster sort' of way - and the deadman lockers are a view into the old school. It's certainly not a long course but it's fantastically well framed with rhodies and the like and in May must be spectacular to say the least. The greens get a B for pace and run - but that's ok as the course does pretty much make up for it - and you just need to make sure your putting is aggressive. Whilst it's short and puts a premium on accuracy, I actually found (2 Prov's later) that it actually rewarded the braver hitter and actually playing for position was often just as likely to feed the splendid, plentiful and hungry heather. Par 3's stand out - as do the clubhouse sarnies. To my mind, I prefer the likes of Sunningdale, St George's Hill in the immediate area - but would I play it again - absolutely - and it's really like playing on your own, as the course is rarely busy. Has the secret aura of gem that should be on your play list. Liked it. Liked it alot.  | | Monday, January 18, 2010
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| | Probably biased as this my home course. But I wouldn't want to be a member anywhere else! The greens could be a bit quicker, but they have some of the best bunkering around. Miss a fairway and your in trouble during the summer when the heather is brutal. Although it looks short at 6000 yards, play it off the back markers and it becomes completely different, 2nd hole is a superb par 4 and the last 3 holes make a great finish. 5 par 3's and only 1 par 5 contribute to what looks short. I also take no notice of saying you don't need a driver here (unless you consistently hit a 3 wood straight and 250 yards). Will never be bored of being a member here!! | | Friday, October 12, 2007
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| Response: | | | george | Saturday, May 31, 2008 | | after playing here recently i felt it was in shocking condition.
greens were slow and bumpy,fairways were long and both rough and semi looked like it had no been touched in years.
shame really because this could be one of the be courses in the area !!
seriously think the head greenkeeper needs to do something urgently to save this course from becoming very ordinary..
and for the record i did play well and thought the layout of the course is fantastic. | | | Adrian Jones | Thursday, December 04, 2008 | | I played today for my first time. Greens were fast and true and this was early December after heavy rainfall. pure delight. |
| | | Once you have turned into the discrete entrance of the golf course and made your way through the electric gates, the ages slip away and you are enveloped in that old fashioned Surrey world of foursomes golf on a classic heathland course. The clubhouse is a picture in itself and very little seems to have changed over the last hundred years. In the locker room the ancient members lockers have all the present and past owners written on them in gold letters. A little macabre but typically old school and some of them have had only four or so members name on them! This is one of those typically exclusive Surrey courses where the membership list is short and they are definitely not encouraged to play to often. The course itself is immaculate, you wander down well manicured fairways (with amazingly few divots) framed with rhodies and bordered by swathes of heather. It's not a long course, a 6,100 par 68, but it is pretty. I think the par three 16th is probably one of the best, all you can see is heather and a flagstick in the near distance. The trouble on this course is just off the fairway, with that heather, and up by the greens. The greens themselves are true and hard and often have deep and extensive bunkers surrounding them. However as a test of golf it was for a different era and it was never meant to be a championship course even then. Although pretty it is also a flat course, so it has none of the undulating ground and sweeping views of Swinley Forest or the three W's. However as a place to play it is right up there with the best and not impossible to get onto if you book in advance and unlike Swinley the welcome was very pleasant. In terms of ranking I'd put it just above the three W's although maybe on a par with Worplesdon and Swinley but not a patch on St George's Hill, Berkshire or of course Sunningdale. | | Tuesday, May 29, 2007
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| | | It is always a real treat to play here. The course is wonderful and don't be deceived by the length. Accuracy is the key and the heather can be punishing to anyone thinking of trying to overpower this classic Surrey heathland gem. You will have to look hard for the 150 yard markers so neatly are they hidden amongst the beautiful rhoddies and trees but don't rely on the yardage too much. New Zealand requires a full array of shots and target golf this isn't. Once on the greens you will have much fun trying to read the subtle borrows and enjoy the very true roll. You WILL enjoy your game here and you WILL enjoy your lunch just as much! Traditional and hugely enjoyable, New Zealand should be a top 100 course. | | Monday, June 05, 2006
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| | | The entrace to club is typically Surrey. Low key but secure. Checking in to play isn't the most welcoming experience in the world. You get the feeling that they don't really want any visitors which makes you wonder why they allow them. However, once you get onto the course you are in splendid isolation - not only because the holes are well separated but because this is such a quiet course. It's in superb condition throughout and most holes have their merits. A great collection of par 3's, punishing heather, excellent bunkering. Greens were a little slower than is the norm for a Surrey heathland but were still smooth and true.
All in all a fantastic course to play - if you're not too much of an inconvenience for them! | | Friday, September 09, 2005
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| | This a delightful and stylish course...it's not long so you won't need your driver very often but you do need to keep the ball in play. The surroundings are gorgeous and you play most holes in isolation. A very pleasant course - always a pleasure to play here. | | Friday, April 29, 2005
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| | | They are not overly keen on visitors but the course is a dream. Very stylish and traditional course, but a little on the short side. Thoroughly enjoyable experience. | | Friday, April 02, 2004
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