Golf in Wanaka

New Zealand is blessed with an extraordinary number of golf courses and even the smallest rural town has a few holes, often kept in shape by the local sheep population.

Below are some of the must-visits in the area, minus the sheep, but before you embark on some of these rounds, remember that Lime Tree Lodge has its own five-hole pitch and putt golf course!

Wanaka Golf Course is in a spectacular setting, overlooking the lake to the soaring peaks of the Southern Alps beyond. Accuracy is the key to this 5,661 metre course, with trees and bunkers positioned to punish the shots that stray. The well-manicured fairways are very picturesque and some of the most photographed golf holes in New Zealand. The greens run very true and pin placements can be demanding, as the locals will tell you.

Millbrook, designed by Sir Bob Charles, is one of the finest alpine golf courses in the world. It's a 6,412 metre par-72 that is relatively wide open and trouble-free for golfers of all handicaps. It's not the challenge of the course that attracts players so much as its awesome setting against The Remarkables mountain range. The design emphasises the natural features of the site, each hole having its own particular identity in terms of both strategy and landscape setting. Challenging for both higher and lower handicap golfers, Millbrook is one of the most impressive international golf arenas in the world.

Queenstown's Kelvin Heights course is a must on any New Zealand golfing holiday. It stands on a peninsula on the shores of Lake Wakatipu surrounded by towering snow-capped peaks, ranking amongst the most photogenic courses in the world.

New Zealand's own Greg Turner said of the Cromwell Golf Course, “It sits comfortably on land similar to that of the famous Melbourne sand belt. The combination of the expansive rolling dunes of the front nine and the more traditional, tree-lined nature of the back make for an endlessly interesting golfing experience.” The 6,210 metre course will challenge golfers of all abilities.

Alexandra Golf Club embraces Central Otago's special character. The natural environment of sun, sand and thyme clad hills has been used to transform a semi-desert into a delightful course that challenges and pleases golfers of all ages and abilities. It has easy walking on well-groomed, tree-lined fairways with year round settled weather.