Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club

Paraparaumu Beach, Alex Russell 1949

Situated on the , a very pleasant fifty minute drive north of the capital city, , Paraparaumu Beach enjoys a long held reputation as the premier links course in New Zealand. Paraparaumu Beach has hosted the New Zealand Open championship on twelve occasions as well as numerous prestigious professional and amateur tournaments.

“I loved it instantly. We had nothing like it in Australia , which must have struck Alex Russell, who did the layout. Course designing approaches an art form, especially done in a perfect modelling medium like volcanic sand. Russell must have been ecstatic. What was left after his departure was a gem of enjoyment, a monument to the game and a gift to the future. When we all turn to dust, “Paraparaumu” the golf, should be still lying there as it was when the first golfers came by, with Kapiti an off-shore island standing guard to see that no one steals it away. And the winds will ever blow to test the golfer’s will and integrity. Paraparaumu will be famed for a century yet.

Peter Thomson – Winner of 9 NZ Opens and 5 time British Open Champion

History

In 1929 Mr. Malcolm Maclean and his brother Rob who had been farming an area of land at Paraparaumu leased some of land to an enthusiastic bunch of locals for the purposes of a golf course. With 9 holes in play there were plans for expansion to 18 however with the depression starting to bite the Maclean’s decided to sub divide their land and placed the golf course and the neighbouring land between the course and the beach on the market. They interested Mr. S. George Nathan in the project and the latter then formed a small syndicate, which included Mr. Stronach Paterson, Mr. Jack Francis, Mr. H.R. Chalmers and Mr. D.O. Whyte, to purchase the land as a speculation.

Some 200 acres of Beach Front was subdivided into seaside sections and the balance of 120 acres formed into an 18 hole golf course as an added attraction to buyers.

Course Aerial from 1953. After all the sections had been sold Messrs. Paterson, Francis and Whyte decided to form a Club to take over the Golf Course from the syndicate and ensure the retention of the Golf Course which had become so much of a part of the life of the rapidly growing seaside resort. They succeeded in interesting sufficient golfing enthusiasts and the club was duly formed and incorporated.

It was decided to redesign the course entirely and to lay out a modern first class championship course which would be fit to stage the most important golfing events. On the advice of Kiwi Sloan Morpeth (then the Secretary of both the Commonwealth Golf Club and Australian Golf Union), the club secured the services of Mr. Alex Russell of Melbourne, an ex Open Champion of Australia and a one-time design partner of Dr. Alister MacKenzie. Alex Russell’s design credits included Royal Melbourne East, a collaboration on the West with MacKenzie and Mick Morcom, Yarra Yarra and Lake Karrinyup. Having approved the plans, and under the supervision of Mr. Whyte, the course was constructed by Head Greenkeeper Jack Hunt and his staff and ready for opening in 1949.

Club founder D.O. Whyte (left) inspecting progress of the new links with Head Greenkeeper Jack Hunt

In the years that proceeded, Paraparaumu Beach went on to host many of the country’s leading golf tournaments including 12 New Zealand Opens and 4 New Zealand Amateurs. It has ranked as high as 71 by magazine U.S. Golf Magazine’s world rankings of golf courses and has unquestionably become as its founders had hoped, a real asset to the game in New Zealand.

“Paraparaumu Beach is a great example of how intelligent design on appropriate terrain can remain relevant in spite of technological advances. With the fescues revived and the ball "alive" when it lands, once again the links shows that the interest and intrigue associated with its counterparts in the British Isles is alive and well on the Kapiti Coast.” Greg Turner – New Zealand Open Winner 1989, 1997

Golf Course

Initially 9 Holes were constructed in 1929. Expanded to 18 in 1937 and then completely redesigned to the current layout by Alex Russell in 1949. A Par 71, the course measures 6050m from its tips.

5th Hole Par 3, 155m.

“After more than three decades of caddying I rate Paraparaumu Beach very highly and believe it has one of the best groups of par 3’s on any course I have encountered. The par 3 2nd, 5th, 14th and 16th will challenge the best players everytime despite not being long holes like many of the modern day par 3’s.” Steve Williams – Caddy to Tiger Woods, Adam Scott 2010

6th Hole Par 4, 301m

“This is a great course……a great, great course” 9 time major champion Gary Player

“Difficult holes are not necessarily good holes, but the 13 th is a perfect example of a great hole” World Atlas of Golf

“Intriguing, alternative strategic decisions, each with its own reward, mark this as one of the finest half dozen holes in Australian or New Zealand golf” 17 th Hole PBGC - World Atlas of Golf Tournaments

New Zealand Opens

1959 NZ Open P.W. Thomson 287

1966 NZ Open R.J. Charles 273

1972 NZ Open E.W. Dunk 279

1984 NZ Open C Pavin 269

1988 NZ Open I. Stanley 273

1989 NZ Open G. Turner 277

1991 NZ Open R. Davis 273

1992 NZ Open G. Waite 268

1993 NZ Open P. Fowler 273

1996 NZ Open M. Long 275

2000 NZ Open M. Campbell 269

2002 NZ Open C. Parry 273

2002 New Zealand Open, Tiger Woods and his caddy, Paraparaumu Beach member Steve Williams

Other

From 1955 until 1972 Paraparaumu Beach was host to the “Caltex”, New Zealand’s first truly professional event for prize money and a tournament that featured the leading professionals from Australia and New Zealand with the occasional guest from further abroad such as Gary Player in 1968. Winners included Peter Thomson, Kel Nagle, Bruce Devlin and New Zealand’s own Bob Charles.

1957 Caltex Tournament – a regular fixture on the Australasian professional golf scene until the 1970s

The Club has also held numerous national amateur events including the New Zealand Men’s Amateur held on four occasions and the Women’s Amateur five, the most recent for both being in 2008. In 2013 and 2015 the Club hosted the New Zealand Men’s and Ladies Stroke Play Championship.

John Durry, NZ Amateur Champion, Paraparaumu Beach 1979. Rankings

Paraparaumu Beach has featured regularly over the years in many of the leading ranking lists. It has been ranked as high as 71 in the world by respected publication US Golf Magazine and currently sits in Golf Digests “World Top 100 Greatest Golf Courses” list at no.77.

PLANET GOLF WORLD TOP 100 2018 Paraparaumu Beach 63rd TOP100GOLFCOURSES.COM 2018 Paraparaumu Beach 97th GOLFCLUBATLAS.COM UNOFFICIAL WORLD TOP 100 2010 Paraparaumu Beach 45th GOLF DIGEST WORLDS TOP 100 GREATEST GOLF COURSES Paraparaumu Beach 77th GOLF DIGEST TOP 40 NZ COURSES 2016 Paraparaumu Beach 7th

Reciprocal Clubs

Paraparaumu Beach enjoys rich reciprocal relationships with many of Australasias leading golf clubs including

New Zealand

Otago Golf Club Titirangi Golf Club Grange Golf Club Clearwater Golf Club New Plymouth Golf Club Napier Golf Club Russley Golf Club

Australia

Lake Karrinyup Country Club (WA) Thirteenth Beach Golf Club (Vic) The Grange Golf Club (SA) Yarra Yarra Golf Club (Vic) The National Golf Club (Vic) Woodlands Golf Club (Vic) Portsea Golf Club (Vic) The Lakes Golf Club (NSW) Federal Golf Club (ACT) Newcastle Golf Club (NSW) Pymble Golf Club (NSW) Riversdale Golf Club (Vic)

The Alex Russell designed Yarra Yarra situated on the famous Melbourne Sandbelt

Course Record

The Course record of 62 is jointly held by Bob Charles, Maurice Bembridge, Paul Gow and Bradley Iles The Club

Paraparaumu enjoys a vibrant membership of 650 men and ladies. 80% of its membership reside locally on the Kapiti Coast, 15% in Wellington with the remainder scattered throughout New Zealand and in some cases further abroad. The club prides itself on the diversity and egalitarian nature of its membership.

The Club is governed by a Management Committee which consists of a President, a Men’s and Ladies Captain and four elected representatives. The Chairperson is elected from the group.

The Management Committee circa 2018

Contacts

General Manager Leo Barber P +64 4 9028205 E [email protected] W www.paraparaumubeachgolfclub.co.nz