The Finest Golf Course In The Coromandel - The Dunes Golf Resort, Matarangi

Photo courtesy of thedunesmatarangi.com

I’ve never been much of a golfer – an alleged seven shots in a row in the water April 2009 still haunts me – but this potentially career-limiting affliction doesn’t stop me from enjoying the occasional golf resort. Especially when it’s a place like The Dunes in Matarangi (Coromandel, New Zealand) and if two of my dearest friends* are getting married there.

Almost worth it for the beauty of the coastal part of the drive from Auckland alone, The Dunes is an 18-hole golf resort occupying the tip of a small peninsula. Ringed by white sand and sandwiched between the Whangapoua Harbour and the Pacific Ocean, the golf course is complemented with a villa for every hole on the course – 18 two and three bedroom villas overlooking a lake.

Not just a nice spot for a round of golf, The Dunes has hosted tournaments like an NZPGA ProAm last December, featuring 42 of the country’s top young professionals against more than 80 amateurs. Added to that, the course itself was designed by Kiwi golfing great Bob Charles and is widely regarded as the finest in the Coromandel.

In need of more than just a wee bit of exercise the morning after the wedding, I took the recommended non-golfers’ stroll through the trees past the 1st hole to the beach. Coromandel has some of the most attractive white sand in the country and Matarangi doesn’t miss out. Walking along the beach towards the end of the peninsula you return to the grass and take a path largely through bush down the other-side of the spit back towards the clubhouse and Omara’s restaurant.

With a section of the walk a Department Of Conservation protection zone for native birds, this is a beautiful way to see some New Zealand wildlife, to enjoy the beach and to appreciate the aesthetics of a good golf course. “Good” doesn’t really do it justice either, though hopefully the photos** give a sense of just how special this place is.

As for the accommodation, the resort does not aim for opulence, but rather comfort, space and being self-contained. I had a fully-equipped three-bedroom villa with terrific views and nice touches like a proper stereo with iPod dock.

Reluctantly, I took part in a chipping competition from in front of one of the villas, over a smallish corner of the lake to one of the holes. With the horrors of 2009 in my head and about 20 people watching, I broke form and cleared the water. Some will argue I cleared the water only to land in a bunker, but these are positive signs.

Enjoy the photos and for more about The Dunes in Matarangi, please click here to visit their website. Special thanks to the manager Dennis Price for looking after me so well.