A walk down memory lane at the ‘spiritual home’

By Peter Thornton

When we made the hard call to move home to Auckland, my first thought was of this place – the Paraparaumu Beach Golf Club.

We had lived in Wellington for three years and fell in love with the city. In that time, I was proud to call myself a member of the “spiritual home of New Zealand golf”. I was more than proud. I love this place and I can’t explain to you quite how much, but I will try.

I can still remember writing the email to Leo Barber, the down-to-earth general manager at Paraparaumu Beach, that I would not be renewing my membership this time around. It was painful. I felt like I was letting him know there had been a death in my family.

But six months have passed since that day, and I am back. You cannot wipe the smile off my face.

Standing on the first tee with good mates Ben Lauchlan – who is quick with a joke and can smash a drive as far as you can see, Andrew Joyce, a professional musician who has spent more time on the course than his cello in the past 12 months, and Simon ‘Blocka’ Roche, an old rugby mate who is just as competitive when it comes to golf. It’s going to be a good day regardless of the result.

Ben was the best of our modest bunch and teamed up with Joyce, taking on myself and Blocka. The stakes were low – beers and chips for the winners at the end – but the level of banter made you feel like we were playing for the Ryder Cup.

The weather came to the party. It was one of those days where you find it impossible not to say “You can’t beat Wellington on a good day”. It was warm with a gentle breeze across the links - there would be no excuses.

Walking in the footsteps of giants  

A game at Paraparaumu Beach is following in the footsteps of giants.

Of course, this is the only course in Aotearoa where Tiger Woods has played a competitive tournament. He featured in the 2002 New Zealand Open with promoters reportedly paying him $2 million USD as an appearance fee. More than double the total prize money.   

It was a controversial and divisive moment for golf in this country but when Woods arrived it created a fanfare the game that has never been seen before and will likely never see again.

Woods’ appearance at the NZ Open, alongside his Kiwi caddie Steve Williams, is well documented inside the clubrooms and it’s cool to look back on an incredible moment in time.

Just knowing you are playing a links course that the game’s greatest ever golfer has played is special in itself. For the record, Woods finished T6th that year behind Aussie Craig Parry.

But the hysteria of Tiger coming to the Kapiti Coast is only one of many magic moments that have played out on this hallowed turf.

Local boy Michael Campbell famously won his NZ Open title here in 2000 when he defeated Craig Perks with an eagle in a playoff. He shot an amazing 64 in the final round.

The struggles of Frank Nobilo on the par 3 5th – who famously made a triple bogey six here during the 1989 New Zealand Open – it took him out of the lead and opened the door for Greg Turner to win the title. I feel your pain Frank.  

On the 18th there is a plaque which captures a special moment – Grant Waite made an albatross two on the par 5 to win the NZ Open in 1992.  I could go on.    

In all, Paraparaumu Beach has hosted the New Zealand Open 12 times and has always been a popular venue.

How great would it be to see Golf NZ move our flagship event from Queenstown to how it used to be – a tournament for all New Zealanders to enjoy and engage in.

Paraparaumu Beach would surely be top of the list of places to return.

A battle for the beers

Back to our game. There is an old adage at Paraparaumu Beach that if you can get through the first five holes with your scorecard intact, then you’ll be in a good place coming into the turn.

Blocka and I were rusty compared to our compatriots and got off to a slow start. Ben made a fine par at the first, and we were 2down after four holes.   

We got back into the game when Blocka hit a perfect 8-iron into the 5th and made par, and I was fortunate to birdie the 6th. Things were looking up.

But anytime we threw a punch, they came back, led by Ben whose shot-making suggested that his IT company affords him a fair amount of time on the course. His approach into the ninth was out of the top drawer and he converted the birdie to take a 2up lead at the turn.

Annoyingly, Joyce contributed just when he needed to. His par on the par 5 12th was the last thing we needed. He has an uncanny knack for coming up with a chip or a putt at the right time.

My best moment of the day came on the par 4 13th. Man, what a golf hole. Sir Bob Charles described it as one of the best par fours in the country and one of his favourites. It’s easy to see why. I smashed my rescue from 190m to pin-high and made par to reignite our hopes.

We rode our luck on the back nine and I managed to hole a handy putt from 30 feet off the green on 10 and then chipped in on 14 to get us back to all square. We were feeling good.

But again, Lauchlan hit back with a sucker-punch. A precise tee shot to the par 3 16th was good enough to make par and they would go on to claim a 2/1 win at the 17th.

It was hard to take but also hard to be unhappy at my favourite course in the country.    

Like no other course in the country

Spring is a great time to play Paraparaumu Beach.

The fairways are firm – accentuating the endless undulations of the layout – and the greens are a touch more receptive than you’ll find in the peak of summer.  

On our visit the greens were quick – they felt like there were running at around 11 on the stimpmeter, maybe quicker.

The greens here are pure. Right up there with the best you will find anywhere around the country. But if you want to enjoy your round, spend some time on the practice green to get a feel for the pace.

The course is always in top condition, the rough can be penal and if you score well around here you know you have played well.

Every hole has its own character and challenges.  The course was designed in 1949 by former Australian Open champion Alex Russell. The work of the highly-acclaimed course architect stands the test of time and is widely regarded as one of our best.

It was great to see the club recognised recently – they were named Environment Club of the Year at the Golf New Zealand National Golf Awards.

For the past 25 years the club has been removing evidence of human intervention — returning much of the course to its natural state.

The long-term programme has involved exotic tree felling, promoting indigenous flora, mass eradication of invasive weeds, and the enhancement and creation of wetlands.

General manager Barber said the course was “so much closer to nature nowadays”.

“We’ve really worked hard to make this land a stunning example of our local environment.

“Man-made retaining walls have been removed, paths have been realigned and designed to be hidden from line of sight, sustainable grasses were encouraged, and what’s more we made a huge reduction in chemical and fertiliser reliance.

“The club has recently installed solar energy and during some parts of the year is often exclusively powering our clubhouse from that source.

“The club’s mantra for the enhancement process is to provide an island of close-to-natural ecosystem within an increasingly urbanised environment.”

Until next time

Sitting on the deck, with an ice-cold Hazy IPA, the sun is on the way down over the Kapiti Coast.

Like every round, it’s the perfect time to reflect on the moments of magic, the near-misses and of course the winners are always keener to chat about the day’s events.

There will be another day – we already start the planning for the rematch in the coming months.

There is no better place to do that than here. If you love your golf, then trust me, you have to experience Paraparaumu Beach for yourself.

If you’re lucky enough to become a member here, it should come with a warning. It will likely end with a lifetime love affair with this place that will never leave you.

Peter Thornton is an experienced journalist and media manager. He first worked in the golf industry producing Phillip Leishman’s television golf shows for Sky Sport. He went onto be the media and communications manager for Golf New Zealand and has worked as a journalist in all forms for the past 20 years.