Napier Golf Club

Origins

Napier's golf story began on terrain very different from today's Waiohiki course. D. Ormond.

There were no constructed putting greens: natural grass and weeds were used, with jam and tobacco tins marking the holes. The difficult terrain soon made a move desirable. Kurupo Tareha, paramount chief of Ngāti Kahungunu, had visited St Andrews in 1897 and returned with a strong interest in golf.

Together with his brother Te Roera Tareha, he offered part of their Waiohiki land to the club. Napier Golf Club accepted in 1898. The club records that within two years paddocks and swamp had been converted into a golf course.

The new ground was sufficiently developed to host the New Zealand Amateur Championship in 1903 and the first New Zealand Open four years later.

Design Philosophy

The original Waiohiki course grew from the available farmland rather than from a single documented architect's plan. Its layout subsequently evolved over many decades. Golf-course architect Charles H.

Redhead is widely credited by specialist golf sources with remodelling the course around the 1930s. The modern course retains a traditional New Zealand parkland character, with relatively easy walking terrain, mature tree-lined fairways, doglegs and strategically placed bunkering. The club's own hole guide identifies the 3rd, Ridge, as its signature hole.

Several holes preserve names associated with people and places important to the club's history, including Tareha's, Waiohiki, Kuropo's and Pah.

Development

The Waiohiki property has repeatedly adapted to major events. The 1931 Hawke's Bay earthquake knocked the clubhouse off its foundations, damaged the course and destroyed many early club records. The clubhouse had already moved once: an early building near the 17th green was replaced in 1904 by a clubhouse on approximately the present site.

The current clubhouse opened in 1972. Its interior incorporates Māori carvings by Taka Walker honouring Kurupo and Kapi Tareha and tukutuku panels designed by Sandy Adsett. More recently the club has expanded its practice infrastructure with a 225-metre driving range, dedicated putting and chipping greens and a short-game area containing two bunkers and a target green.

Work has also been undertaken on a proposed six-hole short course in conjunction with flood-protection works around Waiohiki.

Recognition

Napier occupies an important place in New Zealand tournament history because Waiohiki hosted the country's first New Zealand Open in 1907. Amateur Arthur Duncan won that inaugural championship, and the Open returned to Napier in 1919. The club's history also records the 1903 New Zealand Amateur Championship and numerous subsequent national and inter-provincial events.

Beyond tournament golf, its association with the Tareha family is significant in the early history of Māori golf. Kurupo Tareha became New Zealand Amateur champion in 1903, and his son Kapi was another prominent golfer. Their connection with the course is commemorated in the clubhouse.

Today

Napier Golf Club remains an 18-hole visitor-friendly course at Waiohiki. Its longest current rated setup measures 6,023 metres, and the club provides online tee-time booking for visiting golfers. Practice facilities include a 225-metre driving range, putting green, chipping green and bunker practice area.

Resident NZPGA professional Andrew Henare operates the fully stocked pro shop and provides coaching, while clubs, shoes, trundlers and motorised carts are available for hire. The clubhouse includes food and beverage facilities and function space capable of catering for more than 100 guests. The club continues to emphasise its connection with Hawke's Bay golf history while operating as an accessible venue for members and visitors.