Waimakariri Golf Club

Few golf clubs in New Zealand occupy a setting quite like this one. Oxford sits at the northern edge of the Canterbury Plains, where the foothills of the Southern Alps begin to assert themselves and the Waimakariri River catchment shapes the surrounding farmland. The club takes its name from that river, and the landscape here is distinctly different from the flat, wind-scoured links of the coast — expect rolling terrain, mature trees, and views toward the ranges that remind you exactly where in the South Island you are.

Oxford itself is a quiet rural town about 55 kilometres northwest of Christchurch, the kind of community where the golf club serves as a genuine social anchor. Canterbury has a long and proud golf tradition, home to some of New Zealand's most respected courses, and the regional club scene here is seriously engaged — members tend to know the game and maintain their courses with real care.

For visitors making the short drive from Christchurch, Waimakariri offers a genuine country-club experience well removed from the city, with the unhurried pace and personal atmosphere that smaller provincial clubs do better than almost anyone.