Wanaka Golf Club

Overview: Wanaka Golf Club sits above the township with views across Lake Wanaka, Mount Aspiring National Park, Mount Iron and the Cardrona Valley. The 18-hole course changes character at the turn: the front nine is more open and alpine, while the back nine has a parkland feel with tree-lined fairways. The course is close enough to Queenstown for a day trip but deserves its own place on a Central Otago golf itinerary.

History: Golf began on the Wanaka common in 1922, and the club moved uphill during the 1930s toward Faulks Terrace and Stone Street. Nine more holes were established across the road in Wanaka Station in 1967, creating the full 18-hole course associated with the current club. The course has grown alongside Wanaka’s tourism and outdoor-sports economy while retaining its local membership base.

Did You Know? The front and back nines feel like two different landscapes. The outward holes look over the lake and township, while the return moves through trees toward Mount Iron and the Cardrona Valley, making the change of scenery part of the routing rather than a separate attraction.