A commercial property analyst by trade and a rookie in golf journalism, Matt is an avid traveler having backpacked Europe and the USA out of a 6kg backpack. Based in New Zealand, he is travelling the country to uncover the best golfing experiences and some hidden gems along the way
Love at first sight is a fickle concept in golf, but Barnbougle Dunes had me at ‘good morning.’ I had arrived at this fabled golfing destination in the dead of night. Through the darkness I found my way to my bed and fell asleep dreaming of what lay in wait. I was awake…
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New Zealand is in the midst of a golf boom: new courses are being built, existing courses restored and airport carousels are abuzz with one golf bag after another – but breathtaking Kauri Cliffs was here well before the masses. With the likes of Tara Iti and Tea Arai Links driving new interest…
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My first year of High School was an absolute blur, I barely remember a thing. However, looking back there is one person who has withstood the test of time and lived long in my memory – Mr Killian. A brawny and brash South African mathematics teacher, Mr Killian was loud, bold and confrontational…
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Since its grand reveal, Tara Iti Golf Club has occupied a place in the hearts and minds of golfers across the world. To most it feels a world away: isolated geographically, almost heavenly in its beauty, and, given its famed privacy and exclusivity, almost impossible to access. In a country dominated by public golf courses,…
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At their best, golf courses captures the soul of their surroundings, gradually revealing a place over 18 unique chapters: never is that more the case than at Cape Kidnappers Golf Club. Tucked away on a 500 foot cliff in a corner Hawke’s Bay on New Zealand’s North Island, this is a place that…
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For a for few years, Te Arai Links felt like a myth. Its ultra-exclusive and highly-acclaimed sister property, Tara Iti, had captured the imagination of the golfing world with its beauty, tranquillity and its natural wonder. This extraordinary stretch of coastline on New Zealand’s north island was no longer a secret among golfers…
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My P.E. teacher used to call it the shrivel effect and as I prepared to play St Andrews Old Course for the first time, I finally knew what he meant. You know the feeling, it’s the one where every fibre in your body tightens, a pit forms in your stomach and, in my…
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Golf trips are sacred: they’re opportunities to experience new destinations, create lifelong memories and to spend time with your people. The likes of Pinehurst, Bandon and the great links courses of Scotland and Ireland might immediately spring to mind when you’re going through your bucket list but sometimes straying off the beaten track…
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It was the music, that damn music that saunters into the living room each April, coercing me into four days of couch-surfing. Golfers around the world know the tune and I can vividly recall the first time I heard it, thinking it was the most ridiculous and pretentious piece of music, perfectly suited…
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