Clearwater Golf Club is one of New Zealand's most celebrated golfing addresses, set among spring-fed waterways and wide open spaces in Christchurch's north-west. Eighteen championship holes flow through manicured greens and fairways, and with six tee choices per hole the course can be as welcoming or as demanding as you like. The club sits just seven minutes from Christchurch International Airport and about fifteen minutes from the city centre, making arrival as easy as the round itself.
The course has genuine tournament pedigree. Completed in March 2002, it hosted international professional golf for thirteen consecutive years, and players who tested their games here on the way up include Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Lucas Glover, Jason Day, Jimmy Walker and Lydia Ko. Beyond the championship layout, superb practice areas, coaching, a retail shop and corporate golf facilities round out the offering.
Clearwater is quick to note that it is more than a club — it is a community, with all members enjoying equal status, a rarity in the traditionally regimented world of golf clubs. Dining options include The Players Lounge at the clubhouse, with Lume Restaurant and The Sprig Bar as part of the wider Clearwater Resort. Visitors are welcome via green fees, with tee times bookable online.
Set among spring-fed waterways and wide open spaces in Christchurch's north-west, Clearwater Golf Club is one of New Zealand's most celebrated golfing addresses. Eighteen championship holes flow through manicured greens and fairways, and with six tee choices on every hole the course can be as welcoming or as demanding as you want it to be. The club describes it as a golfing escape few destinations can match — and the setting helps: the course sits just seven minutes from Christchurch International Airport and about fifteen minutes' drive from the heart of the city.
Clearwater's story begins with farmland. Much of the grounds were bought by Japanese interests in 1992, then sold in 1998 to local investors including the late Diana, Lady Isaac and golf course designer John Darby. Construction of the progressive residential resort and golf course began that year, shaped by Lady Isaac's conservationist principles. In March 2002 the course was completed in time for the first of its many annual international professional golf tournaments — an unbroken run that lasted thirteen years.
That pedigree runs deep. Graduates who tested their games at Clearwater before going on to bigger stages include Jason Dufner, Bubba Watson, Lucas Glover, Jason Day, Jimmy Walker and Lydia Ko. The club sums up golf's honest arithmetic with a quote from Tiger Woods: "You're going to make putts and you're going to miss putts. The thing you've got to take the good with the bad." Walk these fairways and you are, quite literally, walking in the footsteps of champions.
Clearwater is quick to point out that it is more than a club — it is a community. In a break with the traditionally regimented world of golf clubs, all Clearwater members enjoy equal status. Membership options and benefits are set out on the club's website, along with reciprocal golf arrangements that extend your playing horizons further afield.
The course is complemented by superb practice areas, so arrive early and loosen up before your round. Coaching is available through the club for golfers of all abilities, the shop carries retail and gift vouchers, and corporate golf packages make the club a natural choice for business days out. Conference facilities on site mean work and play can share the same itinerary.
A round here ends the way it should: with a comfortable chair and something good to eat and drink. The Players Lounge serves the clubhouse crowd, while the wider resort adds Lume Restaurant and The Sprig Bar, so the day can roll seamlessly from the eighteenth green into lunch or dinner.
The golf course forms the centrepiece of the Clearwater Resort community, conceived as part of the wider Waimakariri Regional Park that connects the Groynes, Coutts Island, Templars Island and McLeans Island. The neighbouring Isaac Conservation Park links the resort with Coutts Island recreation park, and a network of spring-fed waterways, walking and cycling tracks spreads across the entire area — handy if your playing partners prefer boots to clubs.
For visitors, accommodation options at the resort include hotel rooms and suites as well as lakeside villas and apartments, so an overnight golf escape is easy to arrange. Visitors are welcome on the course via green fees, and tee times can be booked online through the club's website. A dress code applies, so check the club's guidance before you pack the bags.
Finding Clearwater is straightforward. From the airport, exit in the left lane, continue to the second roundabout, turn left into Johns Road and follow the highway transit signs for Clearwater Resort, then left into Clearwater Avenue and on to the clubhouse. From the city, follow Memorial Avenue, Harewood Road or Main North Road to Johns Road and watch for the same signs. Whether you come for a serious test of golf, a corporate day, a coaching programme or simply lunch beside the water, Clearwater delivers a rewarding Christchurch day out.