Templeton Golf Club is a long-established golf club on Pound Road in Templeton, Christchurch, set on the naturally undulating gravels of the Canterbury Plains. Its 18-hole course rewards thoughtful golf rather than brute strength, with mature trees, lakes and excellent natural drainage giving every round its own character.
Golf has been played on this land since 1915, when horse artillery officers stationed at the nearby Templeton Military Camp laid out informal holes across the Templeton Domain. The club itself was formed on 13 August 1931 as Templeton Country Club, with an 18-hole course designed by Harry Blair, the professional at Shirley Golf Club — remarkably, for a fee of just £5. Construction relied on volunteers and Depression Relief Scheme workers, and the first clubhouse was a simple mill workers' hut on wheels. The member-built, volunteer-run spirit of those early years still shapes the club today.
The pro shop, run by Ash and his team, caters to all golfing needs. Templeton stocks Titleist, Wilson and other leading brands, with the latest equipment available to trial or buy, alongside trundlers, a large range of footwear, golf clothing, balls, gloves and accessories. The shop also offers an extensive club repair and club hire service and looks after tee bookings. Coaching is available for players looking to improve, and recent investment has gone into practice facilities and junior golf.
Visitors are warmly welcomed alongside members. Green fees, membership options, corporate golf days, course hire and clubhouse hire are all offered, and over the decades the club has hosted club championships, representative golf and a major professional tournament in 1969. With its centenary approaching in 2031, Templeton remains a genuine community club — as welcoming to first-time visitors as it is to long-standing members.
Some golf courses are simply built. Templeton Golf Club grew out of the land itself — the rolling, naturally undulating gravels of the Canterbury Plains, just outside Christchurch — and out of more than a century of local enthusiasm for the game.
Golf was first played on this land in 1915, when horse artillery officers stationed at the nearby Templeton Military Camp created a series of informal holes across the Templeton Domain. In their spare time they enjoyed the rolling landscape that would one day become one of Canterbury's most respected golf courses.
After the First World War, local golfers kept the game alive on the Domain. By the late 1920s a small group of enthusiasts was regularly playing over the property using little more than sunken jam tins as makeshift holes — humble beginnings that laid the foundation for something much greater.
On 13 August 1931, around sixty local golfers gathered with a shared vision of creating a permanent golf club for the Templeton community. That evening, Templeton Country Club was officially formed. Harry Blair, the professional at Shirley Golf Club, was commissioned to design an 18-hole course — and remarkably, he completed the design for just £5.
Construction relied heavily on volunteer effort and workers employed through the Depression Relief Scheme. Fairways were maintained with horse-drawn equipment, and the club's first clubhouse was a simple mill workers' hut on wheels, purchased for £15. Modest as it was, it quickly became the heart of the club.
That spirit has never left. From the earliest days, members donated their time, skills and resources — building facilities, maintaining the course, raising funds and serving on committees. Every generation has left its mark, and the club counts this culture of volunteerism among its greatest strengths.
Templeton's defining characteristic is the land itself. Built on the undulating gravels of the Canterbury Plains, the course rewards thoughtful golf rather than brute strength. Excellent natural drainage keeps it playable, while mature trees, a series of lakes and landscaping that works with the landscape give every round something different.
The course grew steadily after the Second World War — club activities paused between 1942 and 1945 before reopening in 1946 — with an expanded clubhouse, new greens, and the lakes and planting that create many of the memorable holes played today. In 1969 the club hosted a major professional tournament featuring some of New Zealand's leading golfers, and through the decades it has welcomed club championships, representative golf and countless community competitions.
Ongoing native planting and environmental projects continue to protect the course for future generations, while recent investment in course improvements, practice facilities, junior golf and the member experience reflects a club still moving forward — with one eye on its centenary in 2031.
The pro shop, led by Ash and his team, caters to just about every golfing need. Templeton is a stockist of Titleist, Wilson and other brands, with the latest equipment available to trial or buy, alongside trundlers, a large range of footwear, golf clothing, balls, gloves and accessories. The shop also runs an extensive club repair and club hire service and is responsible for the booking of tee times.
Coaching is available for golfers looking to sharpen their game, corporate golf days can be arranged for businesses and groups, and both the course and the clubhouse can be hired — making Templeton a genuine community venue as well as a golf club.
Visitors are warmly welcomed. Green fees apply for casual rounds, and the club publishes a range of membership categories for anyone who catches the bug. Tee times can be booked online, the daily course status — including cart, bag and trundler availability — is posted on the club's website, and a frost policy applies on cold mornings.
You'll find Templeton Golf Club on Pound Road in Templeton, Christchurch. Whether you're visiting for the first time, joining as a member or returning after many years away, you're becoming part of a story that has been unfolding for more than a century.