New Zealand Golf Club sits in a corner of Surrey where world-class golf courses are never far away. The famous "Three Ws", Worplesdon, Woking and West Hill, are just across Woking, St George's Hill is the other side of the M25, and the exclusive, ultra-private Queenwood is less than a mile away, next to Foxhills.
Queenwood aside, it's fair to say that New Zealand has an air of mystique about it. Membership simply isn't on the table, so there's very little to elaborate on there.
A mate of mine, Mike Harrison, with whom I ride mountain bikes through the surrounding Surrey forests, is the Head Professional at New Zealand. That friendship has afforded me the privilege of accessing the course, spending time in his simulator and, more recently, getting out among the greenkeeping team, headed up by Stuart.
A heathland course that demands accuracy
Having played the course with Mike, I can confirm that it demands accuracy. With plentiful banks of heather lining the fairways, precision off the tee is rewarded. It's one of those courses that can feel relatively straightforward when you're on your game. There are no nasty surprises in the form of awkwardly cambered fairways, blind tee shots or outrageous greens, although the greenkeeping team have certainly tucked a few pins into naughty positions during my visits!
That fair presentation allows lower-handicap players to go about their business and make their pars. But get aggressive with New Zealand and it can bite hard.
Pulling the driver on a short par four is always a bold move, but here, the heather adds another layer of risk. A wayward shot might cost you more than a dropped shot; it could mean a lost ball altogether.
Autumn maintenance with Stuart and the greenkeeping team
Meanwhile, Stuart and his team are entering the early stages of their seasonal maintenance programme, preparing the playing surfaces to receive water and recover from the demands of the year. At the time of writing, there's certainly no shortage of it, with Storm Austen sweeping across the South and the rain coming down hard.
Spring, summer and autumn at New Zealand
Visiting at this time of year was very much our Plan C.
I first dropped by in the spring, when the weather was flat, grey and wet. A return visit in the summer brought a very different challenge: burnt fairways and a course, like so many others, struggling with the dry conditions.
So, hoping for a strong autumnal gallery of photographs, I made another attempt. The light wasn't exactly playing ball, but I did my best with the conditions available.
Despite the weather, it was great to spend time with Stuart and the team, capturing a glimpse of the work that goes on behind the scenes to maintain a course of this calibre.
For those who haven't had the opportunity to visit New Zealand, I hope these photographs offer a little insight into what lies beyond the gates, and what you might discover if, or when, you get lucky enough to find your way onto the course.
Because there's a lot more to a golf course than what happens between the tee and the green.
If your club would like its course and team photographed through the seasons, see Four Seasons and golf course film, or get in touch.
