The Yardage Book Podcast
Having meaningful conversations in the world of golf - focused primarily on New Zealand
Jim Rohrstaff Reflects On The AAC, Gives Update On The Hills and More
Hello and welcome back!
It was a thrill to have Jim Rohrstaff back on the podcast this week, to give his thoughts on an amazing tournament week at Te Arai Links with the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship that finished up just over a week ago.
Jim gave some great insight on how firm the course was playing, how he was so proud of his team and the Te Arai Links membership base, and how great it was to see the South Course in all it's glory on the broadcast.
Jim also gave an update on...
Unpacking the AAC with Rich Lerner
Hello and welcome back!
The AAC at Te Arai Links delivered, and it was an absolute pleasure to be onsite for 5 days and watch 9 Kiwis make the cut. However in the end Fifa Laopakdee was too strong for both Zack Swanwick and Cooper Moore as he took a 3 shot victory to claim back to back AAC wins.
At the start of the episode Mitch Powell and I gave a quick debrief of the event before our interview with broadcasting legend Rich Lerner. Rich gave such great insight on his time in NZ, his thoughts on T...
Cooper Moore and Rodney Yee On Preparing for The AAC at Te Arai Links
Hello and welcome back! It was a pleasure to have Cooper Moore back on the podcast this week as he prepares for one of the biggest events of the year with the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship at Te Arai Links which kicks off on Thursday.
It was great to get Cooper's insight in what has been a pretty spectacular year so far with a runner up at the NZ PGA, Semi-Final at the US Junior Amateur and a spot on the Junior President's Cup Team. On the back half of the Episode we had a great chat with R...
Mitch Northin Talks His Career And Preparing For The AAC At Te Arai Links
Hello and Welcome Back!
It was great to chat in person with Mitch Northin recently, who is the Superintendent of the South Course at Te Arai Links. We chatted all about how he started in Green-Keeping, and what it has been like preparing the South Course for the AAC which starts next week.
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment and Club Car Golf Carts.
Check them out here: https://www.powerturf.co.nz/
If you'd like to su...
Previewing The Spark Wholesale Invitational At Te Arai Links With Mark Jurgeleit
Hello and welcome back! It was great to chat with Mark Jurgeleit recently about the upcoming Spark Wholesale invitational at Te Arai links which kicks off this coming Monday as part of The Cisco Series.
Josh Geary, Tim Wilkinson and Tyler Wood headline a very competitive professional field in the 36-hole Pro-Am format which takes place across both the North Course and the South Course. We will be on the ground this week covering the event in a very similar style to last year.
Check out The Cisco Series here: https://www.ciscoseries.com/
...
Previewing The Spark Wholesale Invitational At Te Arai Links With Mark Jurgeleit
Hello and welcome back! It was great to chat with Mark Jurgeleit recently about the upcoming Spark Wholesale invitational at Te Arai links which kicks off this coming Monday as part of The Cisco Series.
Josh Geary, Tim Wilkinson and Tyler Wood headline a very competitive professional field in the 36-hole Pro-Am format which takes place across both the North Course and the South Course. We will be on the ground this week covering the event in a very similar style to last year.
Check out The Cisco Series here: https://www.ciscoseries.com/
...
Previewing The Carrus Tauranga Open Ft. Jayden Ford, Mitch Kale and Will Toogood
Hello and welcome back!
We are excited to be working in association with Golf NZ to preview The Carrus Tauranga Open that kicks off this week on the Summerset Charles Tour.
Firstly we chatted with Mount Open Champion: Jayden Ford who recapped a special week with his first win as a Professional. Then we looked ahead with Mitch Kale, who is the current NZ Amateur Champion and knows Tauranga GC well, having been part of the Agronomy Team there. Lastly we chatted with Golf New Zealand's Will Toogood, who gave some great insight into be...
Previewing The Christies Floorings Mount Open With Mike Williams and Will Toogood
Hello and welcome back!
We are excited to be working in association with Golf NZ to preview The Christies Floorings Mount Open that kicks off this week.
In the first part of this podcast I chatted with Mike Williams who is the General Manager at The Mount GC. He gave some great insight in how the club embraces this tournament. In the second part of the episode I chatted with Will Toogood from Golf NZ, who gave his thoughts on some of the tournament favourites and the many storylines going into the tournament.
Unpacking Our All-New Zealand Eighteens With Michael Goldstein
Welcome Back!
This week we drew some inspiration from our friends across the Tasman at Australian Golf Passport, and Michael Goldstein and I constructed our All NZ 18s. Which is picking our 18 favourite holes in New Zealand with each course only being able to be used once and each hole must feature in the same place in its home routing. It was a great exercise and showed the increasingly strong depth we have in our golf landscape in NZ.
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers i...
Heath Henrich On His Recent Appointment At Cape Kidnappers And Kauri Cliffs
Welcome Back!
It was great to chat with Heath Henrich, who has recently been appointed as the Director of Golf at Cape Kidnappers and Kauri Cliffs.
Heath gave some great insight into his first impressions on these two iconic properties, the contrasts from the other courses he's worked at around the world and much more.
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment and Club Car Golf Carts.
Check them out here: https://www.powerturf.co.nz/
If...
Ian Baker-Finch And George Harper Junior On Ryan Fox's Open Championship Victory
Hello and Welcome Back! It was a pleasure to chat with both 1991 Open Champion Ian Baker-Finch and our homegrown broadcasting extraordinaire, George Harper Junior to reflect on Ryan Fox's amazing win at Royal Birkdale.
Ian gave great insight on Birkdale as a tournament test, his pride on how Australasia punches far above its weight on the world stage, and what advice he would give Ryan after his maiden major win.
George has unique insight having been a broadcaster with The Open since 2018 and having played a good chunk of golf with Foxy over the years, i...
Michael Donaldson On The Intersection Of Beer and Golf
Hello and welcome back!
It was a pleasure to chat with Michael Donaldson again recently. This time chatting about the world of beer and how it in intersects with golf in New Zealand.
Michael is the author of the beer magazine The Pursuit of Hoppiness and the host of the Third Pint Theory Podcast. It was fascinating to get Michael's insights on how the beer industry has embraced the golf boom here in NZ, and he gave his insights on some of the must-see breweries in the various golfing regions around the country.
Fi...
Invercargill To Abu Dhabi - Corey Finn Unpacks His Amazing Career In Agronomy
Hello and welcome back! It was a pleasure to chat with Corey Finn recently, who is the Director of Agronomy of Yas Links, Yas Acres and Saadiyat Beach Golf Club in Abu Dhahbi. Originally from Southland, Corey has had a fascinating career at courses such as The Hills and Doha Golf Club before his time in Abu Dhabi.
Corey gave great insight into prepping Yas Links each year for the Abu Dhabi Championship on the DP World Tour, working with Kyle Phillips and much more!
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. W...
Andrew Whiley Discusses The 2026 NZ Golf Course Rankings
Welcome Back! It was great to discuss the latest NZ Golf Course Rankings that have recently been released with Ranking Co-ordinator Andrew Whiley. Andrew last joined us back in 2024 for the previous edition.
Andrew gave some insight into how this list was formulated, the main differences between last edition's ranking, and some on the notable panellists.
Please see the full list and Andrew's new website here: https://www.golfrankings.co.nz/
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment and Club Ca...
Architecture Spotlight: The Par 3s of NZ with Michael Goldstein and Leo Barber
Hello and welcome back!
It was a thrill to be joined by Michael Goldstein and Leo Barber as we discussed the best Par 3s in New Zealand. This is my no means an exhaustive list, but we explored the great one-shotters that NZ has to offer from the deep south to far north.
The Youtube Podcast with accompanying photos can be found here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kz5hDU-bwbk
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment a...
Yes Life Golf On Their New App 'Golfed'
Hello and Welcome Back
It was great to catch up with Sean and Stephen from Yes Life Golf, who have recently released their new app 'Golfed' which allows golfers from all over NZ to track which courses they have played, leave reviews, add friends and much more. Stephen and Sean gave great insight into the backstory behind the app and future plans.
Download the app here:
https://apps.apple.com/nz/app/golfed-nz/id6756529504
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in T...
Mitchell Santner On His Love Of Golf + 100th Episode Q+A
Hello and welcome back!
It was a pleasure to chat with Black Cap Mitchell Santner recently on his passion for golf which he manages to squeeze in around his cricketing career. Mitch currently plays off a +2.7 handicap, and has played many amazing courses on his travels around the world. It was great to hear Mitch's thoughts on why cricketers are gravitating towards golf, some of his early golfing memories and his favourite holes in NZ.
After our chat with Mitch Santner, Mitch Powell joins us for a Q+A to celebrate the 100th episode of t...
Sam Jones Talks Taranaki Golf, His Recent Win In Taupo, And Much More
Hello and Welcome Back!
It was great to chat with Sam Jones recently to debrief his win in the latest Cisco Series event up in Taupo at the Entelar Group Invitational. Sam gave great insight into life playing on the Hotel Planner Tour over in Europe, and talked about some of the great golf in his home Province in Taranaki.
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment and Golf Carts.
Check them out here: https://www.powerturf.co.nz/
...
Previewing The UNLIMIT Taranaki Open With Kerry Mountcastle and Josh Geary
Hello and welcome back!
It was a pleasure to chat with both Kerry Mountcastle and Josh Geary this week to preview the Summerset Charles Tour's UNLIMIT Taranaki Open at New Plymouth Golf Club which kicks off this week! Kerry is the inform man this season with a win at The Brian Green Property Group Super 6s in Manawatu and a Runner-up at last week's Autex Muriwai Open. Josh Geary is the defending champion at Ngamotu and it was great to discuss with him about why he has been so successful in Taranaki in recent years.
F...
Previewing The Autex Muriwai Open With Harry Middleton and Phil Tataurangi
Welcome Back!
We are really excited to preview the next event on the Summerset Charles Tour schedule with The Autex Muriwai Open taking place next week at Muriwai links. It was great to preview the event with Harry Middleton who is the Superintendent at Muriwai Links and Phil Tataurangi, the Consulting Architect. We chatted to both Harry and Phil about the ongoing changes at the site, the test it will provide the field, and much more.
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care...
Unpacking 7 Mile Beach With GM Will Kay
Welcome back! It was a pleasure to visit 7 mile Beach recently and play the heavily anticipated South Course which opened for 18 hole play in December 2025. To start the episode Mitch and I give our thoughts on this phenomenal course and how it stacked up against our lofty expectations. For the bulk of the episode we talk to Will Kay who is the General Manager at 7 mile and he gave some awesome insight into the property, architecture and much more!
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading...
Luke Toomey on His Return to Professional Golf in the Cisco Series Ft Mark Jurgeleit
Hello and welcome back! It was a pleasure to sit down with Luke Toomey recently to discuss his return to professional golf at the Entelar Group Invitational in Taupo as part of the Cisco Series. Tooms will be joining the likes of of Josh Geary, Sam Jones and Kerry Mountcastle in the pro-am event across 2 days at Wairakei International and The Kinloch Club. It was great to hear Tooms' expectation for the event, some of his favourite holes across the 2 courses in addition to chatting through some of his recent visits including TPC Sawgrass and Pinehurst.
On t...
Kazuma Kobori Talks His Career And The Courses That Shaped Him
Welcome Back!
It was a pleasure to chat with Kazuma Kobori recently to chat about his career so far, including his NZPGA Championship win in 2019 and his 2023 Australian Amateur Victory.
Kazuma gave great details on his early golfing life in North Canterbury and talked about life on the DP World Tour.
Note that this interview was recorded a few weeks ago - just Prior to the ISPS Handa event at RAGGC
We are proud to be presented by Power Turf NZ. Who are New Zealand's leading providers in Turf Care Equipment a...
Previewing 2026/27 Summerset Charles Tour Opener with Dave Mangan
Hello and Welcome Back!
We are excited to announce we are working in association with Golf NZ to preview the 2026/27 Summerset Charles Tour season. The first event up is the Brian Green Property Group Super 6s at historic Manawatu GC. To preview the event we were joined by Dave Mangan from Golf NZ who is the GM of Championships and Golf Operations. Dave gave some great insight into unique Super 6s format, his thoughts on Manawatu GC as a tournament test, and we discussed the notable players in the field this week.
Check out more h...
Mike Cocking Talks The Hills Redevelopment And More
Hello and Welcome Back!
It was a pleasure to chat with Mike Cocking recently, who is a Director of golf architecture firm - OCM. OCM are behind the redevelopment of The Hills Golf Club near Arrowtown, which promises to be an amazing transformation of the existing layout. Mike spoke in depth on his thoughts of the existing layout, and some of the changes that they will look to make as work gets underway. On the back-end of the pod Mike gave his thoughts on many of his other projects with OCM and his thoughts on the golf c...
Mark Hooker Talks RAGGC, His Phenomenal Career in Turf, Previews ISPS HANDA Event
Welcome back! It was a pleasure to chat with Mark Hooker recently, who is the Director of Agronomy at Royal Auckland and The Grange GC. Mark gave some fantastic insight into his career, which includes positions all over the globe and how he ended up in his current position at RAGGC. Mark detailed the preparation for this weeks' ISPS Handa Japan Australasian Championship and listed some of his favourite holes across the 27 hole property.
Professional Golf Returns To Paraparaumu: Previewing the NZPGA With Dylan Higgins
Welcome Back! It was a pleasure to sit down with Dylan Higgins recently to preview this week's NZPGA Championship at Paraparaumu Beach GC. Dylan is 16 months into the GM role and gave plenty of great insight about how PBGC has come to host the event, and how he believes one of the great courses of New Zealand will provide a championship test to the players this week. I'd encourage anyone in the area to get there this week, and look forward to continuing the strong tournament run of golf around the country,
Dylan Lindstrom Previews the Asia Pacific Women's Amateur Championship
Welcome Back! It was awesome to sit down and chat with Dylan Lindstrom recently, who is the GM of Royal Wellington Golf Club. Royal Wellington is the host of this weeks' Asia Pacific Women's Amateur Championship alongside the R&A. The event promises to be a fantastic spectacle and a big boost for golf in the Wellington Region. Dylan chatted about all that goes on behind the scenes to host an event of this stature, the amazing support of the members and volunteers and some score predictions and field previews for the event.
Check out more about t...
Analysing The Top100golfcourses.com NZ Rankings With Matt Wallbank (AKA Kiwi Caddy)
Welcome Back! It was a pleasure to have Matt Wallbank back on the pod this week to debrief the top100golfcourses.com New Zealand top 50 ranking. Matt and I were both on the panel for this list, so were able to share our thoughts on the final rankings, and how the criteria for this list differs from others. Most importantly I feel it highlights the increasing depth and variety on offer for those playing golf in NZ.
Check out Matt's website as the Kiwi Caddy here:
https://www.thekiwicaddy.com
Check out the l...
Brendan Allen Talks Constructing Douglas Links And His Incredible Career
Hello and welcome back! It was a pleasure to sit down in person with Brendan Allen who is currently Head of Construction at Douglas Links, which is a new golf course being built about 15 minutes north Otaki on the Kapiti Coast. Douglas Links has had several road blocks but is now fully into the construction phase and sits on a sensational site. It is the brainchild of XERO co-founder Hamish Edwards and has been routed by course architect Darius Oliver. Brendan talks about the origins of the project, and his career up to this point which has included roles...
Ryan Fox on The Golf Courses of New Zealand, Course Records and More
Welcome back! Really excited to share our first episode of 2026 with New Zealand's top male golfer Ryan Fox. Ryan is fresh off a career season on the PGA Tour, with 2 fantastic playoff wins. We chatted about his early memories of the Auckland golf-course scene, his home base at Royal Auckland and the Grange GC, and his ambassador role with Te Arai Links. We covered Ryan's many course records around NZ, recent events at home and his 3 dream memberships.
This episode will be available in full on our Youtube channel so please check that out at:
ht...
Sean Towndrow on the pursuit of playing every course in NZ, beating Jon Rahm and more!
Welcome Back!
It was awesome to chat with Sean Towndrow, who is a professional golfer and the driving force behind Yes Life Golf. Sean is on the mission of playing every golf course in NZ, and has already ticked off 57! Sean had a stellar amateur career in the north of England, having made the semi-final of the British Amateur in 2014 including a victory over Jon Rahm on the way. Enjoy
Check out Yes Life Golf below:
https://www.yeslifegolf.com/
https://youtube.com/@yeslifegolf?si=lSag1zCiCB9KTH4M
Bryce Casey On His Love For Golf, Titirangi GC, and Previews Chasing The Fox
Welcome back!
It was a privilege to chat to Bryce Casey last week to discuss his upcoming participation in Chasing The Fox as part of Team Media. Which is being held later this week at Royal Auckland and The Grange GC. Bryce gave some awesome insight into how he got into golf, life as a member of Titirangi GC and what it was like to play along Ryan Fox recently on the famed Alister MacKenzie layout. Enjoy
Reacting to the latest top 100 list and trip down south with Mitch Powell
Welcome Back! It was great to catch up with Mitch Powell earlier in the week to react to the latest Golf.com top 100 list and on the back end we talked through my recent visits to Otago GC, Chilsholm Links, Roxburgh GC, Jack's Point and The Hills. Enjoy
From Palmy to Pasatiempo - Billy Burnley's Amazing Career in Turf
Hello and welcome back! It was fantastic to chat recently with Billy Burnley who is currently an Assistant Superintendent at famed Pasatiempo Golf Club in California.
With stints at Manawatu GC, Northland GC, Cypress Point, Lake Nona and Te Arai Links. It was great learn about Billy's progression in the turf industry and many of the learnings he has taken along the way.
Enjoy
Jim Rohrstaff talks the 2026 Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship coming to Te Arai Links and more!
Welcome Back! It was a privilege to sit down with Jim Rohrstaff to discuss the amazing announcement that the South Course at Te Arai Links will be hosting the Asia-Pacific Amateur Championship next year. Jim talked us through the background behind the announcement, tournament logistics and course set-up. Jim also gave us an update on The Hills redevelopment, Rory McIlroy's visit to NZ last year, and one of the most remarkable hole in one story's ever told. Enjoy
Architecture Spotlight: Paraparaumu Beach with Michael Goldstein and Leo Barber
Hello and Welcome Back. Really excited to share a new series we have been brainstorming over recent weeks. Architecture Spotlight. Which will be an exploration of the architectural history and principles of our most prominent New Zealand courses. Joining me throughout the whole series will be Michael Goldstein. Michael is a previous pod guest, Tournament Director of the NZ Open, and is extremely well travelled. Having previously played 365 different courses in a year. This episode focuses on Paraparaumu Beach GC and former GM and Superintendent Leo Barber joins us to unpack this iconic course on the Kapiti Coast. Enjoy
Ceta Homes Invitational Recap Ft Mitch Powell and Mark Jurgeleit
We are back! Mitch and I are back to review a pretty amazing trip away to Te Arai Links where we were fortunate to cover the Ceta Homes Invitational. Josh Geary clinched the title with rounds of 61 and 70 to edge out Nick Coxon by a single shot. It was great to chat with tournament founder Mark Jurgeleit on the back end to get his thoughts on a pretty amazing week.
Enjoy
Mark Jurgeleit and Josh Longney preview the Ceta Homes Invitational at Te Arai Links
Welcome back! It was awesome to chat recently with the founders of Big Scope Events; Mark Jurgeleit and Josh Longney. It was great to preview the Ceta Homes Invitational at Te Arai Links which takes place next week on the 13th and 14th of October. This will be the first of a series of Pro-Ams across NZ under the Big Scope umbrella. We are also thrilled to announce that The Yardage Book will be onsite to cover the event next week and we are excited to share some awesome content at 2 of the best courses in the world. Enjoy
Taco Golf (AKA Tae Koh) chats playing career, the yips, swing impressions and more
Welcome Back! It was a real pleasure to chat with Taco Golf (Tae Koh) this weekend and chat all things YouTube golf, his early amateur days, favourite courses, the yips, and much more! Check out Taco's channel here:
https://www.youtube.com/@tacogolf
