New Zealand Trip Planner

Lake Taupo, a touristy region in the heart of New Zealand's North Island, offers something not even the great Lodge at Kauri Cliffs and the Farm at Cape Kidnappers can deliver -- two Golf Digest top 100 courses outside the U.S. Jason Scott Deegan has more on where to play, where to stay and what to do off the course at Lake Taupo.

New Zealanders certainly love golf. That's apparent in the quality of their resorts that cater to people who play the game. From Kauri Cliffs to Cape Kidnappers -- and other places you may never have heard of before -- Jason Scott Deegan highlights the best resorts for golfers who plan to tee it up in New Zealand.

In honor of the Presidents Cup, the Golf Advisor staff has selected the 12 best international golf destinations.

With roughly 400 golf courses spread across the North and South islands, New Zealand boasts more golf courses per capita than anywhere in the world. And among all these golf courses, there are plenty of holes that show why the Kiwis are so passionate about golf.

Lake Wakatipu and the Remarkables Mountains hug Queenstown Golf Club, a stunning course the locals call Kelvin Heights. The club occupies a hilly peninsula of land jutting into the lake, creating an amphitheater of beauty on New Zealand's rugged South Island. Kelvin Heights plays hard to get on the scorecard, so don't let the views distract you!

You could travel the world and not find another place as wonderful as The Lodge at Kauri Cliffs at the northern tip of New Zealand's North Island. Golf Digest ranked The Lodge no. 1 among the "World's Best Golf Hotels" in the international category in 2009. Golfers worship the sublime setting of the Kauri Cliffs golf course and luxury travelers who don't play golf come for everything else.

It was Captain James Cook who dreamed up the name Cape Kidnappers for the dramatic cliffs off the eastern coast of New Zealand's North Island in 1769. More than two centuries later in 2004, it was owner Julian Robertson and architect Tom Doak who made this natural wonder one of the world's most sought-after golf courses.

Fabulous food, paired with New Zealand's most popular wines, creates wonderful dining experiences throughout the country, especially after a rousing round of golf. Golf writer Jason Deegan recently spent five days each on the North and South islands, tasting his way through multiple golf destinations without a single bad meal.

Want to play top 100 golf? Start with these countries, which offer excellent and accessible courses.

The November 2016 issue of Golf Odyssey has been published and can be accessed here.

The October 2016 issue of Golf Odyssey has been published and can be accessed here.

The February 2016 issue of Golf Odyssey has been published and can be accessed here.