Green Fees in Hawke's Bay: What Golf Costs in 2026
No golf region on earth has a wider price spread. NZ$850 plays an international visitor at Cape Kidnappers in high season, Tom Doak's cliff top masterpiece 140 meters above the Pacific. Twenty minutes inland, NZ$80 buys 18 holes at Napier and about NZ$70 at Bridge Pa. Here is the full table, and how to play it.
Photograph: Cape Kidnappers Golf Course, via Google
How Hawke's Bay pricing works
Hawke's Bay is two golf economies sharing one wine region. At the top sits Cape Kidnappers, the Tom Doak design from 2004 that regularly appears in world top 50 rankings, priced like the global destination it is: on the most recently published card, introduced October 2023, international visitors pay NZ$850 in the October to May high season, Australians NZ$650, and New Zealand residents NZ$450, all inclusive of 15 percent GST. From June through September those numbers fall to NZ$650, NZ$450 and NZ$250. Guests of Rosewood Cape Kidnappers, the lodge on the same 6,000 acre sheep station, take 10 percent off the applicable fee.
Everything else in the region runs on standard New Zealand club pricing, which is to say it is remarkably cheap. Napier Golf Club at Waiohiki publishes NZ$80 for a non affiliated visitor and NZ$45 after 3pm on its card from October 2025. Hastings Golf Club at Bridge Pa, the area's championship club course, asks about NZ$70. The five Hawke's Bay clubs even hold reciprocal agreements that drop fees to NZ$30 for each other's members. The strategy writes itself: build the trip around one Cape day, then fill the rest of the week with NZ$70 golf, art deco Napier and the Gimblett Gravels wineries.
Hawke's Bay green fees, course by course
| Course | The course | Indicative 2026 fee |
|---|---|---|
| Cape Kidnappers | Tom Doak, 2004; par 71 along cliff top ridges 140 meters above the ocean, beside Rosewood Cape Kidnappers on a 6,000 acre working station | High season (Oct to May): NZ$850 international, NZ$650 Australian, NZ$450 NZ residents. June to Sept: NZ$650 / NZ$450 / NZ$250. Card from October 2023, the latest published; lodge guests 10 percent off; reduced fee during spring coring from late August 2026 |
| Napier (Waiohiki) | The city's club course on rolling land by the Tutaekuri River, 10 minutes from the art deco quarter | NZ$80 non affiliated, NZ$60 affiliated, NZ$45 after 3pm for 18 holes, on the card from October 1, 2025 |
| Hastings (Bridge Pa) | The senior Hastings club on free draining shingle at Bridge Pa, in the heart of the wine district | About NZ$70 for a non affiliated visitor; book ahead at weekends |
| Maraenui and district clubs | Friendly club golf around Napier and Hastings, including Maraenui and the 9 hole country clubs | Roughly NZ$30 to NZ$50; Hawke's Bay reciprocal rates NZ$30 for member visitors |
Fees are indicative, per player, GST inclusive. We do not quote our own pricing; always confirm directly before booking. Check tee time availability.
Where the value hides
Time the Cape, do not skip it
The honest math: the same tee time at Cape Kidnappers costs an international visitor NZ$200 more than it costs an Australian and NZ$400 more than a Kiwi, and there is no way around the tiers. What you can control is the calendar. Book June to September and the fee drops NZ$200; Hawke's Bay winters are mild by New Zealand standards and the course, firm and fast since Doak's 2021 greens renovation and full fairway regrassing, plays its best in a breeze. Spend the savings on a night at the lodge and the 10 percent guest discount works in your favor. How the Cape fits a full North Island route is mapped in our New Zealand destination guide and costed on the New Zealand golf holidays page.
The NZ$70 supporting cast
Bridge Pa and Waiohiki are not warm up golf, they are the reason a Hawke's Bay week works. Both sit within 20 minutes of the wineries, both welcome visitors midweek without ceremony, and together they cost less than a Cape Kidnappers cart. Pair them with the drive north to Kauri Cliffs or the city golf in our Auckland green fees guide, then compare the whole route against Melbourne's sandbelt in Australia vs New Zealand. For the nights, our recommended Hawke's Bay stays cover Napier and the vineyards.
Plan your Hawke's Bay golf trip
Tell us your dates and group, and one concierge sequences the Cape day, the club golf and the wineries, costed to the head. No obligation.
Hawke's Bay green fee questions
How much does golf cost in Hawke's Bay?
Hawke's Bay runs the widest price spread in New Zealand golf. Cape Kidnappers charges international visitors NZ$850 in the October to May high season and NZ$650 from June to September on its most recently published card, while the region's club courses cost a fraction of that: about NZ$80 for a non affiliated 18 at Napier Golf Club and about NZ$70 at Hastings Golf Club's Bridge Pa course. All prices include 15 percent GST and are indicative; always confirm directly before booking.
Is Cape Kidnappers worth the green fee?
For most traveling golfers, yes, once. It is a Tom Doak design from 2004 ranked among the best courses in the world, with fairways running along cliff top ridges 140 meters above the Pacific. New Zealand residents pay NZ$450 against the NZ$850 international high season rate, Australians NZ$650, and guests of Rosewood Cape Kidnappers receive 10 percent off the applicable fee, so staying on site softens the number. Confirm current rates directly with the club.
When is the cheap season at Cape Kidnappers?
June through September, when the international rate drops to NZ$650 and the New Zealand rate to NZ$250 on the most recent published card. Winter in Hawke's Bay is one of New Zealand's milder ones, and the region's 2,200 plus sunshine hours mean plenty of playable days. The club has also flagged reduced fees during greens maintenance windows, such as the spring coring scheduled from late August 2026.
What does golf cost beyond Cape Kidnappers?
Very little. Napier Golf Club at Waiohiki charges NZ$80 for a non affiliated visitor, NZ$60 affiliated, and NZ$45 after 3pm on its card from October 2025. Hastings Golf Club at Bridge Pa, one of the region's senior clubs, runs about NZ$70. Reciprocal arrangements between Hawke's Bay clubs bring member rates down to NZ$30. Always confirm directly before booking.
Related
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Fees verified June 2026 against the official rate pages of Napier Golf Club and the most recent published Cape Kidnappers card, with Hastings Golf Club rates from current course directories. Last reviewed June 2026.