Greg Turner gave Omakau a warm tick when he ran his eye over the country's best courses in North & South last year, while cricketer Warren Lees is a big fan of Tarras.
Omakau should be played purely for its downhill seventh, where the sloping green is shielded by rocks, but my favourite Central Otago country course is Wedderburn, 10 minutes past Ranfurly.
Local farmer Stu Duncan carved this little nine-holer out of his farm after returning wide-eyed from Scotland's finest.
It is an amusing, testing and unique course, which levels the distance between best and worst golfers almost as well as mini golf.
Wedderburn can be almost ludicrous when uncut, or more accurately, uneaten, as balls can disappear in the middle of the fairway.
But in high summer, it is a fascinating exercise in shot-making.
The run home from seven to nine is especially recommended.
Seven is a gentle sand wedge downhill on to a green continuing that slope.
Not even Tiger Woods could land a ball on this green and keep it there, which possibly explains why nobody has aced this very short hole.
In fact, according to Duncan, nobody has holed in one on any of the nine holes, which is remarkable for a par-30 layout.
Eight will terrify the bad golfer and throw out a real challenge to the good.
Bad golfers do not like to confront a long pond from the tee, especially when there is a short steep hill to an elevated green on the other side.
It is quite a shot to stop your drive high on this green, but I did watch disbelievingly one Saturday afternoon in 2007 when Judge John Macdonald did it with a 3-iron.
Our wives emptied nearly 70 balls into the pond behind us while we putted out, him for 3, me for 7.
You had to be there.
Nine, a very driveable par 4, brings relief for the bad golfer, an elevated tee begging for the big thwack to the green of which every bad golfer believes he is capable.
Better still, a wide expanse to the right the size of Carisbrook will give the bad golfer room to recover from when he inevitably banana-slices his big thwack.
But here the levelling comes.
Again a good golfer will underestimate the concrete nature of Central Otago farmland in high summer and often find his first bounce of his drive landing in a bowl of crisps on the bar of the Wedderburn Tavern across the road.
The pub sensibly and mercifully serves as the clubhouse.
Wedderburn is one several now called Rail Trail Courses, and Duncan says playing numbers have increased dramatically since the Rail Trail took off.
Green fees are only $5.
But if you are the first to hole in one at Wedderburn, you will probably have to shout the entire village.
