Amberley Domain Community Disc Golf Course is Now Open!

Amberley Domain DGC is open! A brand-new 9-basket community course with technical golf, two elevated tees (the first in Canterbury), and an easy SH1 stop that pairs perfectly with a café visit—and yes, legendary pies—just minutes away.

Vortica is proud to announce the opening of Amberley Domain Disc Golf Course. It’s another Vortica Community Course on the Disc Golf Highway (SH1), designed by Chris Davies and Paul Wadsworth. We reckon it’ll quickly become a favourite for its unique layout and style of play.

Depending how you count them, this is Vortica’s 25th disc golf course project.

A community effort worth celebrating

The man most responsible for our latest design is Amberley local Mark Grover. His dedication, patience, persuasion, and persistence have paid off with the opening of this course. Mark has been ably assisted by keen local Alex Clyne, and together they have put in countless hours rallying support and raising funds, and their passion for disc golf in Amberley is praiseworthy indeed.

Course overview

The course loops around the outer edge of one half of Amberley Domain, beginning in the playground at the entrance and heading into a mix of open and wooded lines. (Don’t worry — throws are directed away from the play areas.) It’s a true community course: fun for beginners, interesting for regular players, and laid out to be safe and welcoming for everyone using the park. “Hey, Google! Navigate to Amberley Domain Disc Golf Course.”

Amberley has a growing young family population and an ageing retiree population, so you should expect to see a wide demographic while playing there.

A layout that will keep you coming back

The Amberley Domain is a delight, already full of community activity—picnic spots, sports fields, a playground, and plenty of trees. The course leans into that environment and gives you technical golf that rewards touch and angle control more than raw power.

Even in summer, you’ll find good shade through much of the loop. It’s a great place to play on a hot day when you’re chasing relief from the sun.

Canterbury’s first elevated tees

Amberley Domain is attractive to visit anyway, but the elevated tees on holes 3 and 6 add a signature flavour you don’t get elsewhere in Canterbury. Elevation changes everything — lines feel different, discs glide longer, and you’ll need to shape shots instead of just throwing hard.

Hole 3’s elevated tee will make you want to throw your whole bag… but Basket 6 is tucked so close to a tree that you might not want to chuck your bag on that one. And beware the Macrocarpa!

Easy trip from Christchurch

With the northern motorway fully operational, it’s just a 40–45 minute cruise from Cathedral Square to the Amberley Domain. The course is a simple, quick loop — ideal for a casual mission, a family outing, or a stop on a bigger road trip.

Cafés, pies, and the Amberley Main Drag

Being on the main drag, Amberley is well provided with cafés and food options. But let’s be honest: the pies are a destination in themselves. We stopped at Amberley Pies and I always grab my favourite: the Philly Cheese Steak pie — with jalapeños. Yowza! :)

Conveniently, the pies are on the way to the course. Or on the way home. And maybe both. :P

If you’re visiting from out of town, Amberley also has accommodation to suit all budgets during your summer holidays.

Support Amberley locally

Amberley has chosen to invest in disc golf, and we’d love to see that rewarded. If you play the course, please spend a little locally and make yourself known as a visiting disc golfer while you’re there.

The more you spend, and the more Amberley locals hear that disc golfers are visiting and enjoying the town, the easier it will be to justify the second stage.

The future 18

The other half of the Domain is earmarked for a second nine. Once this first stage proves its value to Amberley locals and visiting disc golfers, we’ll be back to help build the full 18-basket community course. It’ll be just as fun, challenging, and unique as the first nine — if not more so.

A course still growing

As the driving force behind the project, Mark and Alex have raised all the funds themselves. That means a staged installation: baskets and tee markers first, then course features like permanent teepads, and signage as funding permits.

If you’re reviewing the course on uDisc, please keep this in mind. Early ratings may look a little harsh due to the current lack of course features — but those will come as quickly as Mark can raise the necessary funds.

Vortica has already lined Amberley up with free Firth Walkway Pavers for the teepads, so they’re on the way.

Amberley beckons you… as does Kaiapoi

Get out to Amberley as soon as you can. And if you haven’t yet, make sure you also visit Kaiapoi Domain DGC on your visit — the Whelan Brothers have done a fantastic job out there, too.

Kia tika te rere – Enjoy the flight!