With next month’s Australian PGA Championship firmly in travelling golfers’ minds, we hit the road in South-East Queensland to see where you should stay and play this summer.
When the BMW Australian PGA Championship arrives in Brisbane in late November, all eyes will be on Queensland as the state becomes the heartbeat of Australian golf. Royal Queensland will host both international and the nation’s best professionals for a global audience. Yet for the thousands of golfers travelling to watch, the real question is: where should you play while you’re here?
I might be biased, but Queensland is a golfer’s dream. Blessed with year-round sunshine, championship layouts and coastal resorts that cater to the game and the getaway, it’s the kind of destination that can stretch a weekend tournament trip into a week-long pilgrimage. From Brisbane’s re-shaped golf landscape and the Gold Coast’s resort fairways to the Sunshine Coast’s beachside beauty and even hidden gems in the hinterland, Queensland offers as much variety off the tournament stage as it does inside the ropes.
As a Queensland local, here’s the inside line on where to tee it up, where to stay and why golf north of the border has never been more exciting.
VIVA BRIS-VEGAS!
Brisbane is in the middle of a golf renaissance. The city lost the Victoria Park course to public parklands (and will soon be a new Olympic stadium) and North Lakes Golf Club to redevelopment, but in their place the landscape is shifting in fascinating ways. With the 2032 Olympic Games on the horizon, there’s a sense that the city is building towards something bigger.
Royal Queensland Golf Club sits at the centre of it all. Host venue for the Australian PGA Championship and the confirmed golf site for the 2032 Olympics, “RQ” carries a rich history. Its broad, sweeping fairways along the Brisbane River are the stage for Australia’s peak professional championship but it’s a course most golfers will only ever experience from behind the ropes. It will be interesting to see what upgrades are made leading into hosting the Olympics, so now before any changes are underway is the perfect time to compare how the world-class events are played.
For those wanting to play rather than watch, Brookwater Golf & Country Club is a standout. The Greg Norman/Bob Harrison design in Brisbane’s south-west has long been considered Queensland’s premier public-access course. Carved through rolling bushland, it’s a stern test that rewards precision and strategy – exactly what you’d expect from a Shark signature. What makes Brookwater challenging is the course management required to plan your shots to allow for mis-hits. No two fairways run parallel, leaving players with a feeling of privacy in the rugged, treelined course.
Another essential stop is Nudgee Golf Club, just 15 minutes from Brisbane Airport. With 36 holes, 18 of which host the Queensland PGA Championship the week before the Australian PGA, you have the chance to get in before the pros. Play either the championship Kurrai course or take on the modern links-style Bulka. With major redevelopments in recent years, and significant course upgrades, Nudgee offers challenge and variety. If you want a tournament-ready course with a members’ club atmosphere, this is the pick.
Then there’s Brisbane’s most intriguing new addition: Minnippi Golf Course. The city’s first public golf development in more than 70 years, Minnippi is unlike anything else in Australia. Designed without traditional bunkers, you can leave your sand wedge at home. Instead, the challenge across the 18 holes comes from strategically placed contours and shaping. For travelling golfers, it offers a chance to experience something genuinely different – it’s modern, inclusive and designed with sustainability in mind. Minnippi offers a glimpse at how Brisbane is preparing for its golf future and where new public courses are heading.
Just 10 minutes from Brisbane’s CBD, Indooroopilly Golf Club offers one of the most versatile golf experiences in Queensland. With 36 holes set across a peninsula within the Brisbane River, it’s a course that combines parkland beauty with strategic shot-making opportunities. With six possible configurations of 18 holes, there are combinations to provide a stern test for low handicappers, while others offer a more relaxed yet equally scenic round. Known for its immaculate conditioning and excellent greens, it’s the perfect spot to keep popping in for a round that offers variety each visit.
A true Brisbane favourite, Keperra Country Golf Club has been welcoming golfers since 1931 and remains one of the city’s most popular venues. Located just 15 minutes from the CBD, the course winds through rolling terrain with native gums framing many of its holes. Keperra has undergone improvements over time that continue to pay dividends.
Located just 15 minutes south-west of Brisbane’s CBD, McLeod Country Golf Club is an 18-hole gem with a proud history. Founded in 1968, it was Australia’s first club where women had equal membership rights and remains one of the few worldwide administered entirely by women. Named in honour of Gertrude McLeod, a pioneer for women’s golf, the club blends tradition with progressive values. The course itself offers a consistent test: gentle undulations, scattered water hazards and a steady rhythm across all 18 holes.
GOLDEN GLOW
An hour south of Brisbane, the Gold Coast has always been the country’s resort-golf capital. Wide fairways, big-name designers, luxurious facilities – it’s golf with a holiday spirit. Championship courses sit side-by-side resort accommodation, nightlife and beaches. While Arundel Hills Country Club’s closure in 2022 was a loss, the Gold Coast still shines as a golf destination.
At the top of the list is Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club, home to the Pines and Palms courses. Touring the Pines, Australia’s only Arnold Palmer signature layout, remains a bucket-list round. The Palms, revamped in recent years, offers a strategic counterpoint with a more open and modern feel. Renowned for its supreme playing conditions, the Palms calls upon all your creativity, while the Pines demands players to maintain composure on intimidating tee shots, rewarding aggressive moves. While the courses are exclusive to members, guests of the InterContinental Sanctuary Cove Resort may play both.
For golfers making the trip, one of the smartest plays is pairing Links Golf & Wellbeing (Hope Island Resort) with Sanctuary Cove. The two courses sit just minutes apart yet offer completely different challenges. The revamped Links Golf & Wellbeing continues to hold its reputation as one of the Gold Coast’s premier layouts. Designed in the spirit of traditional links golf, the course delivers wide fairways, strategic bunkering and slick, undulating greens that demand precision. The championship layout has hosted numerous professional events and remains a favourite for locals and visitors alike. While the club has expanded its health and lifestyle offerings, the heart of the facility remains its outstanding golf experience (but why not add on a touch of luxury while you’re there!).
RACV Royal Pines Resort is another Gold Coast heavyweight. Across 27 holes, including a clear championship 18, the five-star resort continues to be a favourite for tournament golf and visitors chasing variety. All combinations across the Green, Gold and Blue courses offer plenty of challenges, combining risk and reward. It’s a one-stop shop for golf on the Gold Coast, with five-star accommodation, dining and a spa on-site, and it’s close to all the action near the heart of the “Goldie”.
When it comes to playability and presentation, The Glades Golf Club has long been a Coast favourite. Designed by Norman/Harrison, it’s a course that blends strategy with beauty. Water hazards feature prominently, creating challenge and drama on several holes, particularly the par 3s, which are as photogenic as they are demanding. The beauty of playing the Glades is in the variety of shot options that reward the risk takers.
Perhaps the most interesting story on the Gold Coast right now is The Club at Parkwood Village. Already a hub for golf and entertainment, the venue is undergoing a major multi-million-dollar redevelopment to become a genuine sporting precinct. The proposal will transform the site into a world-class golf and surfing destination. But with golf remaining at its heart, Parkwood is shaping up as the Gold Coast’s ‘course of the future’, blending championship golf, technology and entertainment that reflects where the game is heading.
Not everything has been smooth sailing on the Gold Coast. The closure of Arundel Hills was a blow to the Coast’s golf heritage. More recently, Cyclone Alfred earlier this year forced the cancellation of the Australian WPGA Championship at Sanctuary Cove. Yet the recovery has been swift. Greens have been restored, bunkers reshaped and the region’s courses are already looking tournament-ready once more.
FUN IN THE SUN
The Sunshine Coast offers a different flavour of golf. Where the Gold Coast thrives on energy and entertainment, the “Sunny Coast” to the north delivers relaxation and natural beauty.
Twin Waters Golf Club, a Peter Thomson, Mike Wolveridge and Ross Perrett design, is a classic. Links-style all over and treelined in parts, it captures the Sunshine Coast’s diversity in a single layout. The eighth hole is a signature, with the green modelled on St Andrews’ “Road Hole”, plus water intimidatingly on the right off the tee. Playing the course at least once is highly recommended and is worth the trip further afield.
Tucked into the lush surrounds of Noosa Heads, Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort offers one of the Sunshine Coast’s most picturesque golf experiences. The 18 holes weave through natural bushland, lakes and manicured gardens, delivering a course that is both scenic and strategic. Off the course, the resort is equally impressive with a luxury spa, fitness centre and apartments just minutes from trendy Hastings St and Noosa’s famous beaches. If you’ve never been to Noosa before, take this as your sign to drive up the M1.
Another stop to be made in Noosa is the serene layout at Noosa Golf Club (formerly Tewantin Noosa Golf Club). The gently undulating layout winds through native bushland, with ample fairways and gentle bunkering that make it enjoyable for all levels of golfer. Known for its welcoming atmosphere and relaxed pace, Noosa Golf Club is the kind of place where holidaymakers can enjoy a social game while still experiencing charm and challenge.
Pelican Waters Golf Club comes highly recommended after recent redevelopments. Under the guidance of Greg Norman Golf Course Design, the redesign has injected new life into one of the region’s flagship venues, re-establishing it as a must-play for visitors.
Palmer Coolum Resort Golf Course will stop you in your tracks as you play beside Mount Coolum. For decades, Palmer Coolum Resort stood as the stage for the Australian PGA Championship, attracting the world’s best. Known for its pristine conditioning, resort-style luxury and dramatic Sunshine Coast setting, it was a bucket-list stop for pros and amateurs. But last decade, the course slipped into decline, leaving many golfers nostalgic for what once was. Now it’s edging its way back with the conditions now more than commendable. Every bunker underwent a revamp and it’s clear the greens staff are committed to maintaining the popular course.
Elsewhere, courses like Maroochy River Golf Club and Headland Golf Club offer more relaxed rounds that locals swear by. And of course, the Sunshine Coast lifestyle is hard to beat: golf in the morning, surfing or lounging on a beach in the afternoon, dinner on Hastings St by night.
CHASING RURAL CHARM
For every headline venue in Queensland, there are half a dozen courses that fly under the radar yet still deliver unforgettable golf. Take Boonah Golf Club, set in the Scenic Rim about an hour from Brisbane. A country course with million-dollar mountain views, it epitomises the charm of rural Queensland golf. While Boonah is only nine holes, the road trip offers plenty to see and do on your way there.
Elsewhere in the Scenic Rim, Kooralbyn Valley is one of the state’s true hidden gems. Originally opened in 1979 and designed by Desmond Muirhead, the course is famed for its dramatic elevation changes, strategic bunkering and wildlife encounters. The on-site resort makes it an ideal stay-and-play destination, with rolling valley views adding to the sense of escape.
It’s well worth testing your mettle at Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club, a coastal links-style layout on Bribie Island. It’s nestled halfway between Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast and is a worthy stop on a trip north, especially when paired with nearby Bribie Island Golf Club with its undulating, sandy terrain – often referred to as “Queensland’s Sandbelt”. Conditions at Bribie Island are excellent with pure greens. A warning to players: veering into the trees will prove costly.
Outside South-East Queensland but impossible to overlook is Hamilton Island Golf Club. Accessible only by boat or helicopter, the Whitsundays course designed by Peter Thomson and Ross Perrett is arguably the most scenic in Australia. Carved into the slopes of Dent Island, every hole offers a view worth framing. For golfers travelling from interstate, tacking on a trip to Hamilton Island turns an Australian PGA Championship week into the golf holiday of a lifetime on the Great Barrier Reef. It’s a bucket-list golf destination that has it all, right on our doorstep.
Queensland golf has faced its share of challenges, which in this state usually comes in the form of wild weather. Cyclone damage earlier this year forced the cancellation of the WPGA Championship, and many courses were left scarred, relying on volunteers to pick up the pieces. Yet the recovery has been remarkable. Fairways are lush, greens are running true again and anticipation is high for the WPGA Championship’s return next March. The men’s event in Brisbane in November is setting the scene for international eyes to watch, cementing Queensland as a premier golf destination.
On the Gold Coast, Parkwood’s reinvention and the loss of Arundel Hills are reshaping the landscape. In Brisbane, Minnippi’s opening and the long-term horizon of Olympic golf point to an exciting future. And across the Sunshine Coast, re-investment and redesigns keep the region fresh.
Queensland golf isn’t just about where to play, it’s about what’s coming next. Add the countdown to the 2032 Olympics, and the state’s golf future looks brighter than ever. For now, the Australian PGA Championship will shine a global spotlight on Royal Queensland. And for travelling golfers, there’s never been a better time to experience the variety this state offers.
