July 10th, 2026
By Australian Golf Digest
Top 10 golf courses in Queensland
Queensland is home to some of Australia’s most striking resort and coastal golf, anchored by the Gold Coast and stretching up to the Sunshine Coast and beyond. Here’s the definitive ranking of Queensland’s top 10 golf courses, according to Australian Golf Digest’s Top 100 Courses panel.
1 Royal Queensland Golf Club — No.35 overall
Location: Curtin Avenue, Eagle Farm, Brisbane
A fall for Queensland’s best golf course, but a landing place well-known from previous rankings. Renowned for its Shot Options, Royal Queensland has benefited from tournament exposure for several years, and is set for a renovation and re-grassing ahead of hosting the golf events at the 2032 Olympic Games.
2 Hamilton Island Golf Club — No.38 overall
Location: Dent Island, Whitsundays
Renowned for its Aesthetics, Hamilton Island has landed in the 30s in the ranking on all eight occasions since the Whitsundays course opened. It’s uncommon for a modern layout to display such consistency, also generating high scores for Challenge.
3 Brookwater Golf and Country Club — No.43 overall
Location: Brookwater, south-west Brisbane
Brookwater drew one of the largest ranges of scores among courses in the top 50, amplifying its reputation to polarise. The south-western Brisbane layout took a hit on the Conditioning front yet remains resilient across all other criteria, renowned for its Challenge.
4 Sanctuary Cove Golf Club (Pines) — No.44 overall
Location: Hope Island, Gold Coast
The superior of the two Sanctuary Cove courses stays in the 40s for a sixth consecutive ranking. Renowned for its Conditioning, the Pines already ranks as the best 18 on the Gold Coast, with the chance to make a future upward move under an OCM-authored masterplan.
5 The Grand Golf Club — No.47 overall
Location: Gilston, Gold Coast hinterland
The exclusive course loses its mantle as the Gold Coast’s best via a 10-spot drop, although its average score from the panel was higher than in 2024. Renowned for its Shot Options, The Grand represents some of the best work from the design union of Greg Norman and Bob Harrison.
6 Links Golf & Wellbeing — No.59 overall
Location: Hope Island, Gold Coast
The course long known as Hope Island dips for the fifth consecutive ranking but is far from alone in that department. Renowned for its Shot Options, the layout also rates highly for Challenge, as the meld of linksy ground features in a tropical environment endures.
7 Palmer Coolum Resort — No.75 overall
Location: Yaroomba, Sunshine Coast
The revival continues for the Sunshine Coast course with a chequered past. Renowned for its Shot Options, Palmer Coolum improved its scores in six out of seven criteria, impressing the 35 panellists who saw it in the past two years.
8 Pelican Waters Golf Club — No.77 overall
Location: Pelican Waters, Sunshine Coast
A curious slide after a partial redesign completed in mid-2023, allowing it to be visible throughout this latest ranking cycle. Renowned for its Shot Options, Pelican Waters’ average score this time was marginally higher than in 2024.
9 Brisbane Golf Club — No.78 overall
Location: Yeerongpilly, Brisbane
Another course that has found its ‘home’ after being a fixture on the ranking from 1986-1998, then absent from 2000-2014. Renowned for its Shot Options, Brisbane holds firm amid a flurry of movement around it.
10 Sanctuary Cove Golf Club (Palms) — No.81 overall
Location: Hope Island, Gold Coast
Another Gold Coast course on a gradual slide, but a case of one being muscled down from above rather than slipping due to neglect. Renowned for its Conditioning, the Palms course is certainly not being let down by upkeep.
Want to see how the rest of the country stacks up? Check out the full Top 100 Courses ranking here.