Australia’s Top 100 Golf Courses for 2026/27 have officially been ranked

Golf is a rather strange sport. You spend hours battling the elements to hit a tiny white ball across hectares of manicured grass, only to realise you've picked the single most expensive sport in Australia as your go-to hobby. Well, if you’re looking to splash some more cash on your next golfing getaway, Australian Golf Digest’s biennial ranking of the Top 100 Golf Courses for 2026/27 is here to inspire.

This year, 271 avid golfers evaluated 824 courses – more than half of Australia’s 1,600-odd courses – across seven criteria: shot options, challenge, layout variety, distinctiveness, character, aesthetics and conditioning. To calculate the final score, category totals were averaged, with double points awarded to shot options.

In the milestone 20th-edition ranking, Royal Melbourne (West) reclaimed its crown as Australia’s number one golf course – a title it’s held for all but two rankings in history. It was momentarily demoted to second place in 2024/25, but earned back the top spot thanks to its excellent topography, supreme conditioning and world-class design by legendary architect Alister MacKenzie. It was also named 'Best for Shot Options,' with virtually every hole providing multiple risk-reward routes.

Victorian golf courses claimed 37 of the top 100 spots, including Kingston Heath Golf Club in second place – a one-position jump from the previous list. The Melbourne Sandbelt icon also earned the title of ‘Best for Conditioning,’ with Australian Golf Digest likening it to a “golf cathedral” for its “timeless design, strategic nous and meticulous management.”

While last edition’s champion, Cape Wickham Links on Tasmania’s rugged King Island, slid from first to third place, it proves how far golfers will travel to tee off in paradise. This remote coastal course earned the title of ‘Best for Aesthetics,’ thanks to its sweeping ocean vistas and dramatic holes on the edge of the Bass Strait.

Rounding out the top ten were familiar favourites from the previous edition, including New South Wales, Peninsula Kingswood (North), Barnbougle Dunes, Victoria, Barnbougle Lost Farm, Royal Melbourne (East) and Royal Adelaide. Hobart’s freshly opened 7 Mile Beach made its debut in 11th place as the only entirely new entry in the top 100. You can check out the full list below.

The Top 100 Golf Courses in Australia for 2026/27

1. Royal Melbourne (West), Black Rock, VIC
2. Kingston Heath Golf Club, Cheltenham, VIC
3. Cape Wickham Links, King Island, TAS
4. New South Wales Golf Club, La Perouse, NSW
5. Peninsula Kingswood Golf Club (North), Frankston, VIC
6. Barnbougle Dunes, Bridport, TAS
7. Victoria Golf Club, Cheltenham, VIC
8. Barnbougle Lost Farm, Bridport, TAS
9. Royal Melbourne (East), Black Rock, VIC
10. Royal Adelaide Golf Club, Seaton, SA
11. 7 Mile Beach, Hobart, TAS
12. The National Golf Club (Moonah), Cape Schanck, VIC
13. Metropolitan Golf Club, Oakleigh South, VIC
14. Cathedral Lodge & Golf Club, Thornton, VIC
15. Peninsula Kingswood Golf Club (South), Frankston, VIC
16. The National Golf Club (Gunnamatta), Cape Schanck, VIC
17. Ocean Dunes, King Island, TAS
18. Huntingdale Golf Club, Oakleigh South, VIC
19. Royal Sydney Golf Club (Bay), Rose Bay, NSW
20. The National Golf Club (Old), Cape Schanck, VIC
21. Kooyonga Golf Club, Lockleys, SA
22. Lake Karrinyup Country Club, Karrinyup, WA
23. The Lakes Golf Club, Eastlakes, NSW
24. Commonwealth Golf Club, Oakleigh South, VIC
25. The Australian Golf Club, Rosebery, NSW
26. The Dunes Golf Links, Rye, VIC
27. St Andrews Beach Golf Course, Rye, VIC
28. Yarra Yarra Golf Club, Bentleigh East, VIC
29. Glenelg Golf Club, Novar Gardens, SA
30. Joondalup Resort (Quarry/Dunes), Joondalup, WA
31. Barwon Heads Golf Club, Barwon Heads, VIC
32. Woodlands Golf Club, Mordialloc, VIC
33. Royal Canberra Golf Club (Westbourne), Yarralumla, ACT
34. Magenta Shores Golf & Country Club, Magenta, NSW
35. Royal Queensland Golf Club, Eagle Farm, QLD
36. Bonville Golf Resort, Bonville, NSW
37. Mount Lawley Golf Club, Inglewood, WA
38. Hamilton Island Golf Club, Hamilton Island, QLD
39. 13th Beach Golf Links (Beach), Barwon Heads, VIC
40. Links Kennedy Bay, Port Kennedy, WA
41. Lonsdale Links, Point Lonsdale, VIC
42. The Cut Golf Course, Dawesville, WA
43. Brookwater Golf & Country Club, Brookwater, QLD
44. Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club (The Pines), Sanctuary Cove, QLD
45. Bonnie Doon Golf Club, Pagewood, NSW
46. Elanora Country Club, Elanora Heights, NSW
47. The Grand Golf Club, Gilston, QLD
48. Port Fairy Golf Club, Port Fairy, VIC
49. The Grange Golf Club (West), Grange, SA
50. Moonah Links (Legends), Fingal, VIC
51. Terrey Hills Golf & Country Club, Terrey Hills, NSW
52. Portsea Golf Club, Portsea, VIC
53. St Michael's Golf Club, Little Bay, NSW
54. Spring Valley Golf Club, Clayton South, VIC
55. Moonah Links (Open), Fingal, VIC
56. Concord Golf Club, Concord, NSW
57. Rosebud Country Club (North), Rosebud, VIC
58. The Grange Golf Club (East), Grange, SA
59. Links Golf & Wellbeing, Hope Island, QLD
60. The Vintage Golf Club, Pokolbin, NSW
61. Sorrento Golf Club, Sorrento, VIC
62. Cottesloe Golf Club, Swanbourne, WA
63. Sandy Links, Sandringham, VIC
64. Kalgoorlie Golf Course, Kalgoorlie, WA
65. The Western Australian Golf Club, Yokine, WA
66. Avondale Golf Club, Pymble, NSW
67. Bougle Run, Bridport, TAS
68. RACV Cape Schanck Resort, Cape Schanck, VIC
69. Links Lady Bay Resort, Normanville, SA
70. The Heritage Golf & Country Club (Henley), Chirnside Park, VIC
71. Curlewis Golf Club, Curlewis, VIC
72. Meadow Springs Golf & Country Club, Meadow Springs, WA
73. 13th Beach Golf Links (Creek), Barwon Heads, VIC
74. The Heritage Golf & Country Club (St John), Chirnside Park, VIC
75. Palmer Coolum Resort, Coolum Beach, QLD
76. Narooma Golf Club, Narooma, NSW
77. Pelican Waters Golf Club, Pelican Waters, QLD
78. The Brisbane Golf Club, Yeerongpilly, QLD
79. Mount Compass Golf Course, Mount Compass, SA
80. Sanctuary Lakes Golf Club, Sanctuary Lakes, VIC
81. Sanctuary Cove Golf & Country Club (Palms), Hope Island, QLD
82. The Glades Golf Club, Robina, QLD
83. Federal Golf Club, Red Hill, ACT
84. Killara Golf Club, Killara, NSW
85. Castle Hill Country Club, Norwest, NSW
86. Lakelands Golf Club, Merrimac, QLD
87. Black Bull Golf Club, Yarrawonga, VIC
88. Riversdale Golf Club, Mount Waverley, VIC
89. Pacific Harbour Golf & Country Club, Banksia Beach, QLD
90. Monash Country Club, Ingleside, NSW
91. Stonecutters Ridge Golf Club, Colebee, NSW
92. Settlers Run Golf & Country Club, Botanic Ridge, VIC
93. Indooroopilly Golf Club (West), Indooroopilly, QLD
94. Maroochy River Golf Club, Bli Bli, QLD
95. Murray Downs Golf & Country Club, Murray Downs, NSW
96. Warrnambool Golf Club, Warrnambool, VIC
97. Noosa Springs Golf & Spa Resort, Noosa Heads, QLD
98. Mollymook Golf Club (Hilltop), Mollymook, NSW
99. Eastern Golf Club (South), Yering, VIC
100. Tasmania Golf Club, Barilla Bay, TAS

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