World-class golf action will return to the Gold Coast from March 19-22 with the renowned Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club to play host to the 2026 Australian WPGA Championship and Festival of Golf.

The WPGA Championship will be a highlight of co-sanctioned events between the WPGA Tour of Australasia and the Ladies European Tour (LET) which also includes the 2026 women’s Australian Open to be held the week prior in Adelaide. 

Importantly, the 2026 Championship will mark the first occasion that the event will be played as a standalone tournament with Cyclone Alfred cancelling this year’s edition.

Sanctuary Cove is a world-class golfing course and one of Australia’s most prestigious members-only facilities, with The Pines course an Arnold Palmer-designed creation. The Palms (pictured top right) golf course is perennially ranked within the top 100 courses in the country and recently underwent a renovation. 

Course superintendent Cameron Smith said his team was excited to showcase the facility on the world stage after overcoming the disappointment of this year’s cancelled event.

“It’s definitely exciting. We knew it'd come back to us again, and since being made public it's created a buzz in our team and we’ve got so much time now to prepare,” he said. “It’s interesting for us as a team because four or five of the guys have never worked a tournament, some have been here 20-plus years and never done it, we are buzzed to see our course on tv.”

Smith anticipated it would be a busy remainder of 2025 for his crew with preparations for the WPGA Championship to ramp up after the dust settles on the Christmas period.

“On The Palms course, which will host the WPGA, we’ve been in construction since May rebuilding two holes with 110 lots of development, creating new lakes and moving tees, so we’re creating a par 3.

“There’s plenty of work going on. We’re upgrading our irrigation system and starting that process now and continuing to go from each hole and work hard on those.

“We’ll renovate The Palms in Oct-November, we’re lucky we’ll get a three week course closure and do the same renovation as last year, which is pretty aggressive.” 

Smith said despite the 2025 Championships being cancelled it provided a strong platform for the team to “know what it takes” to get the course to world-class standards.

"The hard thing for us is we have to get it into condition by Christmas, so we need to prepare the Palms side and once that is done we’ll then prepare hard for the WPGA,” he said. “In a way last year was a dummy run in a sense, we learnt a lot of lessons, and we’ll be better for it.”

Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club CEO Paul Sanders said it was a coup to be able to host the prestigious event.

“Following disappointment due to the cancellation of this year’s event, we are thrilled to prepare for and be involved in the Australian WPGA Championship once again in 2026,” he said. "In close partnership with the WPGA Tour of Australasia, PGA of Australia, Mulpha, Experience Gold Coast, and Tourism and Events Queensland, we are incredibly proud to host this prestigious tournament for female golfers from around the world.

"As one of the best-integrated resorts in Australia, our world-class facilities, including the recently renovated The Palms golf course, will provide an unparalleled experience for players, spectators, and the community. We look forward to welcoming back players and golf enthusiasts alike to Sanctuary Cove Golf and Country Club for a truly exceptional event.”

WPGA Tour of Australasia CEO Karen Lunn echoed Sanders’ thoughts, labelling the Gold Coast course as the “perfect stage”.

“The Gold Coast is the perfect stage for the Australian WPGA Championship to showcase some of the best female golfers in the world,” Lunn said. “While we were disappointed to cancel this year’s event due to Cyclone Alfred, we’re looking forward to a refreshed WPGA Championship and Festival of Golf in 2026 and to welcoming back locals and fans to Sanctuary Cove.

“With the women’s Australian Open taking place the week before the WPGA Championship, we’re set for two exciting weeks of elite women’s golf in Australia. It’s the perfect opportunity to get around our Aussie athletes and for them to inspire the next generation of champions.”

The 2026 Australian WPGA Championship winner will be awarded the Karrie Webb Cup, with the seven-time major winner continuing her involvement in the tournament. A major event in the WPGA Tour of Australasia season, the Australian WPGA Championship will form a central part of the Festival of Golf, a joint initiative by the PGA of Australia, Mulpha Australia, Tourism & Events Queensland (TEQ) and Experience Gold Coast (EGC).

It’s an exciting time for women’s golf in Australia, with Aussie Grace Kim claiming her first major championship with a thrilling performance at the Armundi Evian Championship in France on Sunday July 13. The 24-year-old’s playoff win followed on from fellow Australian Minjee Lee’s KPMG Women’s PGA Championship victory, marking the first time two different Australians have won back-to-back women’s majors.

General Admission to the 2026 Australian WPGA Championship and Festival of Golf is free.

Story by Nick Creely/Pictures courtesy of Golf Australia and Sanctuary Cove G&CC