Golf has undoubtedly raised its global profile over the last decade, and its debut at the Commonwealth Games is a testament to the impact and momentum felt as a result of its successful return to the Olympic Games in 2016 and 2021.

While these Games will showcase the talent of several deserving athletes from the established golf countries within the Commonwealth, it is an opportunity to further position golf as a global sport and to encourage the development of golf in countries and regions such as in Oceania, by providing an additional pathway for athletes to represent their country in Victoria and at future events, including the Olympics.

Victoria is an ideal location for golf to make its debut at the Commonwealth Games. 

I believe I can speak for golf fans around the world when I say that Victoria is home to a collection of some of the world’s greatest golf courses, many are well known and located in the Melbourne Sandbelt. 

But there are also great golf courses located within regional Victoria, such as 13th Beach on the Bellarine Peninsula, which has hosted the Victorian Open. 

The Commonwealth Games will provide a wonderful opportunity to showcase these courses and many others around regional Victoria.

Australia and Victoria also boast some of the most educated and excitable golf fans in the world, so I would expect there to be no shortage of support for their fellow countrymen and all of the athletes on the course when the Commonwealth Games arrive in 2026.

The Commonwealth Games is just the next of the many high-profile, global sporting events that seem to always find a home in Victoria.

It’s an area of the world that has become renowned for its love of sport and the manner in which it brings the world together. 

But when it comes to golf, Victoria's credentials for hosting first-class competitions are unmatched, and I look forward to the first chapter of golf’s legacy in the Commonwealth Games being written in four years’ time.

As we look ahead to the Paris 2024 Olympics, we’re thrilled to host the competition at Le Golf Nacional in Saint-Quentin-en-Yvelines, located about 40 kilometres from the Olympic Village. 

Le Golf Nacional is one of Europe’s top courses, and after opening in 1991 and undergoing a full renovation in 2016, it has hosted the 2018 Ryder Cup, as well as the annual Open de France, the oldest national open in continental Europe (1906). 

The final four holes of the Albatros Course, which will host the Olympic golf Competition, are all surrounded by water hazards and will add to the excitement and drama coming down the stretch in 2024.

Qualifying for Paris 2024 is currently underway, and we look forward to hosting 60 players for each of the men’s and women’s competitions. 

For a full overview on the qualification process, as well as the current rankings, please click here.

On behalf of everyone at the International Golf Federation, as well as golf fans worldwide, we look forward to building on golf's momentum at the 2024 Olympics and the 2026 Commonwealth Games and are appreciative of the support from our members, Golf Australia, PGA of Australia, WPGA Tour of Australasia and the Victoria 2026 Commonwealth Games Organising Committee.