As State of Origin fever peaks for league fans ahead of Game 3 in Brisbane on Wednesday night, new national analysis of golfers across Australia is set to spark more rivalry on and off the golf course, with the ACT knocking off Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland for the lowest average Capital.com GA Handicap for the 2025–26 season.

The second GOLF.com.au Insights Hub report analysed more than 12.2 million handicap-eligible rounds submitted through the Capital.com GA Handicap system during the 2025–26 season (1 July 2025 – 30 June 2026), ranking all eight states and territories across four categories: volume, momentum, dedication and skill.

New South Wales claimed the Volume title with 4.21 million rounds, a third of every round played nationally. Queensland took Momentum honours with 7.6% year-on-year growth, adding nearly 149,000 extra rounds this season despite higher-than-average rainfall through the early months of 2026.

Western Australia won the Dedication title with 28.4 rounds per golfer, nearly three clear of every other state. And the ACT claimed the Skill crown with the nation's lowest average handicap at 16.98, ahead of Victoria (18.01), NSW (18.28) and QLD (18.36).

Golf Australia Head of Golf Operations, Simon Magdulski, said the data reflects the continued growth of club memberships and handicaps across the country.

"GA Handicaps grew to 477,220 members last year, marking the fifth consecutive year of growth, up 24.1% since 2017/18, the strongest sustained period of club membership growth in three decades," Magdulski said. "More people are joining clubs, taking up social memberships and virtual handicaps than ever before."

"What's great about this data is it shows you don't need to be a scratch golfer to be part of the story. The handicap system makes competitions fair regardless of your level, and it lets every golfer track their progress over time. Whether you're off 5 or 35, you can see exactly how you and your state stacks up."

WHERE YOUR STATE SITS: THE FULL HONOUR ROLL

Every state and territory earned recognition. Here's where each sits across the season:

• New South Wales — Volume (#1): 4.21m rounds, a third of every round in the country.

• Queensland — Momentum (#1): +7.6% growth, 148,912 extra rounds this season, the fastest growth in the land.

• Western Australia — Dedication (#1): 28.4 rounds per golfer, nearly three clear of every state.

• ACT — Skill (#1): 16.98 average handicap, the lowest in Australia by more than one stroke.

• Victoria — The Climber: +8.0% three-year growth — up nearly 250,000 rounds since 2023–24.

• South Australia — Sharpest Improvers: SA's 18–34 age group cut nearly a full shot (−0.89) this season, the biggest adult improvement nationally.

• Tasmania — Most Improved: Handicaps fell further (−0.23) than any other state this season.

• Northern Territory — Youngest Field: 14.4% of rounds from under-35s, and half its rounds from under-55s.

The report features a live ladder ranking and interactive features to enable golfers to compare themselves to the average golfers in their state or territory and the national average, based on age and gender.

Golf Australia and PGA of Australia Head of Data & Intelligence, Dr Jarred Pilgrim, said the Insights Hub has been designed to put the data directly in golfers' hands through interactive tools.

"We've built this so every golfer can go on and compare their handicap to other golfers in their state, see where they rank in their age bracket, and settle the argument about which state and territory is leading across the most important metrics for competition golf," Dr Pilgrim said.

"The Skill Check tool lets you drop your handicap in and instantly see how you compare to the average golfer in every state and territory, filtered by age and gender. The Settle a Score feature lets you pit any two states against each other across four measures. It's designed to spark conversation and a bit of friendly rivalry."

"Every golfer with a Capital.com GA Handicap has access to a personal dashboard through the GA app that tracks their stats, scoring trends and handicap movement over time. We'd encourage every golfer to log in, explore their data and use it to understand their own performance, not just their handicap number, but how they're trending, where they're improving and how they compare to golfers in their state and age group."

JUNIOR GOLF BOOMING: +20% IN THREE YEARS

The data also reveals a significant surge in junior participation, with under-18 rounds growing 20% over the past three seasons, from 225,967 in 2023–24 to 271,245 in 2025–26.

Victoria is leading the junior boom with a remarkable 19% year-on-year increase in under-18 rounds, while New South Wales grew 10% to record more than 86,000 junior rounds this season.

WOMEN PLAYING MORE AND IMPROVING FAST

Women aged 35–54 are emerging as one of the game's most consistent growth segments, with rounds increasing 5.7% year-on-year and 9.8% over three years nationally.

Queensland leads the way with 11.3% growth in this cohort, followed by Victoria (8.5%) and New South Wales (7.0%), highlighting strong engagement among women in the middle of their playing lives.

Women aged 18–34 also cut an average of 1.63 shots from their handicap nationally this season, the single biggest improvement of any adult demographic group. In Tasmania, young women improved by more than four shots (−4.13), while South Australia's 18–34 women cut nearly 3.7 shots.

HOW TO GET A CAPITAL.COM GA HANDICAP

Golfers who want to see where they sit on the national ladder can get a Capital.com GA Handicap through more than 1,500 golf clubs across Australia, with membership options to suit all types of golfers and budgets. Visit golf.com.au/find-a-place-to-play to find a club nearby.

For those not ready for a traditional club membership, Golf Australia Club offers a virtual membership with an official Capital.com GA Handicap, score submission and progress tracking through yearly or monthly subscriptions. Visit golf.com.au/golf-australia-club for details.