A record field heads to Auckland
Whitford Park Golf Club in Auckland, New Zealand, will stage the TORO World Speedgolf Championship and ISGA World Team Cup from 3 to 6 November 2026. The confirmed entry list comprises 108 competitors from 16 countries, according to an October 29 report by local newspaper Times quoting Golf New Zealand. Organisers describe it as the largest international speedgolf field yet and the first Speedgolf World Championships held in the Southern Hemisphere.
As of 1 November, competition has not yet started. These figures describe entries and the announced schedule, not results. By comparison, the 2024 world championship in Japan attracted 80 entrants from 13 nations.
Golf against the clock
In speedgolf, a player must minimise both the number of strokes and the time needed to complete the round. The speedgolf score combines the two: 76 strokes in 39 minutes 34 seconds produce 115.34, using the format's customary minutes-and-seconds notation. This is not a stroke-play score of 115 or a traditional points total; elapsed time is an essential part of the competition.
Players still need accurate approach shots, good decisions on the fairway and around the green, and dependable putting. But they also have to run between shots, carry or organise their clubs efficiently, and manage fatigue. The worlds include elite men's and women's categories and senior divisions for players aged 50 or older.
The four-day programme
Tuesday 3 November is the official practice and opening day. The individual world championship comprises 36 holes, with one 18-hole round on Wednesday 4 November and another on Thursday 5 November. The 18-hole ISGA World Team Cup follows on Friday 6 November, ahead of the closing and medal ceremony.
The team programme includes men's, women's, senior and mixed divisions. Organisers have listed the men's course at approximately 5,687 metres, par 71, and the women's at around 5,225 metres, par 72, with the latter distance subject to final confirmation. Whitford Park has previously hosted the New Zealand Speedgolf Open in 2019, 2020 and 2021, so its undulating terrain is familiar to domestic players.
New Zealand's contenders
New Zealand has 32 entrants across the divisions. Among its best-known representatives is Liz McKinnon, who will defend the individual women's world title she won in Tochigi, Japan, in 2024. She and Amy Linton also won the 2024 Women's Team World Cup for New Zealand.
Linton arrives as the reigning 2026 New Zealand Speedgolf Open women's champion. The home men's contingent features former world champion Jamie Reid and record-holder Robin Smith. In March, Smith completed 18 holes in 64 strokes and 40 minutes 9 seconds, producing a speedgolf score of 104.09. International opposition includes Japan's Jin Ota, the 2024 men's world champion, and Ireland's Rob Hogan.
Why hosting matters
The Auckland championship gives a New Zealand club the opportunity to showcase a discipline combining technical golf, course management and running endurance. The record entry figure also offers unusual visibility for women's and senior competition. Local participation is significant, but none of those entrants can be described as a 2026 medal winner before play begins.
The dates are corroborated by the International Speedgolf Alliance calendar. Entry figures, course details and New Zealand's team were checked against reports published by Times on 29 October, NZ Golf Magazine on 19 October and Golf Australia on 14 October. Results will only be known after the corresponding rounds are completed.
Sources: Times, 29 October; International speedgolf calendar; NZ Golf Magazine, 19 October.
