Sanctuary Cove Easter Tournament

Walker Cup
The Walker Cup began in 1990 and was started by long-term Member Mr Keith Walker, his wife Jean, and a group of his close friends. The event is always played on Good Friday and the inaugural Walker Cup had a field size of 28 players.

Back in 1990, Sanctuary Cove had only a very small membership base, so Keith and Jean decided to organise an event on Easter weekend which would create Member engagement and comradery. Keith and Jean also made a rule in the early years that no husband and wife could play in the same team, so as to avoid any family squabbles.

Keith is 97 years old and is currently the oldest Member of the Club. If health permits, Keith is excited to present the winners the Walker Cup at the presentations on Friday 7 April 2023.      

The Walker Cup has always been a four-person ambrose event and for many years, playing partners were randomly selected at the Thursday evening Cocktail Party. The event has continued to grow over the years and is now a flagship event at Sanctuary Cove with over 200 Members participating most years. To win the Walker Cup, your team must be a mixed team.

Golf is always followed by a superb seafood buffet, adding to the prestige of the Walker Cup. The event’s continued growth has led to its Honour Board status, making the Walker Cup ever so more desirable for Members to win each year.

Jabiru Cup
The Jabiru Cup began in 1998. As the Walker Cup continued to grow over the first 8 years, the Golf Club decided to add to the event by incorporating the Jabiru Cup into the Easter weekend, and the first ever Sanctuary Cove Easter Tournament was announced.

The Jabiru Cup started as a 36-hole single event where Members and guests would play a single stableford across both The Palms and The Pines golf courses. It also included a random teams draw which took place at the Thursday evening Cocktail Party. The random teams selected would allow for each team to have similar handicap levels across the aggregate of handicaps, while also ensuring a balanced mixture of male and female golfers in all teams. The best 3 of 4 stableford scores each day counted towards each team’s score for the Jabiru Cup.

The Jabiru Cup has since reverted to a one-day event on Easter Monday, but continues to follow the random team selection. The Jabiru Cup has since also become an Honour Board event and the winner title is sought after year after year.