Mark your calendar: the Sunshine Coast Open 2026 is on 23–25 October 2026 — and it's a big one for local players.
What Is the Sunshine Coast Open?
The Sunshine Coast Open is a Pickleball Australia sanctioned tournament, designated as a Tier 2 event. That means Australian Ranking (AR) points are up for grabs — so if you're chasing your national ranking, this is a must-play.
It runs across three days, typically covering singles, gender doubles, and mixed doubles across multiple skill level brackets. Whether you're playing 3.0 or 4.5+, there's a draw for you.
How to Prepare
Tournament pickleball is a different beast from social play. The pressure is real, the margins are tighter, and the mental game matters more than ever. A few things worth working on in the lead-up:
- Your third shot — the drop or drive decision off the return of serve is where most recreational points are decided at tournament level.
- Kitchen consistency — unforced errors at the non-volley zone will hurt you more at a tournament than anywhere else.
- Your DUPR rating — make sure it's current and accurate, as many tournament brackets use it for placement.
Get Match-Ready at Carpe Dink'em
If you're preparing for the Sunshine Coast Open, our Thursday Advanced and Advanced Fixed Pairs sessions are the best place to sharpen your competitive edge. Both run weekly and attract experienced players looking to push their game.
The Fixed Pairs format in particular is excellent tournament preparation — you play with a set partner across multiple rounds, which builds the communication and pattern recognition that carries directly into competitive doubles play.
Check availability and book your spot on our sessions page.
DUPR — Get Your Rating Sorted
If you don't have a DUPR rating yet, now is the time. DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating) is the global standard for player ratings and is used across tournaments in Australia and internationally. You can register at mydupr.com — it's free.
Our Thursday Advanced session requires a DUPR ID, which makes it a great environment to start building your rating in a competitive but supportive setting.
More Information
Registration and full event details for the Sunshine Coast Open 2026 will be listed on pickleballtournaments.com when they open. Keep an eye on the Pickleball Australia and Pickleball Queensland channels for updates.
See you at the tournament — and in the meantime, see you on the courts at Coolum.