The Lismore Golf Course has not seen much action over the last six weeks. The much-loved course is too wet to play after hundreds of millimetres of rain have fallen in Lismore frustrating many hundreds of keen golfers.

Hopefully, by the end of July, the weather will be fine and the Lismore Golf Course will see more high-quality golf than it has ever seen before, after today's announcement that it has secured a key qualifying tournament for the prestigious NSW Open Golf Championship in both 2025 and 2026, placing the city firmly on the map for major regional events.

The 36-hole Pro-Am tournament, scheduled for 27–29 July 2025, will be a notable milestone in the region's sporting calendar. The Teven Valley Golf Course kicks off the Regional Qualifying Series from 24-26 July before Lismore has its shot of hosting for the first time.

Luke Woods, Regional Manager for Golf New South Wales and Jack Newton Junior Golf North Coast, said Lismore is going to see some of Australia's best golfers playing in Lismore over that weekend.

(Luke Woods (left), with Mayor Steve Krieg, Luke Ryan (back left), Sam Brazel (back middle) and members of the Lismore Golf Club at today's announcement)

"You're going to get the majority of Australasian tour players that will come and play these 36-hole Pro-Ams. It's a $50,000 purse. Basically, you're going to get the best golfers that are in the country at the present time to come and play these events."

Luke said that international superstars like Cam Smith and Lucas Herbert have been involved during the series last year, so hopefully, there will be some big announcements over the next few months leading into the Lismore qualifying series.

As for our hot local golfers playing in the series?

"It would be hard to tell. Me knowing the Northern Rivers in the area, growing up here, there are going to be a ton of local, either pros and elite amateurs, that will try and enter this event, and then also others as well," Luke explained.

There will be a field of 100, with 80 from the 2025/26 National Pro-Am Tournament Exemption Categories & 20 Amateurs as ranked by Golf NSW.

Entries for professionals will be handled by the PGA of Australia, while amateurs can enter via the link for Lismore or Teven.

There will be a local Pro-Am to showcase the Lismore Golf Club on Sunday July 27 before the two days of competition.

Mayor Steve Krieg said the announcement was another step forward in Council’s commitment to positioning Lismore as a booming hub for major events and economic renewal. An event like this is projected to stimulate $351,192 of economic impact to the local economy during the three-day event.

“Lismore is proud to be hosting a tournament of this calibre,” he said. 

“Our golf course is one of the best regional courses in the state, and this event is a chance to show that off to a broader audience,” Mayor Krieg said.

“Not only will this tournament boost tourism and provide a welcome injection for local businesses, but it also sends a strong message that Lismore is open, capable and ready to host high-quality events.”

Mayor Krieg also said hosting the tournament offered long-term value beyond the game itself.

“Events like this bring dollars into our economy, fill local cafés, hotels and shops and help change the conversation about Lismore,” he said.

“We are more than just a city recovering — we are a city rising.”

When asked about the recent bad weather, and if he has ordered a fine, sunny few weeks leading into the qualifying series, Mayor Krieg said, "I just wanted to upset the golf pro when he took over, but we're going to have a good run leading up to spring. It's been an absolutely shithouse May, let's be honest, but June, July are looking good. We'll have a nice, dry winter and a beautiful spring. And before you know it, the speedos will be on, and we'll be getting those cans going."

The mayor was referring to the new local Lismore Golf Club pro Luke Ryan. Luke left Lismore at 18 to pursue his dream of being a golf pro before turning full circle and taking over from Peter Jaeger after a 32 year career in Lismore.

One of the golfers you are likely to see in Lismore is professional golfer Sam Brazel. Sam has been living here for the last 20 years and was the winner of the 2016 UBS Hong Kong Open and long-time competitor on the Asian and European Tours.

Lismore City Council is proudly supporting the event, alongside additional backing from Destination NSW and Golf NSW.

Further event details will be announced in the lead-up to July.