As we approach the festive season, I want to take a moment to thank you for your continued support throughout 2025. It has been a year of challenges and achievements, and we deeply appreciate your understanding and commitment to the club.
This year brought significant hurdles, including Cyclone Alfred, persistent rain, and difficult weather conditions. Rainfall was again well above the long-term annual average of 1,785mm, with a total of 2,137mm recorded. Despite these challenges, our team worked tirelessly to maintain turf coverage across all surfaces—particularly the greens which have achieved 100% coverage.2025 was also a year of progress on the Craig Parry Masterplan, with major works including:
– Full hole rebuilds of the 9th and 19th holes
– Rebuilding of the 1st and 14th greens
– Splitting of the 2nd holes, amongst other smaller course alterations
Tree management was another priority, especially following the cyclone. A vegetation risk management report guided high priority works, and while we’ve made a start, there is still much to do!
I would like to extend my heartfelt thanks to our staff, board of directors, volunteers, and to Christin and the Asian Green restaurant team, as well as Christine and the kiosk team, for their incredible support throughout the year.
We also want to thank you, our members, for your patience and flexibility during course disruptions. Your understanding has been invaluable as we navigated these changes together.
Looking Ahead to 2026
We are optimistic about a more normal trading year. With no major masterplan works scheduled for the first half of the year, members will enjoy the full 18-hole course for at least six months.
We are excited to announce that the 1st hole will reopen on Friday, 2 January 2026, just in time for the Medal of Medals on Saturday, 3 January. Reopening the 1st hole is a priority because having it out of play has created challenges for both members and staff, including bottlenecks and longer round times due to the temporary short par 4 followed by a par 3. Restoring the original flow will improve pace of play and overall enjoyment for everyone.
The 2nd hole will also return to its original configuration, giving the nursery green a well-earned break and allowing us to complete maintenance work for future masterplan needs.
The 14th hole will remain closed until later in January to ensure final touches are completed and turf coverage is fully established. This delay is intentional to avoid utilisation during the busy social play period. Until then, the 19th hole will remain in play and later transition into a practice hole for members, lessons with Brenton, and junior coaching until needed again for Masterplan works.
Trent will resume his role as Course Superintendent in the first week of January, providing the team with much-needed additional hands to ensure the agronomic plan proceeds with maximum resources.
Junior Golf Academy
2026 will see the launch of the Ballina Golf & Sports Club Junior Golf Academy for members under 21 years. This program will offer specialised tuition with Brenton Parrish, access to the indoor studio, uniforms, golf consumables, and tournament support for 10 selected members. This is a significant investment in the future of golf at Ballina, and we look forward to watching these young players develop.
Summer of Golf Promotion
Don’t forget our Summer of Golf promotion in partnership with James Squire (Lionco), giving members the chance to win one of three $3,000 prizes—a total prize pool of $9,000!Draw Date: Friday, 28 February 2026How to Enter: Swipe your membership card at the point of sale and place your tickets in the barrelImportant: You must be at the club on the night of the draw to win
Holiday Trading Hours & Events
Golf / Pro Shop: Open every day per tee sheet, closed Christmas Day
Raffles: Tonight (Christmas Eve), no raffles Boxing Day (26 Dec), back to normal from Wed 31 Dec onwards
Trivia: No trivia on Christmas Day or New Year’s Day, returns Thursday 8 January
Bar / Clubhouse: Open every day except Christmas Day
Asian Green Restaurant: Closed Christmas Day, Boxing Day & New Year’s Day, all other days as normal
Christine’s Kiosk: Closed Christmas Day
Kind regards,
Andrew Porter
General Manager
