Ford NSW Open Finds Its Stride in a New Era of Growth

It seems funny to speak of the Ford New South Wales Open as an emerging event.

For one, it owns one of THE best honour rolls in world golf. Seriously.

One look at the Kel Nagle Cup and you don’t need to be a golf nerd to stand and have the word “wow” fall out of your mouth.

Norman, Ferrier, Thomson, Phillips, Newton, and so many more legitimate greats over almost a century.

One of the names etched is that of Norman Von Nida – for the record, a phenomenal six times and almost certainly robbed of more when World War II curtailed its staging for six years from 1940 – a man who has another interesting link to the modern event.

The PGA of Australasia, for five years from 2003, ran a secondary tour named in Von Nida’s honour. It was a collection of events that played for approximately $100,000, some declaring that “peanuts” after the demise of a more glamorous and larger tour a generation previous, when Greg Norman ruled the headlines as much as the fairways.

In that inglorious stretch of domestic golf, again, it’s hard to imagine now, but the once-revered NSW Open had fallen down to that ancillary level.

The golf was still impressive, but the standing of those events was, politely, less than influential.

After opening its doors in 2003, the Vintage Golf Club hosted four successive NSW Opens from 2007 and helped the fledgling Golf NSW provide a new baseline for the state championship, which had also amazingly been played only twice between 1990 and 2002 for various reasons.

But that was then, and this is an entirely different now.

In the intervening years, slowly at first, but recently in leaps and bounds, the tournament has taken root and then flourished.

In concert with the state government, Golf NSW has invested great time and resources –most notably passion – into remodelling its flagship event.

The results, even to those who recall the Norman era and beyond, are stark and impressive.

This week, as the event returns to the Vintage, the prize purse is a whopping $800,000.

Players have actively circled the week on their calendars, and much of the next wave of Aussie talent is present and buzzing about its return.

But it’s not just about money and field strength.

It looks and feels like a big tournament.

The clubhouse and its immaculate surrounds are heaving with the activity one expects from big fields and great patronage.

The functions celebrate and showcase the history, yet promote the present.

The activations for young wannabe golfers are engaging and well attended.

The globally recognised sponsor has its wares literally parked in a manner that says this is the big time.

There’s a buzz in the air.

And every year since Golf NSW made the bold decision to take the time-honoured event to the regions, it’s been bigger and better annually.

It’s now back to its rightful location as the nation’s premier state event and the ideal lead-up to the premier national level events in the coming weeks.

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And there’s no better person to judge these improvements than the man who won that first Vintage event, Jason Norris, back this week with a spring in his step after winning the Australian Senior PGA Championship last week in Sydney.

“It’s come a long way, hasn’t it?” Norris recalled.

“Actually, it’s come a massive way. Golf NSW has done a great job. I think they excel in (events) and are the leaders in golf in Australia.

“I think they’ve got so many events, and they really do well on raising profiles and raising tournaments.

“And to take it to the regions again, like last year, way down in the west (at Murray Downs) and now out in the Hunter, as a player, it’s hard to get to these places, but once you’re there, it’s fantastic.

“The clubs and people really love you being here. They love the pros coming and watching us, whereas sometimes in (bigger cities) they don’t really want us at their course.

“But we come here, they love us being here, and we love being here … and I think it shows.”

While cash is obviously the name of the game for all professional golfers, it’s just one of the changes at which Norris marvels.

“It’s gone from 100 grand to 800 grand, but it’s more than just the money, I think. It’s the prestige – it’s always been very prestigious and there are some big names on that trophy,” he said with a cheeky grin.

And among other improvements in the 18 years since his Vintage triumph, Norris said the course has gone to the next level.

“It was quite a new-ish course back then, so the trees have grown so much that I hardly recognise some of the holes, but I forgot how tough it was, to be honest.

“It just looks amazing now – such a good place to come to for everyone.

“And when you’ve got history at a club and you win, it’s a great feeling and you feel like you belong when you come back.”

Which is the general sentiment for the tournament itself.

The NSW Open is officially back.