OUR STORY
Founded in 1996, under the GOLFSelect brand, our business has been associated with organising memorable golf trips around the world.
Our business is a full-service golf holiday specialist, and we count, among our clients, members of the world's most prestigious golf courses.
Our relationships with Australia's best golf courses, plus our extensive international network of golf travel partners, allow us to organise unique and never-to-be-forgotten golf holidays both within Australia and around the world.
In July 2025, we made the decision to rebrand our travel business to “Great Golf Escapes”, as we feel this name is more reflective of what we offer you, our clients.
Our team is excited about helping you explore the world and answer your own question, "Where can I escape to next to play golf?"
We look forward to working with you to help achieve this goal.
Best wishes
Gary Lisbon
Founder and Managing Director
Matthew Ridge
Senior Golf Holiday Manager
Matt has been with Great Golf Escapes since 2002 and in his role as Senior Golf Holiday Manager oversees and manages golf holidays on behalf of our clients.
Matt loves the world-class golf that is in his hometown of Melbourne and nearby Tasmania and New Zealand as well. First-class customer service is a key focus for Matt and the Great Golf Escapes team.
Steven Lo Ricco
Golf Holiday Specialist
Steven has been with Great Golf Escapes since 2023 and loves nothing more than setting up exciting, bespoke golf travel trips.
After travelling to Vietnam for several years, it was there his golf travel bug began.
At Great Golf Escapes, Steven is able to share his knowledge of what makes a great golf holiday including many dream destinations around the world.
Gary Lisbon
Managing Director & Owner
Gary is the co-founder and owner of Great Golf Escapes, having left a chartered accounting career to pursue something he loves - golf!
Increasing requests from friends and clients helped Gary to identify a niche in the golf holiday space thus giving birth to the business.
Gary is also one of the world's leading golf course photographers with his images from 785 courses in 30 countries gracing the pages of the premier magazines worldwide.
Richard Morgan
Golf Holiday Manager
Richard joined the Great Golf Escapes Holiday team in 2016 and brings with him a wealth of experience as well as an unbridled enthusiasm to do what it takes to ensure a golf holiday of a lifetime for our clients.
Richard’s love of travel and golf has helped him become a key part of the Great Golf Escapes team.
Christine Jonchev
Golf Holiday Administrator
Christine joined the Great Golf Escapes team in 2024 and is an integral team member.
You could say she keeps the boys on the straight and narrow!
Christine joins us with her wealth of travel knowledge from around the globe and her favourite destinations are Europe and South East Asia although she is always keen to explore new destinations - particularly when golf is involved.
Maureen Lisbon
Financial Controller
Maureen is the co-founder and Financial Controller of Great Golf Escapes.
A chartered accountant with over 30 years of experience, Maureen brings a wealth of knowledge to this part of our business.
Maureen travels with Gary to new golf destinations worldwide, providing a fresh set of eyes over areas we look to offer to our clients.
Robert Aisner
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
My wife and I received a recommendation to use Golf Select for our trip and we are glad we did. Golf Select did a terrific job in all aspects of the trip from golf course selection and scheduling to hotels and transportation. They also helped us arrange some excellent non-golf events. We have done a number of foreign golf trips with other companies and Golf Select is as good as any we have used.
Mal Semmens
Australia
Travelled to:
New Zealand
A most enjoyable golfing holiday to NZ (north island) managed by Golf Select. Planning, detailed itinerary, follow up communication expertly provided by Steve and the Golf Select team. Courses selected (and accommodation) met our needs for the 9 day break. Very happy to recommend Golf Select.
Anna Minter
Australia
Travelled to:
South East Asia
We have been using Golf Select for over 6 years and they have always been fantastic . They cater for the group really well and the ongoing communication is outstanding. They really listen to what we want
Rick and Mary Anne Bateman
USA
Travelled to:
New Zealand
Golf Select did a great job for us. We are from the United States and we enjoyed having someone who could coordinate golf and transfers for us. Steven was great to work with! He made things so easy. We made a few changes to the trip as we were there 3 1/2 weeks. Steven made things easy for us. Thank you for that!
Anna Minter
Australia
Travelled to:
Vietnam
We had a great trip with 10 ladies from Melbourne! Everything went well, golf courses challenging but fun. Accommodation was excellent and the personalised service from Golf Service was outstanding as usual.
John McNey
USA
Travelled to:
New Zealand
Staff was great and very attentive in dealing with a couple of unexpected issues that popped up. Worked overtime to resolve rent car and lodging issues that presented some challenges. Golf venues top notch from famous venues to lesser known courses.
Keith Ogata
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
We are a group of 12 golfers, many of us have been golfing around the world every year for the last 25 years, so there is level of experience that is knowledgeable. GolfSelect and Steven were par excellence in every aspect, from listening and understanding the needs and desires of the Group, to making suggestions, great planning, offering alternatives, and of course, the critical element of execution. Most important was the element of communication and responsiveness. Steven was incredible in this area. As Group Coordinator, I can’t say enough great things about GolfSelect and Steven. Fantastic trip, all due to the efforts and professionalism of GOLFSelect and Steven.
John Heise
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
Steven did a terrific job arranging our trip. The hotel was excellent, the arrangements at the courses were perfect and the transfers worked out well. He managed the ever-changing flights very well.
He was a pleasure to work with in every aspect.
Larry Davidson
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
Wonderful trip thanks to the superlative team at Golf Select. Our was an invoked trip over 3+ weeks to many parts of Australia and to 11 different golf courses. Golf Select did an outstanding job in organizing the trip and the team especially Steven LoRicco was there every step of h the way making sure everything went smoothly. His attention and follow up was incomparable. If your planning a golf trip to Australia, I heartily recommend Golf Select
Chris Comi
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
This was a bucket list trip for me and my wife. We combined travel and sight seeing with 10 golf days on a 3 week trip. Steven was great recommending and helping to select the courses. We played a nice mix of world famous courses and some other lesser known, but still nice, clubs. Nice hotels with full breakfasts made for a good start to each day and relaxing nights. The potential impact of a few travel snags we had (delayed clubs and a 6 hour late flight) were addressed quickly and thoroughly.
Chris Comi
USA
Travelled to:
New Zealand
This was a bucket list trip for me and my wife. We combined travel and sight seeing with 10 golf days on a 3 week trip. Steven was great recommending and helping to select the courses. We played a nice mix of world famous courses and some other lesser known, but still nice, clubs. Nice hotels with full breakfasts made for a good start to each day and relaxing nights. The potential impact of a few travel snags we had (delayed clubs and a 6 hour late flight) were addressed quickly and thoroughly.
John Venzon
USA
Travelled to:
Australia
Golf-Select is a first-class organization that provides access and travel arrangements to the top courses in Australia. In planning, Steven (our contact) was helpful and insightful. We worked with our schedule to make our outing a perfect golfing holiday, with some sightseeing on the side. We were granted access to the top private courses in Melbourne and Syndey, and treated like we were members. Staff at every club were friendly and welcoming, and even the members went out of their way to greet us like it and check on our experience.
I recommend Golf Select to anyone looking for a premier golfing experience.
John Venzon
USA
Travelled to:
New Zealand
Golf-Select is a first-class organization that provides access and travel arrangements to the top courses in Australia. In planning, Steven (our contact) was helpful and insightful. We worked with our schedule to make our outing a perfect golfing holiday, with some sightseeing on the side. We were granted access to the top private courses in Melbourne and Syndey, and treated like we were members. Staff at every club were friendly and welcoming, and even the members went out of their way to greet us like it and check on our experience.
I recommend Golf Select to anyone looking for a premier golfing experience.
David Smith
Australia
Travelled to:
Australia
I had the pleasure of working with Steven from Golf Select to put together a remarkable 3-day golf excursion to the Mornington Peninsula for myself and 19 mates. From start to finish, this experience was nothing short of exceptional, easy, and I can't praise it enough. This golf trip to the Mornington Peninsula, masterfully coordinated by Steven, was an absolute highlight. Our group has been embarking on annual golf trips for the past decade, and this one ranks among the very best. Steven and Golf Select played a vital role in bringing together 20 old friends from across the country of varying skill levels for an unforgettable three days filled with golf, camaraderie, and relaxation. I cannot express enough gratitude to Steven for his professionalism and dedication in ensuring that this experience was truly exceptional.
I wholeheartedly recommend Golf Select and Steven's expertise to anyone in search of an extraordinary golf getaway. I'm already eagerly anticipating the next one!
Rob Bennett
Australia
Travelled to:
United Kingdom
In July I joined the GOLFSelect tour of Scotland, which included tickets to the final 2 days of The Open at St Andrews. What a fantastic trip it was!
Gary, Matt and Maureen were very friendly from the first meeting in Glasgow, making it feel like a trip with a group of friends rather than a structured tour.
I was able to enjoy playing some of the best courses in Scotland including ; St Andrews, Carnoustie, Royal Troon (both courses on one day!), Prestwick, Kingsbarns, Turnberry , Royal Dornoch, Castle Stuart and the list goes on! With a mix of people from both Australia and overseas, there was always an interesting conversation to be had and I know the memories will last a lifetime.
I was impressed with the way the team kept us all keen to play and am grateful for the effort they all made to ensure that the trip lived up to my expectations. Standing on the 1st tee at St Andrews was one of life's moments for me, as was the 17th "Road Hole" drive over the hotel.
Friendships have been made & I know that I will be on another GOLFSelect tour before too long!
WHERE OUR CLIENTS GO
