Cam Smith wants to make Ripper GC as well known as the Brisbane Broncos

After a slow start to life, LIV Golf’s teams concept is starting to take hold and Cam Smith’s all-Australian outfit have some big plans.

At the moment it’s just Australia’s only golf “team”, but if Cam Smith has his way, Ripper GC and its “exponential growth” will help make his LIV outfit an iconic part of the local sporting landscape as much AFL powerhouse Collingwood and his beloved Brisbane Broncos.

The explosion of interest in LIV via the monstrous success in Adelaide, and Ripper GC’s stunning victory in the maiden team playoff in 20224 at The Grange Golf Club, has legitimised the team concept Greg Norman made a key pillar of LIV.

It wasn’t just a point of difference from other tours, and a lure for players keen to embrace the vibe of Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, but, according to Norman, a platform to launch their brands across a wide range of potential business partners.

While some of the curiously named outfits, including the Cleeks and Majestiks, have struggled for cut-through, other than curious questions about what a Cleek actually is, Ripper GC has caught fire.

Mullet Cup winner Ambrose Skyrypek, meets Cam Smith in Adelaide. Picture: Brett Hartwig

The pure numbers of the more than 80,000 who walked through the gates in 2024, which will hit triple figures in 2025, wearing the wide variety of Ripper GC-branded merchandise spoke volumes.

But even during the rounds, the echoes of “Go Rippers” have hit Smith and his teammates as a clear indication of their impact.

“That was just so much fun to be in front of that home crowd, not only screaming your name but chanting “Ripper” and “you little Ripper” whatever else you get around the course. It was epic,” Smith said as he explained just how much the team had grown as plans for the brand expanded.

“I think that’s the amazing thing about LIV and the team stuff is we really don’t know where it’s going to go.

“If you had have told me three years ago that we’d be where we are today, I would have said no. Honestly, I think we’ve far exceeded all of our expectations, not only with venues, with the league, even within the team.

“We’re just making so many great strides, and I can’t wait to see where this goes in the future.

A massive weekend in Adelaide for @rippergc_ 🇦🇺

Watch on the Fox Sports App on 2/13 at 9:00PM ET 📺#LIVGolfAdelaidepic.twitter.com/3ugNGdXx8F

— LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) February 13, 2025

“Last year I think we maybe had one staff member, and now we’ve got probably five or six, so everything just keeps growing.

“There’s definitely a feeling of exponential growth, not only within the team but within the league. It seems like every week there’s something different going on, something new, something better.”

Smith said “who knows” when asked specifically how big the brand could grow, as it was announced that Ripper GC would be the main sponsor of Golf Australia’s flagship junior program, My Golf.

A cohort of kids wearing “Little Ripper” hats posed for photos with the 2022 British Open champ, who has long been a supporter of junior programs, even having his own scholarship.

Little Rippers! 🏌️@RipperGC_ is the new principal partner of MyGolf, marking the beginning of an exciting three-year collaboration aimed at inspiring and developing the next generation of Australian golfers. ⛳ pic.twitter.com/qE9ApNvNar

— Golf Australia ⛳️ (@GolfAust) February 13, 2025

It marked a unique partnership, effectively a sporting team taking on the sponsorship of a program akin to AFL’s Auskick or Cricket Australia’s Blasters program.

Nick Adams is one of the Ripper GC staff additions, the general manager who brokered the deal with GA and has other big plans for Smith and the company’s team to penetrate the “competitive landscape” in Australia.

“We’re the only professional sports team to come out of Australia that isn’t run by an organisation, and we happen to be a golf team,” he said.

Cameron Smith talks business with Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the chief executive of Saudi Arabia's PIF that backs LIV. Picture: Kelly Barnes

“But obviously in a competitive marketplace both domestically and globally, the idea is to get your brand across to as many people so they can understand what you’re about and what your ethos is.

“Look, we’re looking at all different types of things in order to give awareness to our guys and their amazing ability and what they do on a global stage.”

For Smith, the dream lives large, and when he’s playing he feels like he’s “playing for all of Australia”.

“Where it goes, who knows,” he said.

“I think we all have a dream, but I think we’ll be there quicker than later.”

Originally published as Cam Smith wants to make Ripper GC as well known as the Brisbane Broncos