Entries are open to male amateur golfers.  Handicap indexes listed in the current revision at the time entries close will be used in determining eligibility.  Players must have been a bona fide public course player having not held privileges of any club which does not extend playing privileges to the general public or privileges of any club maintaining its own course since January 1, 2025. 

Exemptions: The 2025 National Links Trust Championship, Presented by DICK’S Sporting Goods, will take place October 24–26 in Washington, D.C. This national championship is exclusively for public-access male and female golfers aged 25 and older. The championship will again be organized in partnership with Anera Sports, a leader in tournament operations and logistics, with DICK’S Sporting Goods returning as the presenting sponsor.

The event will again be held at the historic Blue Course at East Potomac Golf Links, a 1923 Walter Travis design hosting the 1923 U.S. Amateur Public Links Championship. The 2025 competition has been expanded to 54 holes of stroke play competition, making it eligible for World Amateur Golf Ranking (WAGR) points.

The tournament would like to extend an exemption for the champion of the Georgia Public Links Championship. The NLT Championship is for public players over 25. 

The champion will also be exempt into the 2025 Georgia Mid-Amateur Championship and the 2026 Georgia Amateur Championship.