Club shows off what area has to offer

Blairgowrie Golf Club flew the flag for Perthshire at Scottish Golf Tourism Week.

Around 50 leading golf tour operators from around the world last week gathered at the Fairmont Hotel on the outskirts of St Andrews.

And Blairgowrie managing secretary Douglas Cleeton has been flagging up all that the 2014 Junior Ryder Cup venue has to offer.

He said: “It’s important to get the message across that golf in Scotland is about so much more than links courses and the ‘trophy’ venues.

“Surveys had shown that playing host to the JRC generally has a 12-month window for clubs and we have certainly benefited from hosting the match between the top young European and American golfers.

“But we can’t afford to rest on our laurels. So we are pushing forward and trying to be innovative.

“Golf Tourism Week has provided a platform to engage directly with the operators who put together packages designed for the international market. It is supported by VisitScotland, EventScotland and PSP Publishing.

“This is our first venture into something like this. We are keen to showcase what Blairgowrie has to offer the European and longdistance market.

“There are wonderful inland golf courses in this country and we have to educate golfers and the tour operators. There’s so much more to golf here than trying to get a tee time on the Old Course.

“We welcomed some tour operators to Blairgowrie earlier in the week and there was an immediate uptake when they saw what we had to offer in terms of two championship courses and the Wee Course.”