The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Golf in Scotland is a £1.1 bn industry
Development: Game has strong roots but must widen its appeal to grow
Few sports are as synonymous with a country as golf is with Scotland.
Known internationally as the birthplace of the game, Scotland has an affinity with golf that no other country can match.
Home to the 16 oldest golf courses on the planet, it is the place where the rules of the game were first laid down, where 18-hole courses became the norm and where the 4¼-inch-diameter hole was standardised, thanks to that being the exact size of some spare piping found lying around at Royal Musselburgh Golf Club.
From the humblest of beginnings on Scotland’s often-disused links to the global phenomenon that sees in excess of 60 million regular active participants worldwide, golf has come a long way.
But, as important as Scotland was to the growth of the game as we know it, golf is equally as important to Scotland’s wealth and prosperity today.
In its widest sense, golf in Scotland is a £1.1 billion industry, with golf tourism accounting for more than a quarter of that figure on an annual basis.
Every year, tens of thousands of golfing visitors flock to our fairways from all corners of the globe, inspired by Scotland’s heritage and their eagerness to pay homage to the home of golf.
Not only do they provide valuable income for our golf clubs and courses by playing an estimated 700,000 rounds annually, they spend freely in our hotels, guest houses, shops, bars, restaurants and tourist attractions.
Research shows that a golfing visitor will spend almost three times more per night than a “regular” holidaying tourist, indicating their vital contribution to Scotland’s wider visitor economy. But these visitors are not simply captivated by our past – they are inspired by our present.
Major events such as this summer’s 147th Open at Carnoustie, the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles and next year’s Solheim Cup at Gleneagles provide a unique shop window to the world and an unrivalled marketing tool in enticing new waves of visitors to travel for an authentic Scottish golfing experience.
More golf clubs are opening their eyes to the potential income from golf tourists – whether they be from elsewhere in Scotland, the UK or overseas – while regional campaign activity looks to spread the benefits of golf tourism across the country.
Of course, there is much that can still be done to develop Scotland’s world-class golf tourism offering.
Golf clubs need to do more to develop their proposition to women and family visitors – only 12% of visitors to golf clubs in Scotland are female – while across the board our clubs need to embrace the digital age, making it easier for visiting golfers to access information and book a tee time.
For VisitScotland’s part, we continue to promote Scotland globally as the home of golf, investing in international events and undertaking targeted marketing campaigns.
Our teams also continue to identify new flight routes and support existing ones – making it easier than ever before to visit – while our relationships with international golf tour operators go from strength to strength.
Golf is one of Scotland’s most famous exports and, much like whisky, continues to give so much back to the country where it was born.
In terms of developing and maximising our golf tourism offering, we are only just beginning the back nine.
However, we have all the necessary clubs in the bag.