Golf and Scotland
All eyes are on Ayrshire this weekend for the 152nd Open at Royal Troon.
It's a good time to reconsider the value of golf tourism to the Scottish economy and The Scottish Government's strategy to optimise visitor spend to the historical home of the sport.
Scotland benefits hugely as the "home of golf" with the economic impact of golf tourism to Scotland worth over £300 million before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Below you will find the strategy for the remainder of this decade to promote Scotland as a must-visit golf destination. I would summarize the key findings as
1. Focus on promoting Scotland as the ultimate golf destination for local, national, and international visitors by providing compelling and authentic experiences - the weather is certainly authentic at this year's Open :)
2. Position working in the golf sector as a career of choice by enhancing skills development, leadership, and innovation. A great example of innovation is the nine-hole course at Kingsfield Golf & Leisure Club in my home town of Linlithgow.
3. Engage communities to encourage golf as a force for good in local communities, bringing social, economic, and health benefits.
4. Maximize the value of golf events such as this weekend's Open as a catalyst for promoting Scotland and creating lasting legacies that benefit the local economy.
5. Focus on protecting the environment and ensuring environmental sustainability is a central pillar of any golf strategy in Scotland. This is essential if the reputation of our unique courses is to be maintained.
I would add one more thought which is the weather.
The howling winds and driving rain have played a major part in making this year's Open such a unique sporting event. We should view these "challenging" climactic conditions as a positive as they allow the golfer to test themselves as fellow players have for hundreds of years.
I love this quote from esteemed golf writer Alan Shipnuck which perhaps should be used as part of the reason why we welcome all to play a round in Scotland.
"𝐑𝐨𝐲𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐥𝐜𝐮𝐥𝐮𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐭𝐬 𝐬𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐠𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐬, 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐲 𝐟𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐰𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐝 𝐛𝐮𝐧𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝, 𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐲, 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫-𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐞𝐬. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐬, 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭-𝐛𝐲-𝐭𝐡𝐞-𝐧𝐮𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐠𝐨𝐥𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤𝐬 𝐬𝐨 𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐨𝐰𝐲 𝐏𝐆𝐀 𝐓𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐬𝐞𝐭𝐮𝐩𝐬 𝐡𝐚𝐬 𝐥𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐝𝐞𝐬𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐫 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐎𝐩𝐞𝐧.
𝐅𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐰𝐨 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐚𝐭 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐭, 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐮𝐦𝐩𝐡𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞."
Let's never forget that we are truly fortunate in Scotland to have such incredible national assets as Golf and Whisky to ensure we remain front-of-mind to so many across the globe.
VisitScotland, Ivan McKee, Stuart French
Bus driver happy to be on the stagecoach Chesterfield 2424 season of the peak sightseer
3wCan a staff pass be used on the buses ?