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Scotland offering free golf
First Minister Alex Salmond yesterday launched a new drive to attract international visitors to Scotland with the offer of a free round of golf.
Following the success of VisitScotland's promotion to provide 2,200 complimentary four balls to golfers during the Year of Homecoming Mr Salmond said the exercise is to be repeated in the next few weeks and possibly again in the summer. "As a result of the first phase some 8,000 folk going to come to Scotland to play golf - that's a lot of extra tourist spend," said the First Minister, as he launched the second wave of the promotion with Sam Torrance, Scotland's golf ambassador, at Dalmahoy Golf Course, Edinburgh. "Now we are going to have a second round and give more people a chance to come to Scotland and play golf. It's such a fantastic idea we should have done it years ago.
"We're going to do it again around March and maybe again in the summer after The Open."
The first stage of the promotion was sold out within five days of being launched to thousands of Swedish, Canadian and US golfers and proved so popular applications were flooding in at a rate of one every five minutes. It is estimated the average international golfer spends £1,790 per trip so by giving away 8,000 rounds of golf VisitScotland hopes to attract additional income of more than £14 million to the economy this year. "Golf tourism is vital to the Scottish economy, generating millions of pounds," said Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland's Director of Visitor Engagement. "Scotland, like every other country, is facing global economic pressures so this is a fantastic opportunity to help boost the economy during Homecoming year, of which golf is a significant theme. I look forward to more golf courses getting behind this and reaping the benefits."
The First Minister said Scotland was well placed to reap a large slice of the estimated £8 billion a year spent on golf throughout Europe each year.
The country already has some 550 courses and there are several other prestigious developments underway or due to open soon. In addition to Donald Trump's resort in the North East and Machrihanish Dunes in the west there is The Ayrshire, a £60million project by David McLay Kidd to regenerate Irvine Bay, and the Jack Nicklaus signature course at Stonehaven which are looking to build on Scotland's booming golf economy.
"The golf story of Scotland is growing all the time. I don't think we are anywhere near saturation point," said Mr Salmond.
"Golf is one of the world's great games and as new markets open up Scotland has so much to offer.
"We should remember that and promote the fact we have close to 600 golf courses, almost all of them of great quality, ranging from fantastic links courses to fabulous parkland courses.
"The new courses help to build that reputation. The more emphasis there is on Scotland being not only the home of golf but the home of quality golf then the better it is for the game and for the visitor industry." Mr Salmond said that unlike some other industries once built golf courses can't be moved to another country, such as China, in favour of a cheaper workforce. "Golf courses will continue to attract people and income to Scotland," he said. "You can't take the golf courses to China but we can take the Chinese people to Scotland and we're increasingly going to be doing that. "I'll be in Hong Kong in April to specifically promote golf and other aspects of Home Coming," said the First Minister who added that a film on golf narrated by Sir Sean Connery had been translated into Mandarin and is now being shown on Chinese state television. To build on the VisitScotland promotion additional courses are now being encouraged to get on-board and UK golfers are to be given the chance to enter a separate Drive It Home promotion offering the chance to win a day golfing with Sam Torrance "The Drive It Home promotion is the perfect reason for both international and UK golfers to visit the Home of Golf in 2009," said Sam.
Participating golf courses so far include:
Golf Club |
Golf Course |
Aberdour Golf Club |
Aberdour Golf Course |
Aberfeldy Golf Club |
Aberfeldy Golf Course |
Aboyne Golf Club |
Aboyne Golf Course |
Alloa Golf Club |
Alloa Golf Course |
The Alyth Golf Club |
Alyth Golf Course |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Belleisle |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Dalmilling |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Girvan |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Maybole |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Seafield |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Darley |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Fullarton |
Golf South Ayrshire |
Lochgreen |
Ballater Golf Club |
Ballater Golf Course |
The Blairgowrie Golf Club |
Lansdowne Golf Course |
Edinburgh Leisure |
Braid Hills Golf Course |
Brechin Golf & Squash Club |
Brechin Golf Course |
Brora Golf Club |
Brora Golf Course |
Brunston Castle Golf Club |
Brunston Castle Golf Course |
Dunblane New Golf Club |
Dunblane New Golf Club |
Dundee City Council |
Caird Park Golf Course |
Dundee City Council |
Camperdown Park Golf Course |
Castle Park Golf Club |
Castle Park Golf Course |
Cawder Golf Club |
Cawder Golf Course |
Cawder Golf Club |
Keir Golf Course |
Craigielaw Golf Club |
Craigielaw Golf Course |
Crail Golfing Society |
Craighead Links Golf Course |
Crieff Golf Club |
Ferntower Golf Course |
Cruden Bay Golf Club |
Cruden Bay Golf Course |
Duff House Royal Golf Club |
Duff House Royal Golf Course |
Dufftown Golf Club |
Dufftown Golf Course |
The Duke's |
The Duke's |
Duns Golf Club |
Duns Golf Course |
Durness Golf Club |
Durness Golf Course |
Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Club |
Dunkeld & Birnam Golf Course |
Dumfries & County Golf Club |
Dumfries & County Golf Course |
East Renfrewshire Golf Club |
East Renfrewshire Golf Course |
Eyemouth Golf Club |
Eyemouth Golf Course |
Fairmont St. Andrews |
Kittocks |
Fairmont St. Andrews |
The Torrance |
Falkirk Golf Club |
Carmuirs Golf Course |
Fraserburgh Golf Club |
Corbie Hill Golf Course |
Glasgow Golf Club |
Glasgow Gailes Golf Course |
Glenbervie Golf Club |
Glenbervie Golf Course |
The Gleneagles Hotel |
The King's Golf Course |
The Gleneagles Hotel |
The Queen's Golf Course |
The Gleneagles Hotel |
The PGA Centenary Golf Course |
Glen Golf Club |
The East Links Golf Course |
Golspie Golf Club |
Golspie Golf Course |
Gullane Golf Club |
Gullane No. 2 Golf Course |
Helensburgh Golf Club |
Helensburgh Golf Course |
Inchmarlo Golf Club |
Laird's Golf Course |
Kirkintilloch Golf Club |
Kirkintilloch Golf Course |
Killin Golf Club |
Killin Golf Course |
The Kinross Golf Courses |
The Bruce Golf Course |
The Kinross Golf Courses |
The Montgomery Golf Course |
Kintore Golf Club |
Kintore Golf Course |
Liberton Golf Club |
Liberton Golf Course |
Loch Ness Golf Course |
Loch Ness New Golf Course |
Luffness New Golf Club |
Luffness New Golf Course |
MacDonald Aviemore Highland Resort |
Spey Valley Golf Course |
MacDonald Cardrona Hotel, Golf & Country Club |
Cardrona Golf Course |
Machrie Hotel & Golf Links |
Machrie Golf Course |
Machrihanish Dunes Golf Club |
Machrihanish Dunes Golf Course |
Marriott Dalmahoy Hotel & Country Club |
Dalmahoy East Golf Course |
The Moffat Golf Club |
Moffat Golf Course |
Monifieth Golf Links |
The Medal Course |
Monifieth Golf Links |
The Ashludie Course |
Montrose Golf Links Ltd. |
The Broomfield Golf Course |
Montrose Golf Links Ltd. |
The Medal Golf Course |
Moray Golf Club |
The New Golf Course |
Moray Golf Club |
The Old Golf Course |
Muckhart Golf Club |
Arndean, Cowden and Naemoor Courses |
Murrayshall House Hotel & Golf Courses |
Murrayshall Championship Golf Course |
Murrayshall House Hotel & Golf Courses |
The Lynedoch |
The Nairn Golf Club |
Nairn Golf Course |
Nairn Dunbar Golf Club |
Nairn Dunbar Golf Course |
Oatridge College |
Oatridge Golf Course |
Peterculter Golf Club |
Peterculter Golf Course |
Pitlochry Golf Club |
Pitlochry Golf Course Ltd. |
Ratho Park Golf Club |
Ratho Park Golf Course |
The Roxburghe Hotel & Golf Course |
Roxburghe Golf Course |
Scotscraig Golf Club |
Scotscraig Golf Course |
Shiskine Golf & Tennis Club |
Shiskine Golf Course |
Stirling Golf Club |
Stirling Golf Course |
Tain Golf Club |
Tain Golf Course |
Taymouth Castle Golf Club |
Taymouth Castle Golf Course |
Thurso Golf Club |
Thurso Golf Course |
Royal Troon Golf Club |
Portland Course |
Royal Troon Golf Club |
Old Course |
The Westerwood Golf & Spa Hotel |
Westerwood Golf Course |
Wigtownshire County Golf Club |
Wigtownshire County Golf Course |
Whitekirk Golf & Country Club |
Whitekirk Golf Course |
Arbroath Golf Links Course |
Arbroath Golf Course |
Carnoustie Golf Links |
Championship Course |
Ladybank Golf Club |
Ladybank Golf Course |
Lundin Golf Club |
Lundin Links Golf Course |
Paisley Golf Club |
Paisley Golf Course |
Dunnikier Park Golf Club |
Dunnikier Park Golf Course |
February 5, 2009
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