Scotland is one of the world's premier golf destinations and is recognised globally as the "Home of Golf". Scotland's appeal comes from the wide choice and number of high quality courses, often set in the most spectacular landscapes. The unique nature and challenge of playing these and the country's links courses are major factors in attracting so many golf visitors to Scotland.
The guide will provide you with the key facts about golf tourism and tell you who comes to Scotland to play golf and what these visiting golfers want. It also highlights opportunities for tourism businesses, golf clubs and courses looking to get the most out of the visiting golfer market and outlines the next steps for Scotland and your business.
This guide has been developed to help tourism businesses and the many golf clubs and courses in Scotland to better understand the needs and expectations of golf visitors. There has never been a better time to do this.
Scotland is well placed to maximise the opportunities arising from changing visitor trends and an increasing desire for authenticity, health and well-being as well as our fantastic scenery - but we must understand better what golfers, and indeed other visitor types, want in order to be able to realise our undoubted tourism potential.
With Scotland hosting the Ryder Cup in 2014, and increasing competition from other golf destinations, now is the time to work better together and make sure we are ready to grow the future of this important tourism market.