Golf tourism in UK driven by Scotland, says report

A recent study by the R&A revealed that in 2014 Scotland accounted for 20% of the total economic value of the golf industry in the UK.

Out of a grand sum of £4.3 billion, generated to the UK economy, Scotland accounted for a large portion of the total amount - despite comprising only 8% of the total UK population.

These figures reinforce the notion that golf is still a vital part of Scottish culture. The report highlighted the country's well developed golf tourism industry, high golf participation rate and history as home of the sport as factors in golf’s continued popularity.

Equally impressive was the statistic which showed that spending in the golf industry accounted for 14% of all consumer spending on sport in the UK. Of this amount, nearly half of the total was spent on golf clubs, with golfing equipment and clothing making up an extra £939 million.

With many high profile championships such as the Open and the Ryder Cup taking place in Scotland over the years, spectatorship is every bit as important as the players when it comes to golf's success.

£775m was spent on tourism, events and accommodation in the golfing industry in 2014 and, with the upcoming Olympic games, this looks likely to increase. This was something which was reinforced by Martin Slumbers, Chief Executive of the R&A, who said: “There is plenty of room for optimism that golf can maintain and develop its position as one of the most popular sports in the UK, particularly this year when it makes its return to the Olympic games in Rio.”

Slumbers also highlighted the importance of the findings, stating that: “Golf is the first sport in the UK to evaluate its contribution to economic development in line with the government's ‘Sporting Future’ strategy and these findings give us an important economic baseline for the golf industry against which we can measure future growth.”

It is a positive sign that golf continues to develop in the UK, and that the golfing industry remains as important to Scotland’s cultural identity as ever. The VisitScotland chief said: “This report shows the huge impact and influence that Scotland has in the golf industry, not only in the UK but worldwide, and the considerable value of the industry to Scotland’s economy.”