VisitScotland Business Events Travel Trade Corporate Media Toolkit

We use cookies

We use Cookies to improve your experience on this site.

You can accept our cookies policy or customise your choices.

Please refer to our Cookies Policy for more information.

Manage cookies settings

Scotland named best golf destination in the world

Proxy

For the first time in the 9-year history of the World Golf Awards, Scotland has been awarded the ultimate accolade of ‘Best Golf Destination in the World.’  

Around 200 guests from golfing destinations across the globe, attended the prestigious annual World Golf Award gala ceremony in Abu Dhabi this week (14-16 November 2022). 

The World Golf Awards, which is part of The World Travel Awards, serves to celebrate and reward excellence in golf tourism with winners chosen by tour operators, media and golf fans from across the world. 

Scotland’s first win of the night came during the Best Golf Destination in Europe category followed by the top recognition of Best Golf Destination in the World - a unique double, and a first in the history of the Awards. 

Both awards acknowledge and celebrate the quality of Scotland as a golfing destination and, as the industry continues to recover from the pandemic, everything Scotland has to offer to golf fans.  

Widely regarded as the ‘Home of Golf’, Scotland has over 550 courses to play, including multiple championship venues and resorts, links courses, parkland courses and 9-hole courses. 

The award wins follow on the back of a momentous year for the Scottish golf industry which saw a number of the world’s biggest and most prestigious golf tournaments return home to Scotland to be played over an action packed five consecutive weeks. Headlined by the historic 150th Open at St Andrews, Scotland also provided the perfect stage for The Genesis Scottish Open, The Senior Open Presented by Rolex, Trust Golf Women’s Scottish Open, AIG Women’s Open and the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship.    

The jam-packed calendar of tournaments attracted over 421,000 spectators who watched 748 world class players tee off.  It is anticipated that the awards will further inspire visitors from around the world to visit Scotland, cementing its position as a world-leader in the sport as sustainability, environmental and community initiatives amongst others, came to the fore throughout the summer period.  

Capping a memorable night for the Scottish Golf industry, Wilkinson Golf was named Scotland’s Best Inbound Tour Operator, while Prestwick Golf Club took the title of Scotland’s Best Golf Club. Andformer Open Champion and Ryder Cup hero Paul Lawrie was given a Lifetime Achievement Award for his success on the course and for his Foundation encouraging young people into the sport. 

Malcolm Roughead, VisitScotland Chief Executive said:

Every year we welcome hundreds of thousands of visitors eager to play our great golf courses and relax in our accommodation after a day’s golf, enjoying local produce and visiting nearby attractions. Golftourism is a significant boost for the economy and raises Scotland’s profile on the international stage.” 

Dermot Synnott, Director of Global Partnerships for the World Golf Awards said:

Pre-covid, the 2020 UK Event Report reported that the UK’s events industry was estimated to beworth a direct spend of £70bn in 2019, and it is estimated that over £6bn (9%)of this can be attributed to Scotland.  

The golf industry in Scotland is worth more than £1.1 billion with golf tourism accounting for approximately £286 million annually, supporting around 4,400 jobs.  As well as the tourism boost, the health and well-being aspect of golf was brought into sharp focus during the pandemic as one of the first activities to reopen after lockdown providing exercise and social interaction.  

Scotland attracts around 220,000 golfing visitors annually, while an estimated 92,000 ‘regular’ visitors to Scotland will also play golf whilst on holiday. 

Save Download

Scotland named best golf destination in the world

Major double title win secured by Scotland at World Golf Awards

Asset type post
ID 111569
Word count 751 words

Licence

Licence Rights Managed - VS Editorial A Licence to use assets for editorial purposes, which is, to illustrate an event or story in an article but not commercially such as marketing a product or print ad. An Editorial asset may show a brand, a trademarked logo or product, a public personality, or recognisable people, without a signed release or with limited releases. When you use VisitScotland Editorial content you do so to illustrate Scottish tourism in a positive way.
Expiry No expiry date
Released
Usage Editorial content can be published in a variety of formats ranging from print or digital to online. In print content can be featured in *newspapers *magazines *brochures. Online content can be published in a *blog *website *article or *social media. Regardless of the format this content should always promote Scotland’s tourism in a positive way.

Tags