The Scottish golf industry’s top honours have been announced at a glittering awards ceremony held in St Andrews. The annual Golf TourismScotland’s Gold Standard Awards is the sector’s blue-ribbon event where the very best of Scottish golf tourism is celebrated.
Hosted by Fairmont St Andrews, this year’s gala evening saw the presentation of 11 awards including the Special Achievement Award which was received by the former secretary of Prestwick Golf Club, Ian Bunch. This year’s Young Industry Person of the Year was presented jointly to Simon Redmond from Macdonald Rusacks Hotel inSt Andrewsand Valerie Houston formerly of the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch.
The prestigious Golf Course of the Year award went to Kingsbarns Golf Links which beat off competition from the likes of Castle Stuart andNorth Berwick. In the accommodation provider category, this year’s hosts Fairmont St Andrews were named the country’s top resort, while Macdonald Rusacks Hotel was awarded the Large Hotel accolade.
Crail Golfing Society received the Golf Secretariat award and St Andrews Executive Travel was named Transport Operator of the Year. Elsewhere, Old Loans Inn at Troon received the Small Hotel/Guesthouse award while Meldrum House in Aberdeenshire was namedScotland’s best country hotel.
“This year’s awards reflect a busy year of events that have showcased the breadth and depth of Scotland’s golfing sector,” noted GTS chairman Lee Derrick. “Many of the world’s leading amateur and professional players battled it out over courses across Scotland providing great opportunities to show the world what we do best. The industry as a whole benefits from these occasions, so with more high profile events scheduled for next year, including the Seniors Open at Turnberry, The Scottish Open returning to Castle Stuart and The Curtis Cup at The Nairn Golf Club these are undoubtedly exciting times for golf in Scotland.”
Other winners of the GTS Gold Standard Awards included Martin Roy of Carnoustie Golf Links who clinched the Caddiemaster of the Year accolade and Golf Scotlandwhich picked up the Golf Tour Operator of the Year award.
The full list of winners is as follows:
GOLF COURSE OF THE YEAR
Nominations for this category were open to any golf course inScotlandthat offers tee-times to visitors. And the winner is:
Kingsbarns Golf Links
GOLF SECRETARIAT OF THE YEAR
Nominations for this category were open to any golf club/course whose administration provides a service to visitors and/or the travel trade:
Crail Golfing Society
CADDIEMASTER OF THE YEAR
Nominations for this category were open to any caddiemaster providing a service to visitors and/or the travel trade:
Martin Roy, Carnoustie Golf Links
HOTEL OF THE YEAR (Small hotel/guest house category)
Nominations for this category were open to accommodation providers with 20 or fewer bedrooms that provide services to golf visitors:
Old Loans Inn, Troon
HOTEL OF THE YEAR (Country house hotel category)
Nominations for this category were open to hotels and exclusive-use properties operating in rural areas that provide services to golf visitors:
Meldrum House County Hotel, Aberdeenshire
HOTEL OF THE YEAR (Large hotel category)
Nominations for this category were open to hotels with more than 20 bedrooms which provide services to golf visitors:
Macdonald Rusacks Hotel,St Andrews
HOTEL OF THE YEAR (Resort hotel category)
Nominations for this category were open to resort hotels with golf course(s) attached:
Fairmont St Andrews
GOLF TOUR OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
Nominations for this category were open to any tour operator bringing golfers to Scotland:
GolfScotland
TRANSPORT OPERATOR OF THE YEAR
Nominations for this category were open to any business providing transport services inScotlandincluding rail, road, air and sea:
St AndrewsExecutive Travel
SPECIAL ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Ian Bunch
YOUNG INDUSTRY PERSON OF THE YEAR
Simon Redmond, Macdonald Rusacks Hotel and Valerie Houston, formerly of the Royal Golf Hotel in Dornoch
Golf Tourism Scotland (GTS) www.golftourismscotland.com
two images, the first being of Lee Derrick, chairman of Golf Tourism Scotland, and Innes Knight, course manager at Kingsbarns Golf Links which won Golf Course of the Year. The second image is of .