A brand new awards ceremony is set to take place in St Andrews this November celebrating the cream of Scottish golf tourism.
The inaugural Scottish Golf Tourism Awards dinner will be held at the Old Course Hotel in St Andrews on Friday, November 7. Hosted by former BBC Scotland sports broadcaster Alison Walker, the evening will be a celebration of the courses, clubs and individuals that have excelled in delivering quality, service and value for money to visiting golfers in 2014.
The evening is being sponsored by VisitScotland, in association with the PGA in Scotland, the Scottish Golf Union, Golf Tourism Scotland and bunkered magazine, and a total of 14 awards are set to be presented.
Each of the winners will be chosen by the Scottish golf public through bunkered’s immensely popular ‘Scotland’s Best Experience’ poll. Voting has been taking place at www.bunkered.co.uk/bestexperience all summer and closes on September 30.
As well as awards for the ‘Best Clubhouse’, ‘Best Pro Shop’ and ‘Customer Service’, the main gong on the evening will be the one that every club wants to get its hands on: the ‘Best Overall Experience’ accolade.
Announcing plans for the bash, bunkered magazine’s Tom Lovering commented: “As the world-renowned birthplace of golf, Scotland’s status as a leading tourism destination is well established. Because of that, we felt there was a need to celebrate the clubs, courses and individuals that go the extra mile to make sure that visitors – whether domestic or international – have the best possible experience of our national sport.
“Our ‘Scotland’s Best Experience’ competition has been running for a few years and has proven to be hugely successful. It has shown us that there is a real appetite amongst the knowledgeable Scottish golfing public to recognise good service and high standards. That’s why we are delighted to combine it this year with this new awards ceremony. It is shaping up to be a fantastic evening.”
Mike Cantlay, the chairman of VisitScotland, added: “Golf tourism is worth £220m to Scotland annually, supporting around 4,400 jobs, and it is therefore extremely important to recognise and reward the clubs, courses and individuals that make our country such an incredible golfing destination.
“With over 550 golf courses to choose from, ranging from Open Championship venues to hidden gems, Scotland is The Home of Golf and this is a great opportunity to celebrate those who provide that all important warm Scottish welcome right across the country.”
Tickets for the 2014 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards dinner are still available. For further information, call 0141 353 2222 or log-on to www.scottishgolftourismawards.co.uk