Highland golf is booming

Golf tourism in the Highlands is set for another boost with the staging of the Scottish Hydro Challenge at Spey Valley Golf Club in Aviemore this weekend.

Being played for the ninth straight year at Spey Valley, part of the Macdonald Aviemore Highlands Resort, the Scottish Hydro Challenge is one of the most high profile events on the European Tour’s Challenge Tour Series.

It has produced some of the most notable winners on the Challenge Tour including European Tour star Andrew ‘Beef’ Johnstone and the current US Open champion Brooks Koepka. A whole host of up and coming stars, including Scotland’s Grant Forrest and Ewen Ferguson, will take to the fairways  helping to shine a light on the region as a growing golf tourism destination.

A recent study commissioned by VisitScotland and Scottish Enterprise revealed that golf tourism is worth in excess of £23 million annually to the Highlands’ economy, directly supporting 643 jobs.

The region has enjoyed an enhanced profile in recent years thanks to the development of new courses, such as Spey Valley and Castle Stuart, and the staging of major events such as the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open which has been held at Castle Stuart four times in the last six years. Combined with the reputation of world–renowned courses such as Royal Dornoch and Nairn, the Highlands is now firmly established as a popular golf tourism destination in Scotland.

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