Campaign to ensure Gleneagles Ryder Cup legacy

The campaign aims to create a legacy for Scotland after the staging of the Ryder cup at Gleneagles

A new campaign is aiming to capitalise on the staging of the Ryder Cup and The Open Championship to make Scotland the world's leading golf destination.

A recent report estimated that tourism around the sport generates about £220m a year.

However, the new Driving Scotland Together strategy aims to increase that to £300m by 2020.

The Ryder Cup is being held at Gleneagles in Perthshire next year and The Open at St Andrews in 2015.

The Open will also be played at Troon the following year.

The tourism campaign, which includes VisitScotland, EventScotland and the Scottish Golf Union, aims to promote and develop other courses and regions around the major events to encourage tourists who come for the big tournaments to return again.

Scotland has some of the most famous courses in the world among its nearly 600 clubs, including St Andrews, Muirfield and Turnberry.

'Hidden gems'

Stewart Walker, chairman of Golf Tourism Scotland, said: "There is no doubt that the golf tourism industry in Scotland already has the greatest collection of assets anywhere in the world, as well as an enviable history and heritage in the game.

"What this strategy is designed to achieve is ensuring all partners involved in growing the golf tourism industry are working together in order to sell and market Scotland as the home of golf to its full potential."

Tourism Minister Fergus Ewing launched the campaign at Murrayshall Hotel and Golf Course in Perthshire.

He said: "Golf in Scotland has never been more in the spotlight thanks to an envied schedule of world-class events taking place at the home of golf.

"These events are played on many of the world's top-ranked golf courses but Scotland also has many hidden gems too, giving golfers of all levels a variety of courses to play.

"These events, including the 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles, bring with them a terrific opportunity to highlight Scotland to hundreds of millions of potential visitors worldwide and to grow what is already a hugely important sector in terms of income generation for Scotland."