South Africa and Scotland have been showcasing their golfing heritage and facilities to Swedish tour operators and journalists at a special golf day organised by global golf tourism industry association IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators).

The golf day, comprising a Stableford competition followed by dinner at Sweden’s prestigious Royal Drottningholm Golf Club on Monday, 27 May, saw two dozen Swedish golf tour operators and golf media participating.

Co-hosting the event were South African Tourism and VisitScotland, together with the East of Scotland Golf Alliance - with the aim being to raise the profile of both destinations in Sweden. Representatives from the three organisations and IAGTO also took part in the event.

IAGTO recently published its 2013 Golf Tourism Report, which was by far the largest and most comprehensive survey ever undertaken within the global golf tourism industry. Referring to the report, IAGTO chief executive Peter Walton said: “Sweden was ranked as the third most important outbound golf tourism market in the world for European winter-sun golf destinations, behind only the UK and Germany. For European summer season golf destinations, including Scotland, Sweden ranked fourth, behind the UK, Germany and the USA. According to golf resorts, golf courses and tour operators interviewed in South Africa, Sweden is also the third most important market for golf holidays to that country.”

Walton added: “The purpose of this golf day here at the wonderful Royal Drottningholm Golf Club has been to bring together the most important IAGTO member golf tour operators and golf media from Sweden to meet with the tourist board representatives responsible for incoming golf travel to South Africa and to Scotland, particularly the East Coast of Scotland. This event has been the perfect start to the beginning of the week of the Nordea Scandinavian Masters, where Scandinavian golfers will be out in force to watch some of the world’s best golfers in action.”

Scotland is famed as the birthplace of golf, with the game first being played there more than 600 years ago. It is hosting the 2014 Ryder Cup at luxury golf resort Gleneagles and, during 2013, it is staging four European Tour events - more than any other country in Europe. It will also host three of the next four Open Championships.

In a message to the Swedish guests, Mike Cantlay, chairman of VisitScotland, said: “Scotland is known throughout the world as the Home of Golf and is a must-visit destination for any golfer. Home to more than 550 golf courses, we have something for everyone, from historic championship links venues to hidden gems where sheep act as greenkeepers.

“Scotland is truly unrivalled when it comes to year-round golfing destinations and with the world’s biggest golf events such as the Open Championship and the Ryder Cup being played here in the coming years, interest in playing golf in Scotland will only intensify.”

South Africa was named Golf Destination of the Year for Africa, the Indian Ocean and Gulf States in the 2011 IAGTO Awards. South African Tourism’s chief executive officer, Thulani Nzima, said in a message to participants of the Swedish golf day: “South Africa’s incredible weather, its hundreds of beautiful and world-class golf courses, and value for money, makes it the ultimate destination for golf enthusiasts.

“The variety of golf experiences that South Africa has to offer is unrivalled. From courses cradled in dramatic mountain ranges in the Cape, to those set in tropical paradise in KwaZulu-Natal, courses set in the wild, untamed African bush in Mpumalanga and Limpopo, to some of the best urban courses in the world in Gauteng, you really can see and experience it all on a golfing holiday to South Africa.

“The South African lifestyle is all about making the most of our big blue skies, our plentiful sunshine and our incredible flora and fauna, which is why golf and leisure are such a perfect fit in South Africa and why the majority of our leading resorts are centred around golf and are unmatched.

“We are proud of the excellent quality golf courses in South Africa, many of which have been designed by South African golfing legends past and present.”

Scotland Golf News Digest:

• Following Trump International’s opening to critical acclaim in Aberdeenshire in June 2011, there are plans for a second 18-hole course and a five-star hotel on site. www.trumpgolfscotland.com
• The Angus is a £60 million luxury golf resort and leisure destination being created at Forbes of Kingennie, near Dundee. With completion expected in autumn 2015 and including holiday lodges and residential villas, it will also feature a golf academy, clubhouse and a golf course designed by 2011 Open Champion Darren Clarke. www.the-angus.com
• Jack Nicklaus has completed his design of a new course on the 1,600-acre Ury Estate, near Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire. The course will be the first in the world to be branded the Jack Nicklaus Golf Club. The estate’s historic Ury House will be transformed into a five-star hotel and spa. www.nicklaus.com/design/uryestate/
• The Earl of Mar Golf Club, which opened in 2010 on an estate 15 minutes from Glasgow Airport, features a five-star hotel and spa. www.marhall.com
• Two designs by David McLay Kidd recently made their debut in Scotland. Machrihanish Dunes opened in 2010 together with two restored historic hotels, a spa, restaurants and pubs in a secluded location near the Mull of Kintyre famous for its black sheep. www.machrihanishdunes.com  Meanwhile, gWest has just opened alongside Perthshire’s Gleneagles resort as part of a residential resort. www.gwest.co.uk/golf.php
• A once-lost Old Tom Morris creation, the Askernish course on South Uist has been restored using traditional design principles. No artificial chemicals are used, the dunes’ natural contours form the fairways and, during winter months, the course is grazed by sheep and cattle. www.askernishgolfclub.com
• The historic Taymouth Castle Golf Club course, designed by five-time Open Champion James Braid, is currently undergoing extensive renovations. There are also plans to develop the castle into a luxury hotel. www.taymouthcastlegolfclub.com
• The newly-opened Rowallan Castle Golf Club in Ayrshire is a design by Scotland’s Ryder Cup hero, Colin Montgomerie, that features a par-3 19th hole called The Decider, so golfers can win back money lost over 18 holes– or lose more. www.rowallancastle.com
• Opening in June 2013, Links House is a restored luxury hotel overlooking the 1st tee of Royal Dornoch Golf Club offering eight bedrooms decorated with bespoke fabrics and furniture. www.linkshousedornoch.co.uk/.
• A 100-bed hotel has been approved at Whitekirk Golf & Country Club, near North Berwick. Work is due to start in 2013. www.whitekirk.com
•  Opening in time for the 2013 Open Championship at nearby Muirfield in July, Craigelaw Lodge in East Lothian is attached to the Craigelaw Golf Club clubhouse and offers 25 rooms. www.craigielawlodge.com.
• Macdonald Rusacks, overlooking the 18th fairway of the Old Course in St Andrews, has completed a £650,000 makeover of its bedrooms. www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk/our-hotels/macdonald-rusacks-hotel/

Scotland Golf Facts:

• Scotland has the most golf courses per head of population than any country in the world with one course for every 9,000 people.
• Scotland will be hosting Open Championships at Muirfield (2013), St Andrews (2015) and Royal Troon (2016).
• Scotland is home to five of the nine courses currently on the Open Championship rota: St Andrews, Muirfield, Carnoustie, Royal Troon and Turnberry, as well as previous Open venues Prestwick and Royal Musselburgh.
• The average green fee in Scotland is £40 ($63).
• The Ryder Cup takes place on the PGA Centenary Course at Gleneagles, designed by Jack Nicklaus, from 26-28 September, 2014.
• European Tour events being held in Scotland in 2013 are: the Aberdeen Asset Management Scottish Open (Castle Stuart, 11-14 July), the Open Championship (Muirfield, 18-21 July), the Johnnie Walker Championship (Gleneagles, 22-25 August) and the Dunhill Links Championship (Old Course, St Andrews, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie, 26-29 September).

South Africa Golf News Digest:

• South Africa’s local men’s championship tour, the Sunshine Tour, continues to grow from strength to strength and also co-hosts a number of events with the European PGA. In the 2012/2013 schedule, it boasted six European co-sanctioned events. As such, South Africa hosted more European Tour events than other country. www.sunshinetour.com
• The luxury Fancourt golf resort near George was recently named one of the world's 10 best golf resorts by CNN's respected online travel hub, CNNGo. www.fancourt.com
•  Fancourt was also named as the Top Golf Course in Africa by Golf Digest in their Planet Gold “100 Best Courses outside of the US”. The Links, designed by Gary Player, was ranked 30th, ahead of Open Championship venues Royal St Georges, Royal Troon, Royal Lytham & St Annes and Royal Liverpool,  and other world-renowned courses including Valderrama, Kingsbarns, Sunningdale  and Wentworth.
• Leopard Creek in Mpumalanga was ranked 49th in Golf Digest’s “100 Best Courses outside of the US” list. It was also designed by South African golfing legend Gary Player. www.leopardcreek.co.za
• For the third year in a row, the Legend Golf & Safari Resort in Limpopo was named best sports resort in Africa (for 2012) at the World Travel Awards. www.legendgolfsafari.com
• Boutique Cape Town hotel, golf and wine estate, Steenberg, and luxury Garden Route golf and leisure resort, Fancourt, have teamed up to launch a Golf Total package offering golfers the chance to combine two of South Africa’s must-see attractions, Cape Town and the Garden Route, with luxury accommodation and dramatic, scenic settings – as well as teeing off on some of the country’s top golf courses. Valid until 31 October, 2013. www.steenberghotel.com, www.fancourt.com
• The Nedbank Golf Challenge, which has been in existence for 32 years, is one of the richest tournaments in the world and will take place again from 5-8 December, 2013. Over three decades the tournament has grown in stature, and what began as an “exhibition” of golf has grown into a fully-fledged tournament complete with world ranking points. The Nedbank Golf Challenge has the distinction of hosting every golfer ever to hold the position of world number one since the official ranking system came into effect. It is broadcast on live TV to around 200 countries, marketing South Africa as a tourist destination and drawing attention to Sun City. http://www.nedbankgolfchallenge.com/

South Africa Golf Facts:

• There are more than 600 golf courses in South Africa, with many fairways overlooking the ocean, surrounded by majestic mountain ranges or with wildlife waltzing past.
• The Extreme 19th hole at the Legend Golf & Safari Resort is world’s most unique par 3. Set high up on the impressive Hanglip Mountain, the hole is accessible only by helicopter and played to a green in the shape of Africa some 400m below.
• Western Cape province includes Cape Town as well as the Garden Route, where the Fancourt golf estate has three world-class courses with luxury accommodation.
• Courses to consider in the northern part of South Africa include Sun City, Legend Golf & Safari Resort, Leopard Creek and the Hans Merensky Golf Course. The Eastern Cape also has several excellent golf holiday establishments, such as St Francis Golf Lodge.
• South Africa has produced a number of golfers of the highest calibre, including Gary Player, Bobby Locke, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Trevor Immelman.
• South Africans have won more Masters tournaments than golfers from any other country outside of the US. South Africa is the fourth most successful country for the four Major Championships, with South Africans having won 22 in total, with only the US, Scotland and England having won more.

END

INFORMATION FOR THE EDITOR
Established in 1997, IAGTO is the global trade organisation of the golf tourism industry, and has over 500 golf tour operator members in more than 61 countries, which control more than 85% of golf holiday packages sold worldwide with annual sales of over US$2 billion. IAGTO established the International Golf Travel Market, now owned by Reed Travel Exhibitions, in 1997 and the International Golf Travel Writers Association in 2000. It also runs the annual IAGTO Awards.

For Further Information:
South African Tourism - Jermaine Craig, global communications manager: tel: +27 11 895 3000 jermaine@southafrica.net www.southafrica.net
VisitScotland - David Connor, golf PR manager: tel: +44 131 472 2063 david.connor@eventscotland.org golf.visitscotland.com