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Donald Trump has unveiled his ambitious plans for a golf Mecca in the North-east of Scotland, one of several exclusive and high-budget new courses springing up all over the country. These new golf destinations may be welcomed by the tourism industry, but are they good news for the Scottish game and the country as a whole?
Although it is difficult to establish exactly where golf originates from – ancient versions of games involving hitting round things with sticks are traceable in many countries – Scotland has long been considered the ‘home of golf’.
Indeed, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, founded in St Andrews in 1754, was responsible for laying down the laws of the modern game and is still the sport’s governing body.
That the nation has long been obsessed by the sport was reflected by the fact that it was banned by James II, who felt his subjects would be better off practising something useful, like archery, which could be used to secure the country against English invasion. This passion for the game has continued into more modern times and 2014 will see the biggest golfing competition of them all, the Ryder Cup, return to Scotland for the first time in 40 years.
Moreover, as well as those well known professionals who have been amongst Scotland’s contemporary sporting heroes, such as Colin Montgomery and Sam Torrance, the amateur game continues to flourish – this year a Scot, David Ramsay, triumphed at the US Amateur Open.
However, it is by no means only natives who learn their trade strolling down the nation’s fairways. Partially as a result of the country’s historical connexions with the game and partially because of the stunning locations of many of its courses, droves of tourists are drawn to Scotland by the allure of the sport. Indeed, with over £300 million spent annually on golf-related activities by visitors, it is thought to be far and away Scotland’s largest single source of tourist revenue. To help keep pace with the tourist influx, over 100 golf courses have been built in the last 10 years.
While many people might benefit from the current golf boom, there are also drawbacks that emerge when the effects of the developments are inspected more closely. In particular, these drawbacks are related to conservation concerns and to the interests of tourists being represented at the expense of locals.
