Published on September 7, 2015

Edinburgh, Scotland: As the golfing summer in Scotland drew to a close with last week’s Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Seniors Open at Archerfield, the country was celebrating an unprecedented 12-month period of being in the world’s spotlight, during which time more than 622,000 spectators attended golf events watched by hundreds of millions of fans around the globe.
The Archerfield event, one of the longest running on the European Seniors Tour, was the 11^th international golf event to have taken place in Scotland in just 12 months and the 60^th event supported overall as part of Scotland’s 2014 Ryder Cup tournament legacy programme since 2003.
And to coincide with the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Seniors Open, the wider benefits of The 2014 Ryder Cup are being revealed with the publication of an independent study which shows the event at Gleneagles attracted more than 63,000 visitors from outwith Scotland and supported spend in excess of £106 million for the host country.
Sam Torrance, Vice Captain of the European Team at Gleneagles and a competitor in the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Seniors Open, joined VisitScotland Chairman Mike Cantlay at Archerfield to publish the report compiled by Sheffield Hallam University’s Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC).
Torrance said: “This has been a phenomenal 12 months for golf events in Scotland. From the unforgettable scenes at Gleneagles last September to playing at Archerfield in the Prostate Cancer UK Scottish Seniors Open, it has been an incredible year and shows what a wonderful country Scotland is for golf.
“Being part of a winning European team in my home country was a special feeling and to see the major benefits it has brought to Scotland through spectator and visitor numbers, junior golf programmes and golf tournament legacy shows what a terrific event it was for the country as a whole.”
The 2014 Ryder Cup, held at Gleneagles in Perthshire during September 2014, was part of a landmark year for Scotland during which it also held the XX Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and the second Year of Homecoming Scotland.
It was widely hailed as the best ever staging of a Ryder Cup, delivering a host of benefits in the form of an enhanced portfolio of golf events and the inception of the innovative ClubGolf programme across a number of years leading up to 2014. Now SIRC’s report has revealed the full economic and wider benefits to Scotland from hosting The 2014 Ryder Cup.
The report showed that £106 million was spent in Scotland as a direct result of hosting the event – including the event week and extended stays by Ryder Cup attendees – £22 million of which was in the host region of Perth & Kinross.
Other key findings from the report include:

• 57 per cent of event spectators came from outwith Scotland with 22 per cent travelling from overseas to attend the event.
• Attendees at The Ryder Cup accounted for a total of 133,104 bed nights during the week of the event alone whilst a further 10,793 attendees extended their stay either pre or post event, which accounted for an additional 57,758 bed nights.
• Almost three quarters (73 per cent) of accommodation providers reported greater than normal takings compared with September 2013 with an average 21 percentage point increase.
• Spectators were inspired to return to Scotland with 68 per cent of attendees from outwith the country indicating they would visit Scotland within a year for a leisure break.
• The media value for the event totalled £42 million, including the provision of more than 5,000 hours of television coverage by 50 broadcasters in 200 territories.

Scotland’s Minister for Sport, Health Improvement and Mental Health, Jamie Hepburn MSP, said: “There is no doubt The 2014 Ryder Cup at Gleneagles was a huge success story for Scotland. When the sun rose above the Ochil Hills on the Friday morning just before the first tee shot was struck, the pictures being beamed to more than 600 million homes around the world could not have shown Scotland in any better light.
“And now, with the publication of this independent study from the Sport Industry Research Centre, we can see the full extent of the major benefits The 2014 Ryder Cup delivered for Scotland. From huge numbers of visitors travelling from outwith Scotland and hotels reporting high occupancy levels to the introduction of the ClubGolf and Get into Golf programmes, which provide every child and family in the country the opportunity to play golf, it is clear that The 2014 Ryder Cup has cemented Scotland’s reputation as the Home of Golf and the perfect stage for hosting major events and delivered benefits across Scotland that we will be feeling for many years to come.”
Richard Hills, European Ryder Cup Director, said: “These figures published [in the report] demonstrate the wide spectrum of involvement that Ryder Cup Europe had with Scotland over a period of years in the delivery of The 2014 Ryder Cup. We are delighted they reflect so well on Scotland’s economy and the development of the game as a whole, whilst evolving the nation’s golfing product.
“They also reflect how actively The Ryder Cup became involved with the educational resource in the country. We are proud of this aspect and our continuing relationship and partnership with many events in Scotland.”
Cantlay added: “We take great pride in Scotland’s reputation as the Home of Golf. The 2014 Ryder Cup showed what Scotland can do on the world stage and we were honoured to throw open our doors to so many spectators from countries around the globe. Our Events Directorate at VisitScotland led Scotland’s preparations alongside Richard Hills and his team at Ryder Cup Europe and, in partnership with Gleneagles, delivered a visitor experience that was second to none.
“The fact that more than 10,000 spectators chose to extend their stay to the benefit of tourism businesses across Scotland is testament to that warm welcome and with such a high percentage indicating they will be making a return trip in the near future, we look forward to welcoming them many more times to Scotland, the Home of Golf.”
The study by the Sport Industry Research Centre is the most comprehensive ever undertaken at The Ryder Cup and involved more than 9,000 survey responses from spectators.