A senior director at one of Scotland’s top golf resorts has said that Americans account for more than half of business at top-end courses and hotels in Scotland during the key summer season.

“They will spend more in the retail shop, they will spend more in the restaurants and they will spend more in the bar,” said Nic Oldham, director of sales and marketing at Trump Turnberry told Herald Scotland. “I would say it’s probably at least 25 percent more.

“To be honest, if we didn’t have the American golfers, we probably wouldn’t be here.”
Oldham said between 40 and 50 percent of guests throughout the year at Trump Turnberry are directly attributable to golf, and they generate about 60 to 70 percent of annual revenues.

“The UK could not support the market,” he added. “The quality of the golf courses, the money we invest in the golf courses across Scotland – we would be devastated if we lost the American market.

“It would recover, but the model would be very different. We charge for a non-resident golfer today £495 [at Trump Turnberry]. For us, the amount of people who are willing to spend that in the UK is just not there.”

Katie Johnson, vice president of independent collections and hotels at Hyatt, which acquired Schloss Roxburghe two years ago, added: “We are seeing a lot of interest in golf, especially after the pandemic we saw a resurgence of interest in the game globally. Obviously Scotland is very well-known for golf and at Hyatt we are constantly grounded in listening and learning, especially on the luxury side of our guest experience.”

Golf tourism – including visitors playing courses and those who come to watch major events – is estimated to be worth nearly £300 million annually to the Scottish economy. According to research commissioned by Visit Scotland, average daily spending jumps from £64.50 for a day trip visitor to £318.12 for an overnight visitor, and goes up again to £338.49 for an overseas tourist.