How much is St. Andrews worth to the Scottish economy? The dollar figure is shocking
Visitors traveling to St. Andrews to play golf are worth the equivalent of hosting three Open Championships in Scotland every year, according to new research.
The study by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University found that visitors and their families who come to play the Old Course and six others managed by St. Andrews Links Trust generate about $430 million annually for the Scottish economy. This supports 4,300 full-time jobs across the country.
Researchers calculated the amount visitors spent directly on golf in St. Andrews as well as on hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and local travel providers.
St. Andrews Links - whose other courses include the New, Jubilee, Castle, Eden, Balgove and Strathtyrum courses - welcomes an average of 2,000 playing visitors every week. Around 72% of those visitors come from overseas, with the USA (40%) and Canada (6%) being the key markets. A further 28% of visits were from the UK, with the remaining 26% coming from elsewhere.
Across visitors from all locations, 84% said they were 'likely or very likely' to return in the future.
More: Golfweek's Best 2025: The top 50 classic courses in Great Britain and Ireland
'This is the first such study looking solely at the impact of golf in St. Andrews on the town and the wider Scottish economy," said Neil Coulson, chief executive of St. Andrews Links Trust.
'It clearly shows the massive impact on the town and that our visitors are delivering a boost to communities across Scotland each and every year. This impact has probably been undervalued in the past.
'The unique place that St. Andrews holds as the lifeblood and source of the sport means that both golfers and non-golfers want to come here and experience this place for themselves. But this only works if we continue to invest in our facilities and in ensuring we strive for excellence in customer experience.'
St. Andrews Links Trust is a charity with all of its revenue reinvested into the sport, facilities and in community initiatives across the region. For every $1 that passes through the tills of St. Andrews Links from visitors, an additional $4.65 is generated for other businesses in the town.
"Scotland has a proud reputation as the birthplace of the game and St. Andrews is home to many links courses, not least the Old Course, which are the envy of the world," Scottish Business Minister Richard Lochhead said.
"This report hits home the scale of the benefits we all reap from the trust's courses, alongside the broader impact of golf tourism, which boosts the economy by £300 million every year and supports around 5,000 jobs.
"I commend the Trust for all it does to sustain and grow the game and I'm looking forward to the return of The Open to St Andrews in 2027, which, backed by Scottish Government funding, will further increase our standing as a first-class host of major events."
Of the 283,000 rounds played on the seven St. Andrews Links courses in 2023, 152,000 (54%) were played by visitors to St. Andrews. More than half of visitors combined their St. Andrews Links trip with a visit to another iconic layout in Scotland, the most popular being Kingsbarns (29%), Carnoustie (25%), Dumbarnie (15%) and Crail (14%).
Vicki Miller, chief executive of VisitScotland, added: 'This comprehensive study showcases the important role golf plays in Scotland's visitor economy, with St. Andrews standing at the heart of this as a globally recognised asset.
'Scotland continues to be the destination of choice for golfers worldwide, and beyond the course, our renowned hospitality, culture, and heritage offer a truly distinctive and enriching experience for all who visit. We welcome this research, which reinforces Scotland's reputation as a world-leading tourism and events destination.'
Professor Simon Shibli, from Sheffield Hallam University, said: 'Economic impact studies tend to look at the effects of one-off major sport events. For St. Andrews Links Trust we have had the opportunity to investigate the economic impact of a permanent year-round golf business.
"Using gold standard methods to interview over 2,400 golfers, our research reveals a significant asset to the Scottish economy, which has arguably not been fully appreciated. St. Andrews Links Trust is not only a thriving business in its own right, it is also a catalyst for considerable tourism and employment benefits.'
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