Highlands to be showcased at golf industry trade show in Florida
A delegation from the Highlands will be showcasing what the region has to offer at the world’s biggest golf industry trade event in the United States next week.
Golf tourism generates more than £300 million a year for the Scottish economy and visitors from America are seen as particularly important for the north.
The PGA Show is being held in Orlando, Florida, from January 21-24, attracting many PGA of America golf professionals and tour operators to the Sunshine State.
This year, under the VisitScotland umbrella, representatives from Royal Dornoch Golf Club, the Nairn Golf Club, Cabot Highlands and the Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness will be flying the flag for the region.
Neil Hampton, general manager at Royal Dornoch, first attended the PGA Show in 2012.
“Golf is hugely important to the region’s economy and this trade show offers an unrivalled platform to promote all that we have to offer here in the Highlands,” he said.
Hampton and club captain Gary Bethune are being joined by Paul Mills, general manager at Nairn, Jeremy Matte, director of golf and operations at Cabot Highlands, and Tracey Milton, sales manager with the Kingsmills Hotel Group.
“The Highland Golf Links group works in tandem to promote the region and while the visitor market from the USA has been strong in the years post-pandemic, we can’t afford to take our foot off the gas,” Hampton said.
“All the major golfing countries, including Ireland and Mexico, and links courses in England and Wales will be represented in Orlando and Scotland can’t simply rely on our status as the home of golf to lure golfers across the Atlantic.
“This is a very competitive sector and PGA golf professionals and tour operators can influence where golfing groups make for. Scotland, and the Highlands, must be proactive to make sure we get our fair share of this lucrative market.
“This year, Royal Dornoch will be promoting our eagerly awaited new clubhouse, which is on track for a soft opening later this year, and also the changes being made to the Struie course.
“Cabot Highlands will be highlighting the new Old Petty course, which opens for preview play in the summer. Going forward, it will be a great addition to the Castle Stuart Golf Links.
“We are a close-knit group when it comes to promoting golf in the Highlands and it’s great that Cabot Highlands, which is a major international brand, is joining us on the Highland Golf Links stand this year.
“The area has so much to offer in terms of golf, excellent accommodation and restaurants, history, wildlife and spectacular scenery.
“In addition to courses ranked among the best in the world, there is a wealth of lesser-known ones to make for a memorable golfing trip. That is the message we will be promoting to contacts old and new in Orlando.”
Hampton and Bethune will head for Florida after hosting a dinner for Royal Dornoch members in New York on Saturday.
