The economic impact of visitors travelling to St Andrews to play at the Home of Golf is equivalent to the country hosting three Open Championships every year, according to new research.

Visitors and their families who come to play on the seven courses in St Andrews is worth a massive £317 million annually in total economic impact to Scotland. This supports 4,300 full time jobs in the country, underlining that St Andrews Links is one of Scotland’s major tourism assets.

The detailed research – conducted by the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University – calculated the amount visitors spent directly on golf in St Andrews as well on hotels, restaurants, bars, shops and local travel providers.

St Andrews Links, which manages seven courses including the Old, New, Jubilee and Castle courses, welcomes an average of 2,000 playing visitors every week, the report found. Around 72% of those visitors came 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. 

The report also highlighted just how positively visitors viewed their spend. Some 84% said they were “likely or very likely” to return in the future, highlighting the unique nature of a St Andrews trip and the world class levels of service delivery. It was recently announced that the Old Course would host the 155th Open in 2027.

Neil Coulson, chief executive of St Andrews Links Trust, said: “This is the first such study looking solely at the impact of golf in St Andrews on the town and the wider Scottish economy. 

“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. The combination is what makes St Andrews Links stand out.”

St Andrews Links Trust is a charity and all of its revenue is reinvested into the sport, facilities and in community initiatives across the region.

In St Andrews itself, for every £1 that passes through the tills of St Andrews Links from visitors, an additional £3.43 is generated for other businesses in the town.

The Scottish Government’s Business Minister Richard Lochhead said: "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.

"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 were Kingsbarns (29%), followed by Carnoustie (25%), Dumbarnie (15%) and Crail (14%). This finding demonstrates how visits to St Andrews Links courses are a catalyst for further tourism activity in Scotland.

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. That the annual economic impact of St Andrews Links Trust is the equivalent of hosting The Open three times a year in Scotland, is a truly remarkable finding.”

Please find the Economic Impact Summary Report here. 

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About St Andrews Links Trust  

St Andrews Links Trust is responsible for the management and maintenance of the seven Links courses at St Andrews, including the world-famous Old Course, host of The Open a record 30 times.  

St Andrews Links Trust manages a number of additional facilities including three clubhouses, a golf academy and five retail stores. More than 280,000 rounds are played over the seven courses attracting visitors from around the world to follow in the footsteps of the world’s greatest golfers and become a part of golf’s rich history. 

About the Sport Industry Research Centre 

The report was prepared by the Sport Industry Research Centre (SIRC) at Sheffield Hallam University, whose expertise lies in the economics of the sport and leisure industries. Their clients include The R&A, all of the UK national sport agencies, the London Marathon, and the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club (Wimbledon). They have conducted economic impact studies of each edition of The Open since 2010, including the Open Championships held at St Andrews in 2010, 2015 and 2022.