Golf tourism is an important sector within the Angus tourism economy. It delivers £20m annually of economic impact and sustains 868 jobs (Source: VisitScotland/Scottish Enterprise Scotland Golf Visitor Survey 2016). In 2018, Angus was host region of The Open for the 8^th time when it was held at Carnoustie Championship course. The Open is one of golf’s biggest tournaments and in 2018 it attracted 172,000 spectators to Carnoustie, and delivered an economic impact of £21m to Angus. Major events are a catalyst for growth, providing a global platform to promote Angus to a wide audience.

Carnoustie Country Destination Campaign

Carnoustie Country is the regional golf destination campaign which is delivered in partnership with local industry. The Carnoustie Country destination includes 34 courses within less than an hours’ drive of Carnoustie and extends beyond Angus including all of Dundee, the north tip of Fife and east Perthshire.  The aim of the campaign is to grow the volume and value of golf tourism for businesses and is an example of industry and public sector working together to improve product and services and to promote the region as a destination of first choice for golf visitors to Scotland.

Golf Industry Group

In April 2018, the Golf Carnoustie Country industry business plan was launched which laid out an ambitious framework for growth. The collective aim was to grow the value of golf tourism to £30m by 2022 by focusing on 4 strategic themes: data collection, partnership & networking, product development, and marketing.

Carnoustie Country have an active Industry Group. If you are interested in joining this group, please read the terms & conditions of membership and complete a membership application form.

Target Markets

The majority of visitors to Carnoustie Country are domestic with Scandinavia, continental Europe and the US also important. Carnoustie Country is one of 8 regional golf development groups across Scotland who collectively represent over 400 golf tourism businesses and who work together to deliver international marketing activity. The aim of the national golf tourism strategy is to grow the value of golf tourism across Scotland from £220 in 2012 to £325 (raised from £300m following a mid term review in 2016) by 2030. Recent major events such as Ryder Cup 2014, and Opens in Scotland in 2013, 2015, 2016 and 2018 have boosted this target significantly. The Solheim Cup taking place at Gleneagles in September 2019 and The 150^th Open taking place at St Andrews in 2021 are expected to provide further boosts.