Driving home the message about golf in Scotland
A GALLOWAY golf club has teamed up with Scotland's national tourism agency in its biggest ever international promotion of the sport.
Wigtownshire County Golf Club has signed up for VisitScotland's 'Drive It Home' campaign which is targeting Scots, as well as a UK and international audience.
Building on last year's success the golfing promotion will offer free tee-times for lucky winners who register on the "driveithomescotland" website, tickets to The Open and a chance to play with Ryder Cup legend Sam Torrance.
The promotion taps into Scotland's reputation as the home of golf – there are more golf courses here per head than anywhere else in the world.
This year's push runs until the end of April and offers visitors the opportunity to win free tee times throughout Scotland – more than 250 prizes are up for grabs.
Golf legend and VisitScotland's golf ambassador, Sam Torrance, said: "The Drive It Home promotion is the perfect reason for both international and UK golfers to visit the Home of Golf in 2010.
"Scotland is the undisputed 'Home of Golf' – we have the best courses in the world and facilities that are second to none, and will again be firmly on the golfing map this year with the 150th anniversary of the Open.
"Scotland has more than 550 courses the length and breadth of the country – the difficulty golfers have when visiting is choosing their favourite!"
As well as targeting UK golfers, the 'Drive It Home' website and promotional activity will target potential visitors in VisitScotland's key golf markets worldwide, including Sweden, the United States and Canada.
Last year, more than 4000 international golfers logged onto the website to claim a free four-ball.
Golf is big business for Scottish tourism. The sector is worth more than 220 million to Scotland and supports some 4,400 jobs.
Golfers on average spend twice that of other visitors to Scotland and recent research shows that for every 1 spent on a green fee, a further 5 is spent elsewhere in the Scottish economy.
Sandi Hellowell, VisitScotland regional director said: "We sell Dumfries and Galloway to the world, bringing thousands of visitors and millions of pounds to the local economy.
"Drive It Home encourages local golf courses and local businesses to work together and cross-sell, an ethos which, particularly in the current climate, will help the industry achieve its full potential."
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Weather for Newton Stewart
Tuesday 07 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -0 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: South east
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Sunny spells
Temperature: 0 C to 1 C
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