Golf worth £1bn a year to Scotland, says KPMG

More than 20,000 people are employed in golf across Scotland and the industry is worth more than £1 billion to the country, according to research published today.

Accounting firm KPMG said one in every 125 Scottish jobs depend on golf, creating wages of £300 million, and the sport’s direct contribution to GDP is equivalent to 89 per cent of that generated by fishing and fish farming.

KPMG’s research, conducted in association with Oxford Economics, found the sport generates almost £1.2bn in revenues, including spending on green fees and memberships and ‘induced effects’ such as wages spent by those employed in the industry.

Today’s report, commissioned by the Scottish Golf Union (SGU), Scottish Enterprise and VisitScotland, shows there are almost 600 golf courses in Scotland and a typical 18-hole course spends between £44,000 and £55,000 a year on new machinery and equipment.

SGU chief executive Hamish Grey said: “Scottish golf clubs are continuing to operate in challenging conditions, particularly in terms of finance and climate, and the SGU are providing our affiliated clubs with increased support, guidance and help with future business planning to ensure we have stronger clubs in the future to take advantage of the money spent in the industry.

“Our collective challenge is to work together to build on the evidence base from this report and ensure that future generations of Scots benefit from this great game and the related industry.”