Gullane pro honoured with Special Recognition Award

Gullane head PGA Professional Alisdair Good received a Special Recognition Award for his services to the Scottish golf tourism industry.

The presentation was made at the 2016 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards which saw Kingsbarns Golf Links, near St Andrews, named as the winner of the coveted Scotland’s Best Golf Experience accolade for the third year in a row.

Good earned his accolade for his long-standing achievements including his Wee Wonders junior golf event and the US Kids Golf Championship.

European Tour stars Paul Lawrie, Stephen Gallacher and Nick Dougherty, as well as Eddie Pepperell and Tommy Fleetwood, were amongst those to pay tribute to him.

Meanwhile Kingsbarn Links - co-host of the recent Alfred Dunhill Links Championship – scooped the top honour at the 2016 Scottish Golf Tourism Awards in recognition of the ‘across the board’ excellence it demonstrates and provides to visiting golfers.

The award was one of 15 prizes handed out during a gala dinner at the Fairmont St Andrews Resort, which brought the curtain down on the inaugural Scottish Golf Tourism Week, a brand new and innovative networking event designed to increase overseas tourism into Scotland, the internationally acclaimed ‘Home of Golf’.

All of the awards were chosen by the public, with more than 33,000 votes cast by the time polling closed at the end of August.  

Kingsbarns held off stiff competition from Castle Stuart Golf Links, near Inverness, Trump International Golf Links Scotland in Aberdeenshire, and The Carrick on Loch Lomond to complete a hat-trick of victories, much to the delight of its chief executive Alan Hogg.

“This is totally unexpected,” he said, collecting the award. “We genuinely didn’t think we would win for a third year in a row but we are absolutely delighted to have done so and we’re extremely grateful to everybody who voted for us.

“Shortly after winning for a second time last year, the team and I locked ourselves in a room at Archerfield for two days to really examine what it is that makes people vote for us. We looked at every aspect of what we do, from the moment our customers arrive to the moment they leave, to try and identify areas where we can improve. Giving our visitors the best day possible is at the heart of what we do and so we are thrilled to win this award once again.”

Malcolm Roughead, chief executive of VisitScotland, said: “I’d like to offer congratulations to all the winners at the Scottish Golf Tourism Awards. To be recognised by the golfing public in a country that boasts so many outstanding venues is no small achievement and all the winners should be justifiably proud of their efforts.

“A special mention should also go to Kingsbarns Golf Links for winning Scotland’s Best Experience Award for the third year in a row. There is no doubt they face stiff competition across the country but have managed to get that perfect mix of an authentic Scottish golf experience and excellent customer service.”

Tom Lovering, the director of Scottish Golf Tourism Week, added: “Huge congratulations to Kingsbarns Golf Links, whose continuing popularity is quite clear to see, but it is even more encouraging to see such a wide geographical spread of golf clubs and facilities amongst the winners and nominees. This further demonstrates what everybody who works in the Scottish golf industry has long since known: that no matter where in our country you go, a first-class golf experience is always close at hand.”

The full list of winners on the night is as follows:

The Best Customer Service Kingsbarns Golf Links

The Best Pro Shop Trump Turnberry Resort

The Best Clubhouse The Carrick on Loch Lomond

The Best Catering Gleneagles

The Best Value For Money (Under £50) Strathmore Golf Centre

The Best Value For Money (£50-£100) Dundonald Links

The Best Value For Money (Over £100) Royal Dornoch Golf Club

The Best Golf Course (Under £50) Boat of Garten Golf Course

The Best Golf Course (£50-£100) Blairgowrie, Rosemount Course

The Best Golf Course (Over £100) Carnoustie, Championship Course

The Best Small Hotel (20 Rooms Or Less) Red House Hotel, Coupar Angus

The Best Hotel (21 to 50 Rooms) The Ugadale Hotel, Machrihanish

The Best Large Hotel (50 Rooms Or More) Old Course Hotel, St Andrews

Scotland’s Best Golf Experience Kingsbarns Golf Links