Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club attracts record attendance

Nearly 67,000 people attended the Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open while the competition, which was played at The Renaissance Club, also produced its lowest score to par.

Bernd Wiesberger was crowned the winner following three play-off holes at the course, near Dirleton.

He carded 22 under – which was matched by Benjamin Hebert and was the lowest score to par since the competition began in 1972.

Early figures suggest 66,864 attended the competition, up by nearly 3,500 from last year’s tournament at Gullane Golf Club.

A spokeswoman for East Lothian Council said that the tournament had proven “a great success”, with analysis to be carried out to look at its economic benefits.

She said: “The Aberdeen Standard Investments Scottish Open was a great success, with record attendance figures of almost 67,000 who enjoyed world-class golf at The Renaissance Club.

“The economic boost to East Lothian of this tournament and the forthcoming Aberdeen Standard Investments Ladies Scottish Open will be independently assessed and we look forward to seeing the results of that assessment later this year.

“It was also a successful event for the many local food and drink suppliers who won contracts to supply the event.”

Neil Christison, VisitScotland regional director, felt the event’s success was another great advert for the county as a golfing destination.

He said: “The Scottish Open at The Renaissance Club was a great success, attracting visitors from across the world and showcasing East Lothian as a top destination for international events to a global audience.

“And there is still more to come for East Lothian this summer, with Ladies Scottish Open and Scottish Senior Open taking place in the region in the coming weeks.

“The staging of these high-profile sporting events has an immense impact on tourism in East Lothian and surrounding areas, attracting golf fans from across Scotland and beyond.

“With its range of 21 courses, high-quality accommodation, food and drink, and visitor attractions, East Lothian really does live up to its name as Scotland’s Golf Coast.

“Golf is a vital part of the visitor economy, with the ripple effect felt in shops, hotels, restaurants and a wide variety of other businesses across the region.

“Golf tourism is worth £286m to the country annually – and around £21.5million to East Lothian alone.”

Cast a great light

Gael Pollitt, chair of Scotland’s Golf Coast, felt that the event had cast the county in a great light.

He said: “There is no doubt that the hosting of the ASI Scottish Open on Scotland’s Golf Coast again showed East Lothian to be a golfing Mecca and the live TV streaming of the championship throughout the world will surely boost interest in all the county has to offer.

“During commentary and written reports there were frequent references made to the wide range of golf courses and the diversity of accommodation options available.

“On our stand in the championship village, it was very encouraging to hear the comments from visitors who had travelled considerable distances of their desire to return and play courses that they had not previously appreciated, as well as visit the many other tourist attractions in East Lothian.

“In three weeks’ time, it is the turn of the ladies to compete on Scotland’s Golf Coast, when again many of the top players in the world will be present.”

North Berwick Coastal ward councillors Jim Goodfellow and Jeremy Findlay also felt the event had gone well.

Mr Goodfellow said: “The Scottish Open has been another success for East Lothian tourism and has brought positive worldwide exposure for the county and economic benefit for local businesses.

“We were lucky with the weather and the use of The Renaissance course minimising local traffic disruption.

“The credit for the smooth running of the event must go to our council officers and the event organisers.”

Mr Findlay added: “It was a great event for East Lothian and showcases Scotland’s Golf Coast, which is now the premier golfing location in Scotland.”

Councillor Jane Henderson, a ward colleague, agreed that the event appeared to have gone smoothly but she questioned what impact it had had on local businesses over the four days.

The councillor noted that a number of businesses were very quiet during the tournament but acknowledged that the success of the competition could leave a positive long-term impact.

She said: “You have to look at both sides and that is definitely my stance.

“In the shorter term, people have bills and rent to pay and are running businesses.

“It is alright for tourism and economic development to say the long-term impact will pay off in East Lothian.”

Businesses painted a mixed picture when it came to the impact of the tournament.

Chris Hansen, owner of The Open Arms in Dirleton, was among those enjoying a fruitful week.

He said: “It was a good week. The place was maybe a little bit quieter during the day when it was centred on the golf course.

“In general, we were quite lucky with the weather.”

Gullane’s Co-op store was also affected by the tournament, with traffic encouraged to avoid the village.

Greg Millar, store manager, said: “We actually did better than what I thought we would but didn’t do as well as the business thought we would, if that makes sense.

“It could have been a lot better if the traffic was diverted through Gullane.”

Meanwhile, Tricia Johnstone, of Fenton Barns Farm Shop and Cafe, felt the event had a detrimental impact on their business.

She said: “It damages business more than increases it.

“A lot of people just stay away.”

But Carol Millar, from The Golfers Rest on North Berwick High Street, said the pub was “busy”, adding: “On Friday and Saturday it was absolutely crazy. I don’t know if it is because we are called The Golfers Rest but it was quite busy.”

Tom Drysdale, chairman of Gullane Area Community Council, which also covers Dirleton, said the impact in terms of flow of people and traffic through the village was “not very significant”.

He said: “I went on Saturday and Sunday and there was a wonderful atmosphere. I think it was a very good thing for the area.

“I think it would be fair to say it did not have a major impact on the village of Dirleton itself but, speaking as a community council for the other areas, it was a big event for us and brought a tremendous number of visitors to the area and I think that has a long-term legacy.”