Hamilton Hall, St Andrews under new ownership!

One of the most recognisable buildings in St Andrews - Hamilton Hall overlooking the Old Course - is under new ownership again having been bought by the Kohler Co, which already owns the Old Course Hotel, Spa & Golf Resort, a GTS member.

Hamilton Hall was originally opened as the Grand Hotel in 1895 to capitalise on the rapid expansion of St Andrews as a popular tourist destination. Owner Thomas Hamilton is said to have commissioned the construction immediately after his application for membership had been rejected by the Royal & Ancient Golf Club, in a bid to overshadow the latter's clubhouse! During World War II the hotel was requisitioned by the armed forces and then acquired by the University of St Andrews in 1949 as a hall of residence, being used as such until 2006.

More information here...

GTS Gold Standard Awards 2009

The winners of this year’s awards were recently announced at a gala dinner held at the new-look Turnberry Resort. Across 11 categories, exponents of the very best in Scottish golf tourism were recognised from various sectors including travel, hospitality, golf courses and golf services.

Full story here...

Play Turnberry with Golfbreaks.com

GTS member company Golfbreaks.com is giving golfers a last-minute opportunity to stay-and-play at the Turnberry Resort, home of this year’s dramatic Open Championship, for as little as £175pp.

To take advantage of this one-off opportunity golfers must make their booking before Sunday, October 11th. More information here.

Springboard Charity Golf Day

For over 18 years Springboard UK has been helping young, unemployed and disadvantaged people into careers within the hospitality, leisure, travel and tourism sectors.

The Springboard Charity Golf Day will be taking place at GTS resort member Marriot Dalmahoy Hotel & CC on Monday 19th October, with all funds raised from the event going towards the organisation's vital work in Scotland.

More information here...

Carrick on Loch Lomond hosts PGA Cup

Pre-match events are well in-hand at De Vere’s stunning Carrick on Loch Lomond golf course as it prepares to host the 24th PGA Cup matches. The talking stops tomorrow morning when the first match gets underway but for now the two Captains are happy to soak up the atmosphere, keep a watchful eye on the form of their players and enjoy the warm Scottish hospitality at Cameron House, De Vere’s luxury hotel on the banks of Loch Lomond.

Pictured here on the 10th tee with spectacular mountain and Loch views in their Captain’s Club Cars with the impressive Llandudno International trophy, the two captains were rich in praise for both the golf course and the hotel and were gearing up for a fantastic weekend of golf. More information...

Glenmuir's New Men's Classic Collection

Golf Tourism Scotland member Glenmuir has introduced new sweater designs to its Men’s Classic Collection for Autumn/Winter 2009, as the leading apparel brand looks to build on the continued success of its ever-popular knitwear.

Three carefully-selected contemporary colour palettes have also been introduced for the season – ‘Blue Tones’ (four classic shades of blue from the deepest navy to cool ice), ‘Black Jack’ (linen, greys and a deep Garnet red) and ‘Autumn Fire’ (subtle earth colours and a vibrant Fire red) – which feature across its entire range.

For more information see here.

Early Birdie offer from Golfbreaks.com

Golfbreaks.com, Europe’s largest golf travel company and a member of Golf Tourism Scotland, has launched an ‘Early Birdie’ promotion, allowing groups to book a 2010 golf break at 2009 prices and also giving them the opportunity to receive up to £300 discount or claim a free TaylorMade R9 Driver. As well as the benefit of reserving the very best tee-times and hotels, groups who book next year’s golf break before September 30th 2009 will also continue to receive existing discounts, which include free stay-and-play places on certain bookings. Golfbreaks.com are also offering customers who sign up to, or who are already members of its loyalty scheme, Break Points, the option of transferring their cash saving into Break Points, potentially saving up to £450 off future bookings.

Michael Birch, Marketing Manager for Golfbreaks.com, said: “Many of our customers who travel as a group will be thinking and planning next year’s golf break right now. This promotion rewards group bookings of eight or more by allowing them to secure the best 2010 slots before they get snapped up. We’re also giving golfers a choice of reward, whether they want a straight cash discount, earn Golfbreaks.com Break Points to redeem against future bookings or, for bookings of a certain level, take part cash and a free TaylorMade R9 Driver.”

Golfbreaks.com offers over 900 venues to play golf in the UK, Europe and further afield and is one of the golf travel industry’s most innovative companies, offering a Price Promise guarantee on all bookings. It is also ABTA-bonded to protect its customers, is the official travel supplier to the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA) and a member of IAGTO (International Association of Golf Tour Operators), as well as GTS.

Groups or individuals booking through Golfbreaks.com are allocated their own dedicated sales consultant, who will offer the highest levels of customer care throughout the booking process from the original enquiry through to the first drive. Golfbreaks.com had a record year in 2008 sending 120,000 golfers on golf breaks. Continuing on from this strong performance, 2009 looks set to show an even greater success with over 165,000 golfers booked through Golfbreaks.com and Teeofftimes.co.uk, the company’s online tee time booking service.

For more information contact 0800 279 7988 or visit www.golfbreaks.com.