It was a day at the Irish Open when Pádraig Harrington took his waterproofs on and off so often he was in danger of re-injuring the troublesome shoulder that forced him to withdraw from a recent tournament in Wentworth.
Before his untimely departure from the tournament, Rory McIlroy was seen scampering for cover under his caddie's umbrella, while George Clooney was supposedly pictured counting his change outside the local post office in Newcastle town.
They will try anything here to get noticed.
Alas, like the photos of Big Foot and the Loch Ness monster, the alleged Clooney was conveniently out of focus.
But Newcastle has gone a little Hollywood this week, and golf in all its forms is seen as a big attraction along the east coast and further north towards Portrush. That will spread more aggressively westwards in 2017 when the tournament is scheduled to take place at the Lough Erne resort in Fermanagh.
While all Irish Open events will attract crowds, golf tourism in Northern Ireland generates £33 million (€46 million) each year for the local economy. It is estimated that the average spend per golfer is £365 compared to the average non-golfing visitor who leaves £188 in the shops and bars.
Local economy
“Research suggests that for every £1 spent on green fees in
Northern Ireland
, a further £4 is spent elsewhere in the local economy,” said Northern Ireland Minister of Enterprise
Jonathan Bell
. “I want to see tourism here grow to become a £1 billion industry by 2020, and I believe golf has a major part to play in achieving this objective.”
It’s not just golf that the authorities are using to entice people to come to visit. Hot on the heels of professional cycling race Giro d’Italia, which started in Belfast last summer, Northern Ireland is also now selling cycling to the world.
The Gran Fondo Giro d’Italia is taking place on Sunday, June 21st, promising to give participants an authentic Giro d’Italia experience with fully closed roads.
It is also being seen as a fitting end to Bike Week, which takes place in Ireland and the UK from June 13th-21st.
When the Irish Open was held at Royal Portrush in 2012, the event generated 28,443 bed nights and, as a result, more than £10 million went into the local economy.
Organisers say golfers are mobile and are not dissuaded from a one-hour commute to and from the venue.
The final figures for this week’s event will not be available until analysis has been competed when the tournament finishes on Sunday. However, we already know they’re healthy and that there will be a determination to build on them.
