Businesses in St Andrews are prepared for a tourism boost from the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, which gets under way on Thursday.
Businesses, restaurants and hotels across St Andrews are expected to benefit hugely from the tournament, which takes place over the Old Course, Kingsbarns and Carnoustie.
Europe’s Ryder Cup captain Colin Montgomerie and nine members of his successful team will take part in the individual professional competition.
Celebrities including Hugh Grant, Samuel L. Jackson, Kyle MacLachlan, Sir Bobby Charlton and Johann Cruyff are also in a pro-am competition with leading golfers such as John Daly, Retief Goosen and Ernie Els.
St Andrews Merchants’ Association chairman Jude Innes, of J. & G. Innes, said, “It’s about putting St Andrews on the map again.
“You always hope that people will come away from the Dunhill Cup and want to come back.
“If they have a nice time they will want to return to see what else the town has to offer.”
The busy 1 Golf Place is very close to the 18th green on the Old Course.
The inn was packed with golf fans on Wednesday and staff member Dan Collins said they are expecting another bumper week on the back of the Open.
He said, “We were working 14-hour shifts during the Open.
“We’re expecting hundreds of people through the door every day during the Dunhill.””An extravaganza of golf”He added, “We’re right next to the 18th hole and we’re the first place people come to.
“It’s great fun when the golf’s on and it’s always a packed pub.
“Our pub was packed out at the start of the week for the Ryder Cup.
“You could hear a pin drop at the final hole and the atmosphere was electric.”
Also just up from the 18th is the Dunvegan Hotel, which has representatives of golf equipment manufacturer Titleist among its guests.
Sheena Willoughby, who owns the hotel with husband Jack, said, “It’s good for the town and it’s good for the businesses.
“There’s been an extravaganza of golf recently. We had the Open, the Senior Open, the Ryder Cup and now the Dunhill.
“The Dunhill is very much a corporate event and a lot of what goes on is socialising.
“There will be a lot of dinners and cocktail parties going on in the area. We usually see a lot of daytrippers through the doors and a lot of familiar faces who come back year on year.”
She added, “We get a lot of the tour caddies through the door in the evening and although we have had the odd celebrity pop in in the past we’ve still to see one this year but there’s still time.
“It’s always a busy time for the town when there’s a golf event on and this year will be no different.””Significant boost” to economyFife Council environment, enterprise and development chairman Tony Martin said, “The Pro-Am Dunhill Championship is always a high-profile and popular attraction to St Andrews during October.
“It brings a significant boost to the local economy which is especially welcome in these challenging financial times.
“The recent success of the European team at the Ryder Cup can only increase the interest in major tournaments such as the Dunhill and we are delighted with the attention it attracts to the town.”
Carnoustie is also gearing up for the Dunhill.
Thursday’s first-round pro-am pairings at Carnoustie include Manchester United and England legend Sir Bobby Charlton with Benn Barham, former cricketer Allan Lamb with Michael Campbell, Lord of the Dance creator Michael Flatley with Bradley Dredge and multiple Olympic gold-winning rower Sir Steve Redgrave with Richard Green.
Two heroes of Dutch football will also visit the Carnoustie fairways and greens as Johann Cruyff partners Maarten Lafeber and Ruud Gullit teams up with Ignacio Garrida.
Sir Ian Botham will be out to show he is as handy with a golf club as he was with a cricket bat as he partners David Horsey, while Shane Warne will be doing the same as he goes out on the course with Peter O’Malley.
Liverpool FC legend and football pundit Alan Hansen will, no doubt, wonder what the defenders were thinking about as he partners Richie Ramsay.