August 6, 2007

Golf's links with tourism

The Turkish Golf Federation (TGF) is scouting the entire country and has already increased the number of licensed players to over 5,000.

While Spain earns 6 billion euros and Portugal gets 2 billion euros, Turkey only receives around 160 million euros from golf tourism, and it is the biggest asset for tourism's biggest countries.

“It is impossible to raise golf tourism if there is no golf culture in the country,” says Ahmet Ağaoğlu, federation president. That is why the federation is making a great effort for a leap.

In 2001, Turkey had a ridiculously small number of licensed golf players: only 78. Now there are 5,000 with almost 60 percent of them coming from poor Anatolian families.

“The all-in packages in hotels are sold for 20 euros,” says Ağaoğlu. “But an ordinary golf tourist spends 200-260 euros. You have to welcome tourists from different profiles and background, and be prepared for that.”

At first, only 60 kids have showed up for selections because of the resistance of many families. However, after successful runs in the European Championships and the Mediterranean Games, golf has made it on the sports agenda.

The TGF is now preparing another project for physically challenged sportsmen. German national golf team coach and captain are to work in that project. Six machines to help a player with spinal paralysis in golfing are already bought. Each machine costs 18, 000 euros.

“Golf is the kind of sport that people from every age and economic group can do,” says Ağaoğlu. “It is wrong to promote it as a bourgeoisie sport.”

Ağaoğlu gives the example of England and Ireland, where the lower classes play golf, too. Now the federation is trying to break that belief in Turkey. “George Bush is playing golf and Ahmet from Ağrı can play as well,” says Ağaoğlu, and adds that they have made it to a certain point.

There are currently 11 golf courses in Turkey, eight of which are in Antalya and three in Istanbul. With new courses under construction in the Antalya region, the total number is expected to reach 21 by the end of 2008.

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