The recent Commonwealth Games provided the opportunity of a working trip to Glasgow, the second time the city has staged the event since 2014. Despite the best intentions, that four-letter word w-o-r-k got in the way of g-o-l-f. It had all looked so promising from the air: so many lush green courses being presented as open invitations.

Scotland is widely considered the Home of Golf. There are, at last count, 587 courses in the country which compares favourably with the 414 affiliated courses in South Africa. The Scottish population is about 5.5-million, whereas South Africa's is 65m. Scotland would fit into South Africa about 15 times, yet there is one golf course for every 9000 people.

Yes, it's as much a sport as a religion over there.

It's accepted that modern golf began in Scotland and legend is that a round became 18 holes because the forefathers carried a bottle of whisky with them and had a tot for each hole, and stopped playing when the bottle ran dry. That alcohol story is untrue, but it does emphasise how much part of Scottish fabric golf and whisky is. And how it fits into their tourist attraction.

It's therefore unsurprising that Scotland has produced the most men's Major champions of any country other than the United States. However, their total of 55 includes only two since 1931, while England (36) and South Africa (22) lead the chasing pack.

Although I didn't play golf on this trip, I did the last time I was in Scotland, and if there's any advice to be given to anyone experiencing a Scottish links course for the first time, it's 'listen to your caddie' and 'mind the gorse'. The latter is to be found dotted around the courses and is nature's trap for errant shot-making. A classic case of 'look, but don't touch'. Which goes against the grain when you clearly see your shiny golf ball nestled in a bush and all you want to do is pick it up and take a drop.

That gorse is brutal, with thorns that will rip your glove as much as it does your flesh. A true 'welcome to Scottish links golf' as you'll get.

The Scottish are proud of their golfing heritage and invest a huge amount into making it part of their tourism pitches. We've all heard of the Old Course at St Andrews, Muirfield, Turnberry, Carnoustie, Kingsbarns and Royal Dornoch, but the country is studded with courses.

Annually, the Alfred Dunhill Links Championships is played at three of these venues and brings together a Who's Who of golfers, celebrities and industry heavyweights.

The point of all this is that South Africa has as much gravitas as a golfing tourism destination as any country in the world. At the 2025 World Golf Awards, South Africa was named Africa's Best Golf Destination. Swiss golfers went further, voting it the Best Golf Destination Worldwide. Since Covid-19, numbers of tourists who book golf and wildlife packages has risen to over 150 000 a year.

The CEO of GolfRSA, Grant Hepburn, has remarked that, 'the opportunity to play on our pristine golf courses attracts numerous foreign visitors, who leverage the buying power of stronger currencies like the dollar, euro and pound to spend lavishly on golf, accommodation, food, transportation, and other services while in the country.'

We have the product, we have the courses. We are the country with the fourth most men's Major champions and with icons like Bobby Locke, Gary Player and Ernie Els household names globally, we have produced great ambassadors.

So, by all means put the Scottish experience down on your 'must dos'. But, at the same time, look closer to home and see what South Africa has to offer. Create a checklist and tick them off as you go along. There is so much diversity in courses and climate that it might even feel like you're a tourist in your own country.