- Elevate Golf 2026 brought suppliers and tour operators to NI and St Andrews from October 25-30.
- A total of 9,430 pre-scheduled appointments took place over two days at Fairmont St Andrews.
- The 2027 edition will begin at Trump Turnberry on the Ayrshire coast.
Elevate Golf, the invitation-only golf tourism conference, has wrapped up its 2026 edition with 230 suppliers and 230 international tour operators taking part across six days in Northern Ireland and St Andrews from October 25-30.
The event has grown quickly. It had 60 suppliers in its first year, and this year’s edition sold out seven months in advance. Suppliers are drawn from premium courses, resorts and accommodation providers. Operators attend by invitation and must have a record of sending high volumes of high-net-worth golfers abroad.
Golf first, business second
Delegates began in Northern Ireland, playing some of the country’s leading courses and sampling its hospitality. They then moved to Scotland for the business programme. At Fairmont St Andrews, 9,430 pre-scheduled appointments were packed into two days, putting venues face to face with the operators who fill their tee sheets.
Elevate Golf director Leanne Thorpe said the supplier and operator numbers, and the more than 9,400 meetings, showed how important the event had become to the international golf tourism trade.
“At the end of the day, what our members remember most are often the people they meet along the way,” said John Baker, managing partner at Haversham Baker. “Elevate Golf gives us a chance to spend time with longtime partners, get to know new ones, and continue building the relationships that make what we do possible.”
Cowan-Dewar and Erskine take centre stage
The week closed with a gala dinner headlined by Ben Cowan-Dewar, co-founder and CEO of Cabot. In a Q&A, he talked through the story behind the Cabot brand and the trends shaping golf travel. The company’s next project, Cabot Wilds in Nova Scotia, is due to open in late 2027.
Wilma Erskine, former secretary of Royal Portrush, received a Special Recognition Award for her contribution to golf in Northern Ireland. Erskine played a central role in raising the country’s international golfing profile and in helping bring The Open back to Portrush in 2019, ending a 68-year absence. She retired shortly after that championship, which drew around 237,000 spectators.
Turnberry next, then East Lothian
Elevate Golf stays in Scotland for 2027, opening at Trump Turnberry. The Ayrshire resort’s courses include the Ailsa, a four-time Open venue, and its portfolio grew this summer with the Trump’s Twelve par-3 layout. East Lothian, with Muirfield, North Berwick and The Renaissance Club among its participating venues, will host the destination programme in 2028.
For more information on Elevate Golf, click HERE.
Related: Trump Turnberry Opens Trump’s Twelve to Expand Ayrshire Golf Offering
Simon Bale
Simon Bale is the publisher of Golf Today. A low single-figure handicap golfer, he was previously a major shareholder and course reviewer for Top100GolfCourses.com for over a decade, starting in 2010. Through this role, he developed extensive knowledge of golf course design and architecture while playing more than 300 courses worldwide.