Scotland confirmed its No. 1 status by taking the top prize of ‘Destination of the Year’ in the annual industry awards held by Britain’s best-selling magazine Today’s Golfer beating the Algarve (Portugal) into second place and Ireland into third.

The significant accolade was announced as Scotland launched Homecoming Scotland 2009 - a celebration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns, Scotland's National Poet which is being marked with a programme of over 300 events on the themes of Burns, golf, whisky, ancestry and great Scottish minds.

"I am delighted to learn that Scotland has been awarded Best Golf Destination of the Year award in such a prestigious magazine as Today’s Golfer," said Malcolm Roughead, OBE, Director of Visitor Engagement at VisitScotland. "Scotland is the Home of Golf and it provides golfers with the ultimate golfing experience that cannot be found anywhere else in the world. With the return of The Open Championship to Turnberry this year in July it is extremely important for us to capitalize on the opportunity this presents to promote Scotland as the No. 1 golfing destination."

With over 550 golf courses across the country, Scotland has courses to suit all types of player from championship layouts to links courses, beautiful parklands and memorable hidden gems. Accommodation ranges from cosy family-run B&Bs to luxury 5* hotel resorts and VisitScotland offers a number of accommodation deals and golf packages to ensure all budgets are catered for.

To learn more about Scotland and its special place in history as the Home of Golf, VisitScotland’s golf ambassador Sam Torrance has created a special website www.visitscotland.com/samsscotland detailing his top tips for creating the best golfing break including his favourite holes, great value deals and who he thinks will pick up silverware in 2009.