Economic impacts of sub-mega sport events: A case study of the Ryder Cup

The impacts of major sports events held in the UK are routinely assessed using the eventIMPACTS methodology, which is endorsed by national and regional funding bodies. This chapter provides a demonstration of the economic strand of the eventIMPACTS methodology and its application to a sub-mega sports event. A step-by-step guide to event economic impact measurement is presented using the Ryder Cup as a case study. Scotland hosted the 2014 edition of the biennial golf event between Europe and the USA, which attracted close to 112,000 spectators, including more than 61,500 event-specific visitors from outside Scotland. Based on an extensive programme of primary data collection and associated desk research, Ryder Cup 2014 was estimated to have generated some £41m for the Scottish economy. The findings reveal the substantial financial boost that sub-mega events of this type can deliver for host locations.