So it's official.

The Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in September was the best-ever attended golf event in Scotland, attracting an unprecedented total of 240,000 spectators to the PGA Centenary Course. Actually, total attendance over the - ahem - course of the year topped 340,000 spectators, with other golf events such as the Scottish Open at Royal Aberdeen, the Ladies Scottish Open at Archerfield and the Dunhill Links Championships (St Andrews, Carnoustie and Kingsbarns) contributing to the impressive statistic.

This meaks 2014 the second-highest year for golf event attendance in Scotland's history, falling just marginally behind 2007.

Inevitably, the focus now shifts to 2015 and whether Scotland can up its own ante.

Nine professional events are already confirmed, including The Open at St Andrews. Hopes are high that the figure will easily exceed 300,000 again.

This is good news, as the golf tourism economy is currently worth £220m annually to the Scottish economy, and supports more than 4400 jobs.

The accommodation, retail and food and drink sectors also benefit: golf tourists spend about 2.5 times more than a regular tourist, and for every £1 spent on green fees by golf visitors, an extra £5 is spent on extras such as accommodation, food and retail.

Which means that when it comes to being the Home of Golf, Scotland is truly in the swing of things.