They are more used to sipping Raki in Turkey than gulping down a can of Belhaven but the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) is doing its bit to bolster exports of the East Lothian thrapple douser after announcing that the final of its highly successful Belhaven Best Scottish Club Handicap Championship will be heading to the Eurasian nation.

As part of a long-standing relationship with the Scottish brewer that stretches back to 1999, the 20 leading club pairings from a series of domestic regional finals in August will be flown out to the Regnum Carya resort in Belek for an all expenses paid showpiece next February. The club championship attracts over 20,000 entries and this will be the first time an SGU event has been held overseas.

Maintaining existing sponsorship, and attracting new backers, remains a constant challenge but the fact the amalgamation of the SGU and the Scottish Ladies' Golfing Association (SLGA) was finally pushed through earlier this year has been a significant boost. "It was a massive relief when it went through," admitted Ross Duncan, the SGU's marketing and sponsorship manager. "Amalgamation has really helped. There would be some companies who wouldn't touch us if we were still separate. Aberdeen Asset Management, for instance, has supported both our men's and women's teams for a while now but maybe they would not have continued had we not had the merger. Corporate politics have changed and the amalgamation has sent out a good message."

In total, the SGU makes around £400,000 in cash from sponsorship each year - 11% of its total income - while there is a sizeable injection of in-kind support. Now that a new body, Scottish Golf Ltd, will be formed following the merger, Duncan is confident the benefits will be felt in the women's game.

"The SLGA have struggled for sponsorship but now that we are one, we can add their events to our portfolio," he added. "The amalgamation has certainly given us some momentum in being a more attractive proposition for brands and generating further investment into the grassroots game. The Belhaven event is for male golfers - that is their target audience - but we are now looking to do a female equivalent or a mixed event. It would be fitting to celebrate our first year as a unified body with a new type of championship."

As well as the Belhaven announcement, the SGU's sponsorship portfolio was bolstered yesterday with the news that private healthcare provider, Spire Edinburgh Hospitals, will back the Scottish Seniors Championship while members of SGU and SLGA affiliated clubs will gain preferential healthcare benefits from the deal. Given some of the eye-watering shots that we crude amateurs can conjure, 50% off a core health assessment may come in handy.