The Isle of Skye Golf Club was not the setting for this year's Open but the club has won a Claret Jug of its own, in the form of a Community Action Grant from the Local Enterprise Company in order to keep its fairways well above par.

Skye and Lochalsh Enterprise (SALE), part of the Highlands and Islands Enterprise (HIE) network, have proved an able caddy by awarding the club at Sconster a £6,000 grant to help buy a new fairway mower.

The new mower, which replaces an old tractor and gang mowers, will greatly enhance the appearance of the golf course and it is hoped this will attract new members and more visitors to the course.

The club, which was established in 1964 and has over 230 members, has undergone various improvements over the years including the construction of the clubhouse in 1987 and drainage works in 1995. Club officials eventually hope to extend the nine-hole golf course with plans in the pipeline for an additional four or five holes.

As part of its marketing strategy, the Isle of Skye Golf Club has joined Golf Highland, a new company with members drawn from golf clubs, tourism businesses and various public agencies throughout the area. Golfing tourism is becoming increasingly important to the Highland economy, with studies showing that up to 6 per cent of all visitors play golf during their holiday. Golf Highland, which was set up in 1999, aims to help Highland golf clubs and tourism businesses develop and market their services to golfing visitors.

Club captain, Ian Stephen said: "We are only a small club but by continually making improvements to the course and marketing the club through Golf Highland we hope to raise our profile. This should result in increased revenue for the club through new members and, hopefully, more visitors to Skye."

Community Action Grant manager at SALE, Jennifer Robertson said: "Golf tourism is extremely important to the economy of the Highlands and Islands and we aim to encourage golf related businesses, as well as hotel and bed and breakfast operators in Skye and Lochalsh, to tap into this growing market.

"The Isle of Skye Golf Club is a tremendous asset to the island and we hope to see it develop further in the future."