Golf is an economic juggernaut for the South Carolina, accounting for a $3 billion economic impact on the state. A large part of that will be felt in one week; the week between the Master’s and the Heritage golf tournaments. Duane Parrish, director of the S.C. Dept. of Parks, Recreation and Tourism, says that though the Masters is in Augusta, Ga., its location on the South Carolina border means that the Palmetto State gets probably 30 to 40 percent of its $110-$115 million economic impact through gas purchases, restaurant sales and hotel and home rentals from North Augusta to Aiken and on up to, and past, Columbia. According to USC Dept. of Sports and Entertainment Management Director Tom Regan, the Heritage tournament in Hilton Head has a similarly large impact, and that having major events like these that continue through the years puts a city or a region on the national and international map, drawing stable, long-term, predictable income to the state.
Masters, Heritage Tournaments a Major Economic Boost to South Carolina
[CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
