Welsh heritage minister Alun Ffred Jones has revealed that golf tourism contributed £42m to the country's economy last year, boosted by October's Ryder Cup.

An independent study found that more than 200,000 golf visitors travelled to Wales - 9 per cent more than in 2009. Overnight golf visitor numbers were up by 12 per cent. Jones said: "The end of the Ryder Cup is just the beginning of another chapter for golf in Wales, the next chapter will be concerned with how we build on that legacy."

Meanwhile, new research by EventScotland has found that the Open Championship - held at St Andrews in 2010 - generated a combined £100m for the national economy. The figure exceeded a forecast of £80m by researchers from the Sport Industry Research Centre at Sheffield Hallam University, which was announced last July.

R&A chief executive Peter Dawson said: "We are delighted that the only major Championship staged outside the United States delivers such a powerful legacy to the country recognised as the Home of Golf."