Situated in the west of Ireland, County Galway is one of five counties that comprise the province of Connacht. Home to a population of around quarter of a million people, it’s the largest Irish-speaking region in Ireland and the county capital of Galway is one of the fastest growing municipalities in Europe, promoting it behind Dublin and Cork to the position of third largest city in Ireland.

Galway Golf Club hosted the end of season inter-club Cups and Shields week in 2002 when almost 500 male golfers from all over Ireland played semi-final and final matches for five different trophies. The main prize was the Senior Cup (established in 1900) and Galway have been Connacht provincial winners five times since 2000, claiming the national title at Enniscrone in 2006 and Tullamore in 2009.

The course at Galway and its near neighbour at Galway Bay feature regularly in Irish Top 100 rankings but both these top tracks are surpassed in quality by the tough Connemara links layout at Ballyconneely. An Eddie Hackett design from the early 1970s, this remote course extends to 27 holes, laid out in three distinct 9-hole circuits.