Located in the northwest of Northern Ireland, County Londonderry spreads east from the historical walled city of Derry on the River Foyle towards Lough Neagh on its south eastern boundary. It’s a region of outstanding beauty where the land tumbles from the largely undiscovered Sperrin Mountains down to the cliffs and sandy strands of the coast around Portstewart.

One of six counties in Northern Ireland, County Londonderry is also one of nine counties that are affiliated to the Golfing Union of Ireland through its Ulster Branch. The quartet of Irish provinces take their turn every four years to host the inter-club Cups and Shields week at the end of the season and that particular honour fell to Castlerock Golf Club in 2011.

Around 20,000 male golfers in around 1,500 Irish club teams participate annually in five main competitions – the Irish Senior Cup (inaugurated in 1900), Barton Shield (1920), Irish Junior Cup (1900), Pierce Purcell Shield (1970) and Jimmy Bruen Shield (1978) – and almost 500 golfers in 20 teams won through to the semi- final and final stages over the Mussenden course in 2011.