Narrated by acclaimed actor James Nesbitt OBE, the Tourism NI video showcases how Northern Ireland, as the home of world-class courses, major champions and prestigious events, is truly ‘Made for Golf’.
“No-one experiences the giant spirit of Northern Ireland quite as intensely as the golfer”, explains James Nesbitt, who is a big fan and player of the game. “It’s in our history – we’ve had a passion for golf for almost a century and half,” he says.
The video highlights the tournaments Northern Ireland has hosted down through the years, starting with The 80th Open Championship in 1951, which was hosted for the first time outside of England and Scotland at the famous Royal Portrush in County Antrim, still regarded as one of the world’s finest links courses.
Also included are the 2012 Irish Open, the first ever European Tour event to completely sell-out, the Dubai Duty Free Irish Open, and the ISPS Handa World Invitational, which saw international men and women pros compete for equal prize money for the first time in 2019 – the tournament is set to run again this year from 28 July – 1 August at Galgorm Castle and Massereene golf courses.
The Tourism NI video then captures some of the amazing scenes at the 148th Open Championship. Held again at the iconic Royal Portrush in 2019 and attended by almost 240,000 spectators, it has been described at the most successful Open in history.
The video also includes footage of major-winning heroes from Ireland, Rory McIlroy, Darren Clarke, Graeme McDowell and Shane Lowry, as well as leading LGPA Tour professional Stephanie Meadow.