Northern Ireland golf in pictures: Castlerock Golf Club in County Derry

Castlerock Golf Club was built at the turn of the 20th century as the railway extended its way west and towards the namesake town. Today, it's a fine second-tier Northern Ireland golf course in the shadows of Royal County Down and Royal Portrush. Castlerock is more user-friendly, with fewer blind shots and easier green complexes, but work is underway to redo many of the bunkers, making them steeper and more penal.

The Mussenden course is a par 73 with five par 5s. It also has a fine collection of par 3s, especially No. 4, "Leg O' Mutton," which plays from an elevated tee to a green guarded by a burn on the left and the railway on the right. The ninth plays to a small bowl surrounded by dunes. The greens here are widely known for always being in fantastic shape; at this time of this visit they were faster and truer than at renowned Royal Portrush up the road.

The club, located in County Derry, also has a nine-hole course that plays on some fantastic links terrain.