GUI opt to stage finals at Carton House

The Golfing Union of Ireland confirmed it is to break with tradition and stage its annual All-Ireland Cups & Shields national finals at one venue, Carton House, for the next four years.

The 2013 AIG-sponsored national finals concluded on Saturday at Royal Tara Golf Club in Meath with a Senior Cup victory for Co. Sligo.

The honour of hosting the Cups & Shields has been rotated around the provinces, but GUI general secretary Pat Finn believes the advantages of staging them at Carton House, where the national governing body is based, from 2014 to 2017, not least a financial saving, outweigh the negatives.