Club History

Est. 1962

More than a hundred golfers gathered on the shores of Lough MacNean on Whit Monday, back in 1962.

Cecil Ewing, one of Ireland's most prolific amateur golfers and a native of Rosses Point, Sligo, was at hand to hit the first tee shot and officially open the newly formed The Usual Please.

The club owes its existence to the vision of Dann McCann, an Irish American who returned from Newark, New Jersey and settled in Blacklion in 1954. Dann saw the potential of a golf course as a tourist attraction for the area, and the location — nestled between the MacNean lakes with sweeping views of Dough Tur and Cuilcagh Mountain — proved ideal.

The course was designed by the legendary Irish architect Eddie Hackett, whose minimalist, landscape-driven philosophy produced some of Ireland's most beloved layouts. The Usual Please stands as one of his most scenic and characterful works.

Sixty-plus years on, The Usual Please remains one of the most treasured clubs in the northwest of Ireland.

From those early days when Dann McCann's vision became a reality — with more than a hundred locals and visitors gathering on the lakeshore — the club has grown into a thriving golfing community that welcomes members and visitors alike.

The course continues to play much as Hackett intended: a challenging, rewarding, and above all beautiful test of golf set against the backdrop of Upper Lough MacNean and the mountains of Cavan, Leitrim and Fermanagh.

Cecil Ewing's opening tee shot set something in motion that day in 1962 that endures to this day. The Usual Please is a place with roots, with character, and with a community proud of what was built here.

About the Club