Darren Clarke recently took time off from his busy schedule on the PGA Tour Champions to revive and reinvigorate the Darren Clarke Foundation Champions Weekend.

The Darren Clarke Foundation which was founded in 2001 has traditionally hosted a weekend each year where aspiring young Irish golfers who win designated Irish under age events are invited for a weekend of coaching and mentoring with the 2011 Open Champion and 2022 Seniors Open Champion.

Halted because of Covid and Darren’s move to the Bahamas so he can give his full attention to playing a full schedule on the PGA Champions Tour, the Champions Weekend was revived last month when Darren invited ten young Irish golfers to join him for four days in the idyllic resort of Abaco in the Bahamas.

The five boys, Jack Murphy, John Doyle, Gavin Tiernan, Adam Fahey, and Donnacha Cleary and the five girls Caitlin Shippam, Hannah-Lee Mc Namara, Lucy Grattan, Ellen O Shaughnessy and Emma Fleming  accompanied by Peter English and Sara Rose Shelley from Golf Ireland and Members of the Foundation Team travelled to Miami in the USA on Wednesday 14 February and the following morning took a short flight to Marsh Harbour in Great Abaco. 

“Through my Foundation, half of which goes toward Breast Cancer Research and Development and the other half is developing junior golf in Ireland, and giving the players the opportunity to spend some time with me and maybe ask some question,” Clarke told Golf Channel.

“If they are looking to turn pro, maybe I can help their game a little bit, so I was fortunate this time that the Foundation brought 10 kids — five boys, five girls — to Abaco. We had them there for four days and got to spend a lot of time with them, playing with them and trying to give them a few tips and giving them some advice, which was brilliant.

“They also managed to have a little bit of downtime as well and we were in the ocean, messing about and thoroughly enjoying everything that Abaco Club has to offer. I played six holes with each group, back and forth.

“But it's amazing to see the kids how competitive they are. They all wanted to beat me on every hole both the boys and the girls, but that's brilliant. That's why they're there. They're champions is called the champions Darren Clarke foundation Champions Weekend and that's why they're there and they were all truly world champions.”

After a practice round on Thursday afternoon, the group played competitive rounds on the Friday and Saturday with Darren and then participated in a four hole shoot out on the Sunday morning before returning to Ireland.

Over the four days, the young stars spent considerable time with Darren. They had  breakfast, lunch and dinner with Darren and he joined them for golf and practice sessions.  

In addition, Darren conducted a number of clinics and coaching sessions with particular emphasis on the short game and how best to prepare for tournament golf.

Abaco boasts a wonderful golf course with superb practice facilities and it has hosted a Kornferry Tour event on a number of occasions.  It is generally rated as the best golf course in the Bahamas and with wonderful weather and temperatures in the mid 20’s it was a very welcome break from the February weather in Ireland for the lucky Invitees who were all on a School Mid Term Break

In the evening, the young Golfers were treated to an array of activities and after Bar-B Q Dinners they played Pickle Ball and Hoops and had the wonderful experience of playing Night Golf, where the Pins, Fairways and Greens are surrounded by Green Lights and Bunkers and other hazards by Red Lights

Darren took the Group to his house for photos and some non-alcoholic beverages on one of the evenings pre-dinner and the group also managed to find time after golf each day to relax on the beach and partake in various water sport activities such as swimming, canoeing etc.

On the competitive side, there was an outstanding performance by John Doyle, who shot rounds of 72 and 70 to finish two under par and a number of shots ahead of his nearest challenger in the boys event

On the Girls’ side Emma Fleming played two solid rounds and was the overall winner.

There are a number of great Photos on the Instagram Account dclarkefoundation

The event was a great success and was hugely enjoyed by Darren and all of the participants.

The Foundation team is keen to revisit Abaco in 2025. Details regarding the qualification and invitation process will be posted on the Instagram account in the coming weeks.