The Darren Clarke Foundation
24/26 City Quay, 2nd Floor
Dublin 2, Ireland
I launched the Darren Clarke Foundation in 2002 with a view to giving something back to the game which has been so good to me. My initial thoughts were that we could focus on bringing the game of golf to youngsters who might not have exposure to or the opportunity to play golf for a variety of reasons. Due in part to the influence of my good friend Tiger Woods, who incidentally has his own successful Foundation, golf has enjoyed massive TV exposure and huge popularity over the last 10 years or so and it has been exciting to be part of this golf revolution.
I would like to think that any of the kids who come in contact with the Foundation will benefit in some manner and if I can pass on some of my knowledge and experience and demonstrate that golf is a fun or cool game which can be played all of your life than I think the Foundation will have succeeded. As explained in the Aims of the Foundation section, we are working with various agencies including Junior Golf Ireland to develop various programmes to bring the game of golf to more of the kids around the island of Ireland.
I also host the annual Champions Weekend which might be described as a master class for the best junior golfers in Ireland. All of the participants are champions. They have won a provincial or national boys or girls tournament at their appropriate age level and over the past five years or so I have invited them for a weekend of coaching and tuition. I believe the Champions Weekend is very popular among the junior golf fraternity. I always enjoy the weekend immensely and it’s great to see the level of talent that is emerging in Irish junior golf.
During the first couple of years I funded the Foundation myself and that indeed was my intention, however I’m delighted to have received support from my own main corporate sponsor, Barclay’s Capital. They have provided sponsorship to the Foundation which I hope will enable it to go forward and get involved in bigger and better projects which I hope will result in bringing more people to our wonderful game and enhancing in some way the enjoyment that our junior players get from the game of golf and perhaps helping them to springboard to a successful amateur, and maybe even professional, career.
Yours in Golf
-Darren Clarke
Aims of the Foundation
While I have been fortunate to have made my living from golf, it is primarily and fundamentally a game to be played for fun, for enjoyment, for relaxation and for recreation.
I am not sure what percentage of the population play golf, but I know it is quite small in worldwide terms. Ireland has a long association and a rich tradition with golf, and while the Foundation may not be able to influence matters worldwide, I’m hopeful that we may be able to make some differences in Ireland.
With this in mind, the Darren Clarke Foundation was established with two specific aims in mind and although we know many other issues, thoughts and ideas will mushroom and spawn from the two basic concepts, they remain as important to me now as they did when I started the Foundation in 2002.
*To introduce the game of golf and the qualities of honesty, integrity, responsibility, fair play and equality, in addition to the fun of simply playing the game to children of all ages in all parts of Ireland who might not otherwise for a variety of reasons be they geographical or financial be exposed to the game of golf. I want kids of all ages to get a chance to experience this great game and I certainly don’t want to hear in years to come any kids say, ‘I’d love to have tried golf…but I never got the chance.’
*To pass on some of my knowledge and some of the experience that I have gained during my career as a professional golfer and prior to that as an amateur. My ideas here were to target the boys and girls who are already making a name for themselves and are already successful. Can I be of assistance to them and help them get better? Could I help them with preparation for a tournament, their diet, flexibility, fitness, practice regimes and routines, etc. Over the past several years I have developed close personal relationships with a number of young amateur golfers who have attended the Champions Weekends. I have enjoyed their company immensely and many of them remind me of myself at that age; hungry and eager to learn, happy to practice all hours of every day and prepared to put in whatever work is necessary to achieve success. It is very satisfying for me to see the level and depth of talent that exists in Irish junior golf and I see a visible increase in the standards with each year that passes.
In furtherance of objective number one, I’m delighted to mention our relationship with the Newry Golf Schools League and Junior Golf Ireland. Our partnership with Junior Golf Ireland includes several initiatives including an endorsement of the Player Manual by the Foundation, a beginners/infants pee wee type tournament sponsored by the Foundation and a number of scholarships whereby the Foundation will promote and pay for promising juniors to become members of recognised golf clubs. I am hopeful that with the weight and support of the Foundation behind these initiatives, Junior Golf Ireland will go from strength to strength. Please check out the Junior Golf Ireland section of our website and visit Junior Golf Ireland for further information.
In relation to the second objective, it is my belief that the Champions Weekend has proven to be a popular annual event and I hope it will continue for many years to come. Please go to the Champions Weekend section for further details on how to qualify and what’s involved in the Champions Weekend.
Overall my ambitions are to foster goodwill through the game of golf and to show children all over Ireland that golf is a great game, it’s a healthy game which promotes integrity and honesty and can be played by people of all ages.
Thanks to everyone who has helped the Foundation and me in any way to achieve our aims and objectives. We will continue to go forward seeking new challenges and further initiatives for the Foundation.
I hope I see you somewhere along the way and thanks for taking the time to visit my website.
Yours sincerely,
Darren Clarke
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