Fourteen years ago this week, as he calmly strutted up the 18th fairway at Royal St. George’s Golf Club — his first and perhaps only major championship firmly in his back pocket — Darren Clarke admits there was a feeling of joy that swept over him like none he’d ever felt. The affable Northern Irishman, who had overcome heartache on the course and off, enjoyed as comfortable a second nine as one can have in waltzing to a Claret Jug.
Although Phil Mickelson and a wide-eyed Dustin Johnson made charges on the back — Mickelson even pulled to one stroke at No. 10 before posting bogey on four of the next half-dozen holes — by the time Clarke approached the 15th tee, he owned a commanding four-shot edge and coasted home to the title.
On 18, Clarke drove safely down the middle of the fairway, pulled his approach a little left and three-putted his way to glory, revealing that wide smile that has helped make him one of the most likable players in the game.
This exultation came after one of the most trying periods in Clarke’s life. He had lost his first wife, Heather, to cancer in 2006. He struggled through a slump that saw him miss out on the 2008 Ryder Cup.
But Clarke, who had met Heather at a nightclub in Portrush near the site of this year’s Open Championship, trudged on, tinkering and improving until he finally reached the pinnacle.
“Bad times in golf are more frequent than the good times,” Clarke said after the victory. “I’ve always been pretty hard on myself when I fail because I don’t find it very easy to accept that. And there’s times I’ve been completely and utterly fed up with the game. But friends and family and (agent) Chubby (Chandler) say, get out there and practice and keep going, keep going and that’s why I’m sitting here now.”
Darren Clarke spends his days practicing at Abaco Club
These days, Clarke still does plenty of practicing, but he’s considerably easier on himself about the results. And how could he not be? While Royal St. George’s is where he had his biggest triumph and Portrush is the place he still considers home, Clarke spends a majority of his days honing his skills on the back of the practice range at the Abaco Club, a stunning property on the long, skinny island of Great Abaco in the Bahamas.
Clarke came to this pristine piece of paradise when it opened in 2004, working as an ambassador for the club and earning himself a second home in the process. But Abaco clearly is much more than a working relationship for the 14-time European Tour winner. All it takes is a quick stroll around the 500-acre resort to realize Clarke has become as big a part of it as it’s become of him. Bartenders and servers greet him with a hug and a joke. Golf course workers rib him and wave as they pass.
His buddy Matt DiMase is not only the director of operations for golf, grounds, and recreation for the club, which sits about 20 miles south of the tiny village of Marsh Harbour, but he’s also a frequent partner in Clarke’s daily game, which is often comprised of a 3-on-1 contest in which Clarke is rarely on the wrong end of money being exchanged.
DiMase smiles when he talks about Clarke, whom he calls one of the nicest guys he’s ever met. He is also in awe of the 56-year-old’s prowess on the course, as well as his ability to compartmentalize the game when it suits him.
“He’s such a great player. He can do whatever he wants on the course. But one time, he was on pace to break 60, and he’d already won the game for the day,” DiMase said. “He turned to us and said, ‘OK, you guys wanna stop for a drink?’ We were on the 14th green. The three other guys looked at each other, dumbfounded. We’re like, ‘Don’t you want to see if you can shoot 59?’ He just laughed and said, ‘I beat you guys. That’s what I came out here to do.'”
Since Clarke has become the face of the resort, DiMase makes sure the star has everything he needs to keep his skills as sharp as possible. While members and guests have a full practice facility that sits just beyond the alluring Flippers Beach Bar, the staff has built a small practice parcel specifically for Clarke on the backside of the range.
And as he prepares for the Open this week, Clarke has been playing some great golf. He placed third at the Chubb Classic on the PGA Tour Champions earlier this year — an event he said he “pissed away and should have won” — and he’s compiled 11 top-25 finishes in 13 starts on the senior circuit.
Although it would take a huge effort, a healthy dose of beach time and range work seems to have him playing as well as possible heading into Open week.
Clarke’s daily Abaco itinerary is amazing
If Clarke isn’t fishing, or spending quality time with his wife of 13 years Alison, he’s working through new swing thoughts on a perfectly manicured patch of grass, just a few hundred yards away from other players. It’s far enough that he can maintain his focus, but close enough to Flippers to be able get a frozen concoction as soon as he’s done.
In fact, Clarke says his typical Abaco itinerary is simple and consistent:
- A little breakfast with Alison on the deck of his home that overlooks the bay
- Either 18 holes of golf or some fishing
- A little time on the practice range
- And then a short walk to Flippers for a specially made drink, now known as the DC by all those on staff
Clarke has a mug stashed under the round bar and when bartenders see him walking from the range, they know it’s time to start mixing.
After a little quality time watching the sunset with friends, Alison — a former Miss Northern Ireland who currently runs a modeling agency — returns from a lengthy beach walk to gently nudge Clarke away from the bar, and the two walk back to their home atop the hill.
If anyone has life figured out, it seems to be Darren Clarke.
“I’ve been very fortunate over my career that I’ve had a bunch of really good sponsors and really good support for everything I’ve tried to do. But this one is one that I’m just very privileged to help with,” Clarke said. “Just to be the ambassador for a club that I truly love, I mean, it doesn’t get any better, you know? It ticks all the boxes for me.
“And Matt is such a good mate, he does whatever I want. He speeds the greens up if I ask. He does whatever I want, and my big passions are golf, and saltwater fly fishing. And my wife loves the beach.”
Abaco Club sits just 200 miles from Florida’s coast
The Abacos sit around 200 miles east of Palm Beach, with multiple flights in and out of the cozy airport. Once you land, it’s still a decent ride through mostly uninhabited land to reach the club, which instantly feels like a fortress of solitude. Although there are plenty of amenities at the Abaco Club, it’s a quiet, relaxed lifestyle with a handful of focal points around the property.
The golf course is one. Designed by Donald Steel and Tom Mackenzie, the course blends links play with a Florida vibe. It’s welcoming, but not easy, as Clarke likes to point out.
For those who get off to a sluggish start, there’s the perfect respite: A taco truck and a bar where you can gather your composure while in one of the most picturesque settings on the planet. Remote, colorful, tropical and simply breathtaking. It’s easy to see why players don’t mind taking their time to get around this place.
The closing stretch at Abaco is a great one, with the par-4 16th offering a healthy dogleg for those trying to make up strokes, a fun, downhill par-3 17th hole with as much sand as a player can handle, and a closing par-5 that edges up a long hill with the ocean all along the left side.
Pro tip: On the ride from the 17th to the 18th, you’ll spy a deck and some straw huts that offer gorgeous views. Even if you’re running behind, make sure to stop. And while you’re there, go feeling around the deck for a surprise treat that will be refreshing and let you forget the birdie putt you just missed.
After 18, the road that winds back down the hill passes right by Clarke’s home, aptly named Sea Breeze for the cocktail that he was known for imbibing before the BC came to light. At the top of the hill is the Cliff House and the adjacent Tip-Top Senset Deck.
Another highlight of the club is the new Wiffle ball field that was added this spring, named Wake Field in honor of former Boston Red Sox star Tim Wakefield, who was also a member. If Clarke has time, he’ll fit a stop in to take a few swings for the Green Monster. Although he’ll say with a wide smile that he likes to stay strict with his routine.
“This is my home base,” he said. “I know all the members, all the homeowners. I just come down here, play golf, chill, sit at the bar and drink too much before I go to bed. Then I get up and go to the gym the next morning, go play with the boys again and go practice.
“And the next day? Repeat again.”
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