Opinion & Analysis

Q&A: Darren Clarke talks Royal Troon, the Ryder Cup and his ultra-heavy golf clubs

Published

10 years ago

Jul 12, 2016

This week Darren Clarke will play in his 25th Open Championship. We caught up with the 14-time European Tour winner and 2011 Champion Golfer of the year to talk about this year’s venue, Royal Troon. Other topics of conversation include the 2016 Ryder Cup (Clarke is the Captain of the European Team), the Olympics, and his ultra-heavy golf clubs.

Enjoy our Q&A below.

—

WRX: What makes Royal Troon unique among the Open Championship course?

DC: You got the best par-3 in the world at 120 yards long.

WRX: From what we understand, No. 8 (The Postage Stamp) is the shortest hole in the Open rota, and the par-five 6th (Turnberry) is the longest hole.

No. 8 (The Postage Stamp) at Royal Troon.

DC: Probably, probably. There’s a lot of blind shots, again, but there’s always a lot of blind shots at Open venues. But this one is special I think because of the Postage Stamp, since it’s on everyone’s mind whenever they play.

WRX: Is there anything unique you’ll do before you come here to get ready?

DC: I’m very fortunate that I live in Portrush, so I play and practice all my golf at Royal Portrush when I’m at home so that’s links as well. We’re there in a few years’ time for the Open, so I get the benefit of being able to practice and stuff on those. I’ll practice putting from 30 yards short of greens — bump-and-runs more than anything.

WRX: When you look back at your career, there’s a lot of accomplishments. Where does being Ryder Cup captain rank among them?

DC: I would say it’s somewhat of a reward from the tour for my years being right there. The guys that got considered for Ryder Cup captain have all had distinguished careers in support of the European Tour for a long time. Obviously, I’m very proud of the fact that my peers have voted me that honor, so it’s a huge thing. Obviously, going up against Davis is going to be a very special thing.

WRX: You consider Davis a close friend?

DC: Davis is a very good friend. Yeah. Very good friend.

WRX: Have you talked about the matches at all?

DC: Oh, yeah, yeah. We’ve been together at quite a few corporate functions and stuff, so we’ve talked about quite a few things.

WRX: What would you say the greatest strength of the European Team this year is?

DC: Well, I couldn’t possibly tell you that because the team isn’t finalized yet, so I have no idea.

WRX: Any concerns about who might make it, who might not?

DC: Whoever makes that team will be fully deserving of the place on that team because there’s that much competition for them all, for limited spaces.

WRX: How important are the vice captains to the process?

DC: Vice captains are very important because they’re your eyes and ears. They’re the ones who will give you the feedback and let you know what’s going on, because as captain you can’t be everywhere all the time. So you need to rely on and trust your vice captains to give you the information you need.

WRX: Do you think that the Olympics will change any of the nature of the Ryder Cup this year? Will it be different for players due to the added travel, and the change in scheduling of a few tournaments, such as the PGA Championship?

DC: Europeans travel all the time, anyway. We go all over the world, globally, all the time. So this it no difference to us whatsoever.

WRX: A question about equipment. What’s the favorite club in the bag right now?

DC: Driver.

WRX: The M2?

Clarke’s TaylorMade M2 driver has 8.5 degrees of loft.

DC: Mhm.

WRX: Why the M2 over the M1?

DC: I don’t know. I just like the feel of the M2 better than the M1. Just a personal sort of thing. Those shafts that are on my woods, they were new in my bag [at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth], so they’re all brand new. I think that’s the brand new Diamana shaft as far as I’m aware.

WRX: Yes, it is. [Note: Clark was referencing Mitsubishi Rayon’s Diamana D+ Dialed 80TX shaft]

DC: I think it’s really good.

WRX: How do you test a new driver? On the course, on the range, is it both?

DC: It’s both, but I’ve got a really good guy within the European Tour, TaylorMade staff, Adrian. Adrian sets up my clubs and makes up my clubs. He knows my swing that well. He just hands me stuff and I hit it. If I like it, then he works from there. And if I don’t then I can tell him, “That’s no good.” But he doesn’t make too many mistakes with my stuff.

WRX: Is there anything different about your clubs, or do you play fairly standard equipment?

Clarke uses lead tape to get the swing weight of his TaylorMade PSi Tour irons to D8.

DC: They’re all pretty standard; there’s nothing really that different. My grips are old Lamkins that they’re still making for me. Very, very soft compound. Five wraps left hand, four wraps right hand, 58 rounds. But [my clubs] are heavy — they’re all about D8, I think they are. But apart from that, the lies are pretty standard. The lofts are pretty standard; they’re not that strong. So apart from that, not much else.

WRX: Thanks Darren.

See photos of all Clarke’s clubs in our forum.

Opinion & Analysis

5 Things We Learned: Thursday at the PGA Championship

Published

2 weeks ago

May 15, 2026

Ronald Montesano

Aronimink is not a storied club, but when Donald Ross himself proclaimed it to be as good as he can design and build, one had to take notice. Jay Sigel was the pre-eminent male amateur golfer from the mid-1970s to the mid-1990s. He might have called any number of Philadelphia clubs home, but he chose Aronimink. It served him well. Gary Player won a PGA Championship here in 1962, and was followed by the 1993 winner … nobody. Aronimink gave that event away to Inverness, for reasons of which it is certainly not proud. So be it. We had to wait sixty-four years for the PGA to return to Newtown Square, but here we are. Aronimink has been neo-restored by Gil Hanse and team, to return Ross features with an eye toward defense against the dark arts, errrr, high-tech equipment.

Day one saw Rory McIlroy and Bryson DeChambeau dig big holes, to the tune of plus-four and plus-six, respectively. Since the first-round lead will be minus-three at worst, many shots will need to be made up for the power couple to reach contention. By nightfall, seven golfers held the day-one lead at three-under par 67. Shots and sticks caught our attention, and we are proud to present Five Things We Learned on Tech Thursday at the 2026 PGA Championship. Thanks to InsideTourGolfer, Today’s Golfer, and GolfWRX for initial equipment research.

First, meet Min Woo Lee

Min Woo Lee, aka Dr. Chipinski, has once again thrust himself into the conversation of Can he, will he, when will he? Lee has so much talent, wins not nearly as often as we believe that he should, and has no major near-misses (much less titles) on his wiki. The young Aussie is getting older and wiser, but is he able to avoid the scarring that holds the older and wiser back from breaking through? Philadelphia offers another opportunity. Min Woo signed for five birdies and two bogeys on day one, and grabbed a share of the opening-day lead at Aronimink. Winners transcend history and the moment, and Lee will need that sort of ascent to lift the Wannamaker on Sunday.

Second, meet Aldrich Potgeiter

The young South African golfer can rip driver with the best of them. Aronimink tips out at nearly 7400 yards, but beyond the fairway bunkers that ensnare only the mortals, Potgeiter can take his chances with wedge from the rough. On Thursday, he spent plenty of time in the spinach. Like Popeye, he used his muscles to gouge and thrash and dig his way out. Six birdies against three bogeys on the card brought AP in a three deep.

Third, meet Martin Kaymer

Not a major event takes place without a where’s he been throwback moment. We know that Martin Kaymer left the PGA and DP World tours for LIV golf, but the two-time (US Open and PGA) major winner has a lifetime exemption into at least one major event, and he seizes the opportunity each May. Kaymer joined the six-seven brigade with four birdies and a solitary bogey on day one. Kaymer was never a long hitter, and the years are kind to no golfer. The German champion will need to uncork every bottle of guile and strategy in his cabinet to remain in contention. For today, though, he occupies a rung on the ladder of Tour Tech.

Fourth, meet Scottie Scheffler

Let’s see, he’s the defending champion at the PGA, and he found his way back to the top tier with five birdies against two bogeys. To be a favorite and then play up to that stature and expectation is quite difficult. Just ask Rory, Bryson, and some of the other pre-tournament heartthrobs. Scheffler’s game is complete, and to knock him off the OWGR #1 pedestal, one needs to defeat him at the majors. Aronimink is the sort of course that fits Scheffler’s game. Better yet, it unfits the game of many of his challengers. Don’t expect Scheffler to go away anytime soon. Come Sunday, he’ll be around.

Fifth, meet Stephan Jaeger

Clocking in for the unheralded players shift are Ryo Hisatsune and Stephan Jaeger. Hisatsune logged seven birdies on day one, but gave most of them back with four bogeys. Still, he’s tied at the top for a time. Jaeger pitched five birdies against two bogeys, including a run of three consecutive, from holes four through six. Odds are that one of the two will hang around through 36 holes. Odds also suggest that both will be gone by Saturday evening. Still, the PGA Championship has historically been the major most likely to be won by an under-known. Both Hisatsune and Jaeger feature on that list, so good luck, lads!

Club Junkie

Club Junkie’s Titleist GTS driver fitting results!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

On this episode of the Club Junkie Podcast, I head to the Titleist Performance Institute for a full driver fitting with the new Titleist GTS lineup. We dive into the fitting process, talk about what made the biggest difference in performance, and break down how the different GTS heads and shaft combinations compare on the launch monitor. If you are thinking about a new driver setup for this season, there is a lot to take away from this one.

I also get into Brooks Koepka and the gear setup he brought to the PGA Championship, including the putters that caught my eye during the week. There are some interesting equipment trends showing up at the highest level right now and we break down what stands out.

To wrap things up, I talk about reshafting a few wedges, what I learned during the process, and swapping an adaptor onto a new shaft for another build project in the shop. A gear packed episode from start to finish for anyone who loves golf equipment and club building.

Follow Club Junkie everywhere:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/clubjunkiepod/
X: https://x.com/ClubJunkiePod
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@clubjunkiepod
Threads: https://www.threads.com/@clubjunkiepod

Club Junkie

Club Junkie WITB, week 16: New Titleist GTS woods!

Published

2 weeks ago

May 14, 2026

Brian Knudson

Excited for this week’s WITB as we get to add the new Titleist GTS woods to the bag! I was fit at Titleist’s TPI facility in Oceanside California a few weeks ago and my new clubs just showed up. I am also adding a cool set of irons that I built last year some wild custom wedges into a new golf bag. Speaking of the bag I have a new Ghost Anyday Black Ops stand bag that I will be using on my Motocaddy Remote M7 electric cart.

Driver: Titleist GTS3 (11 degrees @ 10.25)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 6s

3-wood: Titleist GT1 3Tour (14.5 degrees)
Shaft: Graphite Design Tour AD CQ-7s

5-wood: Titleist GTS (18 degrees)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

9-wood: Titleist GT1 (24 degress)
Shaft: Fujikura Ventus Red 7s

Irons: Bettinardi CB24 (5-PW)
Shafts: KBS C-Taper Lite 110 stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (50-09 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (56-12 SB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Wedge: TaylorMade MG5 (60-08 LB)
Shaft: Mitsubishi MMT 125 Stiff

Putter: Dan Carraher ZT Proto

Ball: Callaway Chrome Tour

Bag: Ghost Anyday Black Ops Stand Bag