Finally..... we’ve moved into our new home in Ireland and everyone has worked extremely hard to make sure that we could  move in last Saturday. Some of the guys are still here every day doing bits and pieces with the place but it’s great to be back in Northern Ireland.

I’ve even been doing a spot of cooking and entertaining and Jamie Oliver – my right hand man in the kitchen – has a lot to answer for! My friends are well impressed with my skills.

It’s fantastic to be back here looking at the ocean and me and the boys couldn’t be any happier. The only issue at the moment is that the dogs haven’t been able to join us yet... MORE »

Let’s start at the Alstom Open de France in Paris where I didn’t actually play that bad but didn’t putt that great. I came off on the course on Thursday and spent a couple of hours on the putting green with Brendan and changed my set up and posture and started rolling the ball really well, did better in the second round but unfortunately missed the cut by one.

I then came back to London for a day and then went over to Adare Manor for the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am. I played and putted nicely and managed to win which was very pleasing as the field was strong. The event was brilliant and JP looks after us all so well... MORE »

Hi Everyone, sorry I’ve not checked in for a while but I’ve been having a very busy time of late.

Firstly, big congratulations to Coleraine Academical Institution who won the final of the Darren Clarke Schools Golf League in Ireland last week. It was a really closely fought match against Holy Cross Strabane, and was three and a half matches each but Coleraine came through on the amount of holes won. These young kids are just fantastic and raise an enormous amount of money for charity and this year it’s going to Breakthrough Breast Cancer.

I went home to Ireland for a week to check up on how the new house was getting along and then after that it was down to... MORE »

Our family holiday in Abaco was just fantastic, we really enjoyed the fishing, the weather and the break but due to the Volcanic panic we had to extend our holiday by three days – which I have to say was an absolute pleasure. There’s nowhere better to be marooned! There was myself and Alison, Tyrone and Conor along with my sister Andrea, her husband, Davie and their two boys and we all just had a ball.

On my return from holiday I played the new modified Wentworth course with Ewan Murray and Robert Lee. I think the course is absolutely fantastic and at least three shots tougher than it was before the alterations were made. The changes are dramatic and have... MORE »

Since my last blog I played in the Maybank Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur where the conditions were the hottest I’ve ever played in.... on the Thursday afternoon the heat index was 117 degrees and the sweat was literally dripping off the front of my visor. That aside I played pretty poorly and just had a difficult week.

The week after Kuala Lumpur the boys were on half term so we trooped off home to Ireland which was great. I met up with the architect who is designing my new house, Graham Montgomery, back at home. The previous house has now been levelled and it’ll take around 15 months to build the new one. The plans have all been approved which... MORE »

My last event, the Avantha Masters in India, was almost a good week. Unfortunately I made a few too many mistakes, most notably on the Saturday afternoon. On the Sunday I bogeyed 14, 15 and 17 and then managed to make eagle at the last which made up for it a bit. The way I played from tee to green I was really hoping for a better result but I have to say that I was very pleased to see my good friend Richard (aka the albino) Finch, doing very well and giving himself a chance. The man who frequently gets dressed in the dark has had a bit of a tough time since his two wins a couple of... MORE »

Mum, Dad and my girlfriend were out in Dubai with me which was great and as I mentioned in my previous blog – the fishing was fantastic! I’m still revelling at the thought of that 9kg Queenfish I caught and it was great for Dad that he also got in on the action and caught one too – not as big as mine though.

I enjoyed the tournament week in Dubai but got extremely frustrated with my putter. On the 12th green on Saturday I missed yet another eight footer and I somehow managed to bend the shaft – the consequence of this was that I had to complete the rest of my round putting with my Lob Wedge – and... MORE »

Dubai is one of my favourite places – wonderful golf courses and restaurants, excellent shopping and plenty of everything you could want for a break from life on the golfing road.

It’s where I headed after a very average finish in Abu Dhabi, but before I could totally chill out it was a pleasure to be part of a pro-am at Dubai Creek hosted by the chairman of ISM, Abdullah Al Naboodah. Abdullah loves his golf and we had an excellent day made all the more pleasurable by me shooting 63 to tie the pro-am with a certain Lee Westwood.

Even in my weeks off, golf is never far from the agenda and last Wednesday I headed back to Abu Dhabi for... MORE »

First of all a very Happy New Year to you all and hope you had a great Christmas. We had a family Christmas at home in London and had a fantastic time.

The weather was very poor over the Christmas period and I played just one round of golf at home between ending the season in Hong Kong and starting up again in South Africa. This was definitely a first for me as I usually play quite often but didn’t manage to get in any social golf at all.

A lot of practice was done in my indoor games room on my 15ft putting mat and Phil Kenyon was down a few times with me – I started working with him in... MORE »

The last time I hit balls was in Hong Kong and for more reason than that the weather here has been horrific since I returned.

Missing out by just one spot in the Race To Dubai was hard to take, but I sat down with my manager Chubby Chandler and I listened to his advice.

‘Take six weeks off, don’t touch a club, get back in the gym and be ready to hit the road running when you return in the New Year,’ was his opinion.  I accepted it.

 Since then I’ve missed just one day in the gym, been working extremely hard and with Phil Kenyon’s help I’ve been sharpening my putting.    Hopefully everything will fall into place because I’m playing five... MORE »

What a great place Singapore is.  Just a pity my golf didn’t quite match the standard of my setting, but it was a great week.

Who knows if things would have been different had I not caught the wrong side of the draw, but it was difficult keeping momentum when we were on and off the course so often because of the early November fireworks in the sky.

My scores didn’t quite match up to all the effort I put in and perhaps my week was summed up by the four iron from rough and  a downhill lie on the 72nd hole which somehow managed to leak right into water.   At least the shot gave my manager Chubby Chandler something to laugh... MORE »

All of you who enjoy irony will love this story, but first it’s essential to explain, to all who might not know, just what happens on the European Tour regards tee-off times.

The field is divided into two groups – morning and afternoon, or, as we call it, early starters and late starters.   Traditionally and for several reasons, players prefer a late-early combination.   So you can imagine exactly my feelings after having early-late times in 20 of the 21 European tournaments I have played this year.

Half joking and half serious, I said to one of the Tour schedulers that it might be nice somewhere along the line if I could be given a lie in on the occasional Thursday morning instead... MORE »

I always enjoy coming back to a course where I’ve played well before. I had a great week in Holland last year to win the tournament. It couldn’t have gone much better really particularly since Tyrone and Conor were there to witness it. Hopefully I can do the same this year?

In fact the boys enjoyed it so much last year, I thought I’d bring them again. They’ve been on the beach enjoying the sunshine and the forecast is good.  It’s a beautiful place when the weather is like this so hopefully they’ll have another good week. 

Last week at the US PGA Championship was disappointing, but it summed up my year a little bit. I’ve threatened to play well,... MORE »

I was long gone from Turnberry and driving home when Tom Watson nearly won the Open Championship at the age of 59.   What a story that would have been, but Stewart Cink spoiled that particular fairy tale and every congratulation to him.

I listened to it all on the radio and was torn between Lee Westwood and the five-time champion:  Lee because he is a good friend and Tom because of what he would have achieved.  It was not to be and I felt for both of them.

The following day I was in Epsom at the RAC Club for a company day with Tesco, who made a very generous contribution of £100,000 to the breast cancer side of my Foundation. 

... MORE »

There have been quite a few changes in my sporting life since the US Open and none more significant than that concerning my equipment.

Together with TaylorMade's Mark James, I've been changing the shafts on my irons while I've gone from extra stiff to stiff with my woods.  There has been an immediate change for the better and of course Chubby Chandler, my manager, has been taking all the credit.   If it keeps him happy then I'll go along with it.

The new equipment worked particularly well in Paris where the French Open was held on one of the best courses we play all year.   I played nicely all week, well at least for 71 holes, and then took an eight on... MORE »

I'm off to America tomorrow for two very good reasons.  First it will give me time enough to recover from jet lag ahead of next week's US Open and second it gives me the opportunity to play Pine Valley again.

I'm the guest of my good friend Dougie Heather, who runs the Darren Clarke Foundation, and I know we'll have a great time on what is normally top of everybody's best-course-in-the-world list.  It really is fantastic and although I've played there a few times, not for the last three years so I'm particularly looking forward to it. 

Hopefully it will put me in the right frame of mind to compete at Bethpage given that I've been having too many weekends off for... MORE »

There is a common denominator linking everything to do with my golf and related statistics.  It's called the putter... although I've been calling it a few different names recently.

I even resorted to the belly putter last Sunday, but that particular item was last seen circling the Surrey air searching for a helipad.   It will not be taking flight again.

There's not a lot more that I can do because my game in general is fairly sharp.  I've just got to keep at it and hope that eventually the ball starts to find the cup instead of skirting it.  It's very frustrating, but that's golf for you.

The weather across the Irish Sea was desperate, but I played nicely at the 3 Irish... MORE »

It's been a tough road lately and one which has produced more breakdowns than I anticipated, but I'm hoping The 3 Irish Open will see the start of my return to form.

Baltray is a great track and after the disappointments of both Japan and Italy where I only managed two days' work at each venue, it would be very satisfying to give home support something to cheer about on the east coast of Ireland. The wind will be a deciding factor because if it blows as it can then there are going to be a lot of swings tested to the limit as well as a golfer's patience and determination.

One thing which never varies though is the support of the... MORE »

I've been in a few bars in my time, but it's not often I've drunk in Last Chance Saloon.

That's where I find myself in Houston this week knowing that only first place here will be good enough to get me into next week's US Masters.   It's a pretty decent incentive I'd say so hopefully I brought enough game with me.   So it's either Magnolia Lane or Portrush calling me this weekend.

One of the things I've been working on in practice is trying to figure out why I have lost distance and I've come up with the answer that my hands have not been forward enough at address.   An assistant at my course Queenwood has come up with a device which... MORE »

The week in Miami for the CA Championship at Doral was more memorable for what happened off the course than on it.

The golf was pretty much as it has been for a while - I didn't play either that well or that badly, but there was one change.   I had a new caddy on the bag after a disagreement with my regular man Philip Morbey meant a parting of the ways.  I was very fortunate in that Mick Doran, formerly with Lee Westwood and Justin Rose among others, was able to step in temporarily although I'm still not sure what's going to happen long term.

The best part of Miami was... MORE »

The Honda Classic was quite a good starting point for me after my break.  I didn't do too much when I was at home apart from five sessions a week in my gym while fitness trainer Rob Watts ensured that I can do up my belt buckle one more notch.

I was very encouraged by a lot of my play in West Palm Beach and although the finish wasn't quite what I had in mind, there was plenty to look forward to. My new R9 Taylormade is a great weapon and allows all kinds of variations.   With the adjustable face and weighting system, it's like having 24 drivers in one.   And you can be sure I'll have tried every one of... MORE »

The weather hasn't been too kind for practice purposes, but I'll be gearing up soon for the final push towards a possible Masters invite.

I know I'll have to pull something pretty special out of the hat if I am to catch the eye of Augusta National, but it won't be for the lack of trying if I'm not on the grid for the first major championship of the year.

Rory McIlroy will definitely be there and I have nothing but praise for my fellow Ulsterman.   What he's done since turning pro has been nothing short of remarkable and I'm sure his win in Dubai was the first of many.

Not that anybody should be putting too much pressure on the 19-year-old so... MORE »

A very encouraging piece of news has just reached me in South Africa... and it's helping me recover from having reached the milestone of 40 years in 2008.

Those responsible for administering the World Golf Hall of Fame in Florida have added me to their ballot of this year's nominees... an honour I was definitely not expecting.

That's not to say I'll be automatically included because a lot of people have to vote, but just to be among the international section's nominees is something I am very proud of.

Nobody is eligible until they have reached the age of 40 so at least this has been one bonus on reaching the phyllosan milestone, but, as I've said in these pages before, I still... MORE »

It's the season of goodwill to all men... and I'd like to single out three for special mention whose support has been invaluable to me during 2008.

They don't often get a mention in this column, but I'm not sure what I would have done without John Newton, Philip Morbey and Andrew Chandler, commonly called Newt The Bewt, Wobbly and Chubby.

Newt has been my stretcher, physio, minder and numerous other things over quite a few years and he has kept me entertained all year long often when things have not been going as well as I wanted them to.  He's kept me on the straight and narrow when it would have been so easy to go off in different directions.

As for... MORE »

I've certainly had an interesting few weeks - in Australia we got evacuated from the course due to floods and the driver taking myself and Robert Allenby back to the clubhouse in a buggy managed to misread the fairway and the next thing we knew we were thrown out and ended up in a bunker! Luckily we both just sustained a few bumps and bruises to the legs and had no serious injuries.

The Belly Putter is now being used as a practice putter to help me with my stroke on the greens and am back using the Scotty Cameron once more. It's been a very... MORE »

It's the belly putter for me after three of the most frustrating weeks of my sporting year. Putting has actually been my Achilles heel for some time so I desperately need to get some feel back on the greens and that's why I've decided to take the belly route. I made the decision after the Barclays in Singapore following disappointing stats there plus in my two previous events at the Volvo Masters in Spain and HSBC in China.

It was a long week in Valderrama because of all the rain delays, but at least I was on the right side of the draw and didn't play too badly. But the rain followed us to China and in hindsight I probably... MORE »

The alfred dunhill links championship is arguably the most fun week of the calendar and this year was no exception even though the weather was not particularly kind to us.

A most enjoyable week was had by all and I spent most of mine in the very agreeable company of the head of the Dunhill company, Johann Rupert, a larger than life South African, who invariably brings a smile to everybody's face.

Last year I missed the cut, but had to play on the final day because Rupes made the amateur cut although he did not put any restriction on my drinks bill for the Saturday night.   This year, he missed the cut, but I didn't so I had to stay more... MORE »

I've always had a few problems at The Belfry and things did not change at the Quinn Insurance British Masters.

The highlight of my visit was actually judging the best dressed competition when breast cancer research and charities were the beneficiaries of Pink Friday.

I was amazed at how many people did buy into the day and pink was definitely the colour for not only the galleries, but also those inside the ropes.  Just about every player either donned something pink or wore a breast cancer awareness badge and thousands of pounds were raised in what was a brilliant initiative by my manager and good friend Chubby Chandler.

I did actually make it to the weekend this time, but only because there was... MORE »

What can I say?  Not a lot really other than that I was obviously disappointed when Nick Faldo rang me up on Sunday afternoon to tell me that I had not made the plane for Valhalla and the Ryder Cup.

People have been trying to get me to slag off the captain, but that's not my style.  I have to respect his decision and will do... and I'll be supporting the team from wherever I am at the time.

I have no qualms about his picks either because both Paul Casey and Ian Poulter are above me in the world rankings so they will definitely strengthen the team.  But I will say that I think I could have benefitted the team also... MORE »

What a special week in Holland... and having Tyrone and Conor come on to the green after my win in the KLM Open made it all the more memorable.

The boys came with Alice, who with husband Eddie does such a great job looking after them, me and the house in Surrey.   It made for a very relaxing time and the benefits were seen all week and particularly in the result.

A special mention too for my caddie, Wobbly.  His support was invaluable.  Our partnership is getting better and better and he is definitely getting to understand me a lot better - not the easiest of tasks, I will admit.   It takes time to find out when to say things and when... MORE »

Something interesting and quite exciting to report at last after a fairly frustrating and uneventful few weeks.

It was disappointing to be away in America when Tyrone celebrated his birthday but he was back in Ireland and apparently had a good time.

But at last something positive seems to be coming out of all the hard work I have been doing with my golf game.  My play at Firestone in the Bridgestone WGC - particularly the 65-67 weekend - event has really encouraged me for the rest of the season and couldn't have come at a better time with the Ryder Cup qualifying process soon to end.

  I played lovely all week and really, really well on Sunday without being... MORE »

I hadn't planned to watch as much of the US Open as I eventually did, but felt duty bound to see what I could of my good friend Lee Westwood in his bid for a first Major.

It was particularly disappointing that it didn't work out as he and everybody supporting from Europe would have liked.  Lee played really well all week, but it just didn't go his way on Sunday. I doubt that he will have been too hard on himself because it was a very good week and put him on the right track with The Open just round the corner.

On the home front, the boys came with me back to Portrush to see family and friends and we... MORE »

Austria was a very interesting experience on all fronts - most notably from the fact that I led the driving accuracy stats, which was probably a first for me.   I was also eighth in greens in regulations so my tied 19th finish was obviously down to my short game not being as sharp as I would have liked. Chipping and putting are always key to low scoring.

Obviously, I'm hugely disappointed in not being part of the US Open this week and that's why I keep practising and practising to ensure that this season's setbacks are not repeated in future years.  That's what drives me on.

But there was one benefit from not being at Torrey Pines.  It meant that I could... MORE »

A tough course and an even tougher week on the greens meant that a tied 16th finish in the Irish Open wasn't exactly following the plan to perfection. No complaints though because things are continuing pretty well and I'll be hoping to further boost the upward trend on my playing graph in the important months ahead.   Hearty congratulations to my ISM colleague Richard Finch, who registered his first professional win on European soil in excellent fashion... including a swim on the 18th.  I've heard of people throwing themselves into water after a win, but never before.  

Now it's the Tour's flagship event this week and I'm delighted not only to be back at Wentworth for the BMW Championship, but also with the... MORE »

Hi everyone and many thanks for the countless number of messages, texts and emails congratulating me on my success last weekend in China.  You can imagine just how I felt when that last birdie putt dropped. I'd like to start this week's diary with a personal message to all my sponsors and fans to say a big thank you for your continued support.

Without the backing of Barclays Capital, Audemars Piguet, Setanta, Oceanico, Taylormade, Stuburt and Dunlop Collection plus all my other supporters including my website followers, my comeback win in Shanghai would not have been possible.

Of all my career victories, my win at the BMW Asian Open was at the very top. It was always going to be difficult for... MORE »

My two weeks off were spent primarily relocating my gym into the main body of the house and working on my game as well as my body. Rob Watts has been supervising my daily workouts aimed at flexibility and posture in those parts of the body most influential in the golf swing.  I was also working away with coach Ewen Murray so all-in-all I feel fit and ready for the busy months ahead.

My tee to green play has been pretty good of late, but my putting has been somewhat askew and that's putting it mildly and politely.  To counter these woes, I've seen an alignment specialist and hopefully his input will allow me to start threatening the hole again.

Back at... MORE »

Avid followers will have noticed a change in my team of late.  I've a new caddie in Phil Morbey, universally known throughout the world of golf as Wobbly. Wobbly gets his nickname because of his gait but if people take the Mickey out of the way he walks they certainly don't in relation to the way he does his job.  He is definitely one of the world's best, having made his name at the US Masters alongside Ian Woosnam.

I'm hoping he does the same for me, but it won't be this year because I haven't been playing well enough to warrant an invitation to the first major championship of this season. It won't be much fun watching all my peers... MORE »