Today I’m traveling from my home in Yorkshire in the UK to the Beautiful north coast of Ireland and the home of professional golfer Darren Clark OBE.
This was actually the second time I have met Darren as I photographed him in 2007 at Loch Lomond Golf Club during the Scottish Open, he’s a great guy and was very friendly and helpful, a great ambassador for golf and sport.
As with all these types of photo shoot there was very little time to actually do the shoot itself however after many years of experience Darren is a consummate and seasoned professional at poising in front of a camera to have his photograph taken.
The images are for product endorsement and commercial product placement, the shoot went very smoothly, easily capturing all of the images required by the client.
As Darren’s new home was under construction the greens had to be placed on the Tarmac area to the front of his home, a number of the images will be cut out from there background and retouched before use as the greens are designed to be inset into a garden setting surrounded by grass.
The trip involved a one night stay in Belfast and growing hungry we looked for somewhere to eat, luckily we came across a bar/restaurant called The Cloth Ear which is part of the Beautiful Merchant Hotel in Belfast, we had a lovely meal and was entertained throughout by a local singer called Eilis phillips who was truly spectacular, she did some interesting cover versions including a Lady Gaga number.
For more information on Darren Clarke OBE signature putting greens please see more information at www.europeangolf.co.uk
© All images copyright of Martin Bignell All rights reserved. Please do not use images without prior consent.
About Darren Clarke OBE
- Country: Northern Ireland
- DoB: 14 Aug 1968
- Height: 6ft 2ins (1.88 metres)
- Interests: Fishing, cigars, fine wines, cars and Liverpool FC
- Weblink: www.darrenclarke.com
- Family: Sons, Tyrone and Conor. Fiancee, Alison.
- Tours: European Tour
Background
One of the world’s most well known golfers, Darren Clarke has won many fans with his passionate play and dedicated approach to the game. A stalwart of The European Tour since 1991, the Ulsterman is no stranger to firsts.
In the 1999 Smurfit European Open he became the first player on The European Tour to shoot 60 for a second time, having achieved it first in the 1992 European Monte Carlo Open. In 2002 he became the first player to win the English Open three times and in 2003 became the first player outside Tiger Woods to capture more than one World Golf Championship title. Three weeks after the untimely death of wife Heather, who finally lost her brave battle against cancer in August 2006, Darren was picked as one of the wild cards for The Ryder Cup at K Club and in an emotionally charged week produced one of his most memorable performances, winning all three of his matches.
A dedicated worker for charity, he set up his own Darren Clarke Foundation, which not only helps further the development of junior golf in Ireland, but also now raises money for Breast Cancer Awareness.
Darren has assured his place in history by earning a place in the renowned ‘Who’s Who’ guide for 2008, and in 2005 he even appeared on an Irish postage stamp. A difficult 2007, where Darren juggled looking after his two sons with his golf regime, saw him slip down the rankings, but he began to find his form again in South Africa before the winter break.
2008 was a great year for Darren with wins in the BMW Asian Open in China and the KLM Open in The Netherlands where his sons Tyrone and Conor were there to witness Dad’s victory.
In 2010 he beat a world class field in the JP McManus Invitational Pro-Am at Adare Manor in Ireland where he had a one shot victory over Luke Donald. He secured his spot in the 139th Open Championship at St Andrews by finishing 2nd in the Barclays Scottish Open. Darren finished 30th in the European Tour Race To Dubai assuring his place in the field for the 2011 Open Championship at Royal St Georges. He rounded off 2010 in great style with the announcement of his engagement to Alison Campbell.
2011 began well for Darren with a victory in the Iberdrola Open in Mallorca but he enjoyed his finest hour in July when he claimed his maiden major championship. Darren won the 140th Open Championship at Royal St George’s in Kent by three shots from Phil Mickelson and Dustin Johnson.
Martin Bignell ABIPP is a professional commercial photographer, wedding photographer and lifestyle portrait photographer based in Yorkshire working throughout the UK and abroad. www.mbimage.co.uk
