A man with a passion for high-performance sports cars and an admitted need for speed it is hardly a surprise that Darren Clarke has zero tolerance for slow pokes — particularly on the golf course.
No longer living life in the fast lane, Clarke now plays on the Champions Tour, the seniors circuit where the over-50 crowd can stroll into the sunset while earning a six-figure pay cheque as Wes Short Jr. did on Sunday winning the Shaw Charity Classic.
But while Clarke, who owns 15 Ferraris, is easing into a slower lifestyle the 2011 British Open champion insists golfers need to pick up the pace because those guilty of dawdling are slowly killing the sport.
Pace of play is the number one issue facing golf declared the Northern Irishman taking a break from pouring pints at a popular Calgary Irish pub ahead of the Shaw Classic.
Chris DiMarco termed it an epidemic while Vijay Singh threw his hands up in dismay and shrugged; “You can write about it, you can talk about it and nothing is ever going to be done”.
Clarke is widely recognised as one of golf’s easy going characters but when the discussion turns to slow play the Northern Irishman gets cross.
“Just give them (penalty) shots,” Clarke told Reuters. “The guys that are slow give them shots and then all of a sudden they will figure out a routine where they can hit it within the time limit.
“It will stop in one week if they start giving out penalty shots.
“It is the bad side of our sport and we need to address it.
“The guys that are slow we all know who they are give them shots and they will soon speed up.”
While the Shaw Classic is a charity event there was precious little of it for dawdlers like American Ryder Cup player Bryson DeChambeau, who is the enemy of the clock.
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