Derek Clements

The Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup grab all the headlines but 20 of the finest amateur golfers on the planet are preparing for a team contest playing the game in its purest form - and without any money at stake.

Golf clubs suffer from wear and tear, their performance will naturally degrade with time and use, so when is the right moment to change them? If you want to continue playing your best, it's important to know what you should be looking out for to identify that your equipment could do with a refresh or complete upgrade.

Twelve months ago Rory McIlroy gave the home fans the victory they craved as he held his nerve to win the Irish Open in a dramatic play-off and claim his first victory since completing the career Grand Slam at the Masters.

Rory McIlroy will go in search of his 22nd DP World Tour title as the defending champion at the Amgen Irish Open this week, where he will be hoping to close the gap on Race to Dubai leader Patrick Reed.

The Solheim Cup takes place in the Netherlands for the first time, at Bernardus Golf

The United States ended a seven-year Solheim Cup drought with a tight 15½-12½ victory over Europe in Virginia two years ago. And this is how they did it.

Running and maintaining a golf club is a complicated and multifaceted task, requiring the skills, work and dedication of many different people. But do we take them all for granted? Golfshake's Derek Clements shines the spotlight on those who deserve the thanks of every golfer.

I look around at my fellow golfers, most of whom are high-handicappers, and wonder why so many of them insist upon using blade-style irons. Or players’ irons as they are more commonly known these days.

"I still have a contract with LIV 1.0 that I'm more than willing to fulfil, so like I said, time will tell."

Most of us have been on trips, either with a group of friends or with a proper, organised golf society.