They’re training aides but what a vast array of gimmicks and gadgets Darren Clarke brought with him to France to help fight the frustration with his putting.

Clarke has travelled to Saint Nom-la-Breteche for a first appearance in nine years in the biennial Vivendi Seve Trophy.

GB & I's Darre Clarke goes to work on his putting. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

However as he worked on his putting in a corner of the practice putting green it was as though the reigning Open Champion had just come back from the latest golf trade show.

Clarke was laden with  a variety of training aides.

Not one! Not two! Not three!

In fact, Clarke proceeded to unveil at least six different putting instructional aides in the two hours he worked on his putting.

Firslty, Clarke began with two metal triangle-shaped aides where he hit the ball through a narrow gap at the end of the aid.

Next he pulled out a metal stick that had a padded like ball at one end, and Clarke proceeded to rest his Northern Ireland born backside on the padded end of the stick with the opposite end anchored on the green.

Darren Clarke puts his backside into his putting. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Clarke then grabbed a 10-foot length of orange coloured string from his bag and with the help of caddy, John Mulrooney he unravelled the string and used two metal spikes to affix the putting aid in the ground between himself and the hole.

YES Putter’s Phil Kenyon arrived and he was soon attaching a computerised device to the end of Clarke’s putter.

The duo was then seen looking at the results on a laptop. 

Satisfied his putting, Clarke then boarded a shuttle bus to the practice range where  had more gimmicks to reveal.

Clarke pulled from his bag an extendable metal rod and began using the rod in a series of stretching exercises.

Darren Clarke's caddy, John Mulrooney checking to see if Clarke's got it on line. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Satisfied he had ‘loosened-up’ enough, Clarke hit a half-bucket of balls at the 50-metre sign.

But just when you thought Clarke had settled into a practice routine there was more.

Again with the help of his caddy, Clarke positioned yet another training aid on the ground behind him to help with his swing plane.

We’ve seen many players simply use the shaft of a club that is planted in the ground behind the player at a 45-degree angle, so much so that if you hit the shaft you’re takeaway needs adjustment.

Clarke seems to have purchased himself the ‘Rolls Royce’ version.

Continental Europe’s Thomas Bjorn walked onto the Saint Nom-la-Breteche range as Clarke was setting up the device.

And the Dane, who recently won back-to-back on the Race to Dubai Tour, couldnt’ resist taking ‘the mickey’ out of his GB & I rival.

“Well, at least we know what your day toys look like,” Bjorn joked. 

Darren Clarke pulls out yet another practice aid. (Photo - www.golfbytourmiss.com)

Clarke and those about him, including GB & I team mates Scotland’s Scott Jamieson and England’s Robert Rock, all burst out laughing.

However Rock was so impressed he asked Clarke if he could hit a few balls using the aide.

As Kenyon explained:  “It’s true Darren has a lot of gadgets but in using them, he’s getting that reassurance and feedback he needs.”