There is something unique with professional golf compared to the likes of tennis, football or even car racing.

It is the sight of players freely willing to impart their own knowledge to players who, when it all boils down, are their rivals.

It rarely happens in any other sport.

Take Darren Clarke who played a practice round on Tuesday with young Englishman Tommy Fleetwood.  Clarke is aged 45 and is 23 years Fleetwood’s senior.

Tommy Fleetwood eager to learn from more experienced players like Darren Clarke. (Photo – Stuart Adams/www.golffile.ie)

However it didn’t deter the 2011 Open Champion and a player who has won more than Euro 20m alone in prize-money on the European Tour to answer the many questions Fleetwood, and the reigning Johnnie Walker Championship winner, put to the Northern Irishman as they walked the Durban Country Club course.

“Tommy is a very exciting young player, and aside from winning last year at Gleneagles, he played really well in the Seve Trophy,” said Clarke.

“So he’s obviously one of the future stars of the European Tour and it’s great to see that someone as young as him would come an old ‘bleep’ like myself.

“He’s trying to learn and he’s trying to pick my brains and I am only too pleased to help him.

“I’ve been around for a long time and I’ve done a lot and any little bit of help I can give to him that may improve his own game, then I am only too pleased to help out.

“You can see Tommy is keen and he’s like a sponge as he wants information and that’s wonderful to see in the younger generation of players.

“It is the good aspect about golf as it doesn’t what age you might be, everyone helps everyone out here.   There’s been situations recently where I’ve gone and sort help.  I’ve asked Brett Rumford if he could assist me with my wedge play and he was only to pleased to do so.

“That’s just the way this game is and it’s just so great Tommy wants to learn as much as he can.”

Fleetwood played the opening round of the $US 4m event in the company of double Masters winning Jose Maria Olazabal and was then looking to sit down with the Spaniard after his round of 70 compared to the Spaniard’s 73 and ask him also what he thought of his game.

However when Fleetwood was asked what advice he gleaned from Clarke he revealed he had been worried walking the course of being too much of a nuisance.

“Darren gave me some great advice but I thought for a moment I might be doing his head in because I didn’t stop asking him questions,” said Fleetwood.

“I felt I had to be quiet at one point but he was superb, and to be able to walk the course with someone of his stature and what he has achieved in this game is great.  He’s played with many of the greats of the game. He’s played in Ryder Cups.  He’s won a Major Championship.  He’s won two WGCs and he’s won other events around the world and that is the sort of career you want.

“And Darren is a guy you feel comfortable with, as well.

“So he gave me a lot of good tips including making a big deal about wedges and ball flight out of the wedges.  My own wedge play was terrible when I first came out on  tour as was Tiger Woods’ wedge play and he was my role model. So it was wedge play that Darren stressed more than anything.

“Darren’s also played so much in America and pointed out the importance of a good wedge-play game if and when I may go and play in America myself.”