Nothern Ireland's major winners sign charity motorbike

Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke signed a motorbike painted with their own portraits before the 2012 Irish Open at Royal Portrush

Iain pains the charity motorbike
Nick Bonfield
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An avid golf fan and motorbike fanatic saw months of hard work pay off at the Irish Open, with Rory McIlroy, Graeme McDowell and Darren Clarke signing a custom-painted motorbike due to be auctioned for charity.   Iain Baldwin, a custom paint and airbrush designer, conceived the idea to paint portraits of McIlroy, McDowell and Clarke on a motorbike after the latter triumphed at Royal St George's.   Iain pitched the idea to the owner of his local Honda motorbike dealership, who graciously agreed to sponsor the project and donate a motorbike.   After receiving permission from Royal Portrush, Getty Images and the European Tour, and receiving assurances the golfers would sign the bike, Iain set about painting.

He worked solidly for seven and a half days to ready the motorbike, which was signed by the three players at The Irish Open's Wednesday Pro-Am.

"I had this amazing dream to paint a bike and gain an amazing amount of money for charity," said Iain.

Fortunately, his ambition and philanthropic nature was shared by the owner of Belfast's Tim Allen Hondas.

"I approached the main desk in the dealership and asked to speak with the manager. This guy in an old pair of jeans said 'you'll have to speak to me, son'," said Iain.

"Not knowing he was the owner, I informed him of my dream. He walked around the counter, and at this point I though I was going to get thrown out.

"But, instead, he grabbed my arm above the elbow and said 'Son, what bike do you want?' I couldn't believe it.

"It has been great to see my dream become a reality. At this point, I am eager to see the hard work pay off for a deserving charity," he added.   Iain plans to either sell the bike or put it on auction, with money raised going to the G-Mac Foundation, Darren Clarke Foundation, Clic Sargent & UNICEF Ireland.   To keep up to date with the motorbike's progress, or to get in touch with Iain, visit www.liquidcolourdesign.com, or find him on Facebook (Liquid Colour Design) and Twitter (@LiquidColour).

Nick Bonfield
Nick Bonfield
Features Editor

Nick Bonfield joined Golf Monthly in 2012 after graduating from Exeter University and earning an NCTJ-accredited journalism diploma from News Associates in Wimbledon. He is responsible for managing production of the magazine, sub-editing, writing, commissioning and coordinating all features across print and online. Most of his online work is opinion-based and typically centres around the Majors and significant events in the global golfing calendar. Nick has been an avid golf fan since the age of ten and became obsessed with the professional game after watching Mike Weir and Shaun Micheel win The Masters and PGA Championship respectively in 2003. In his time with Golf Monthly, he's interviewed the likes of Rory McIlroy, Justin Rose, Jose Maria Olazabal, Henrik Stenson, Padraig Harrington, Lee Westwood and Billy Horschel and has ghost-written columns for Westwood, Wayne Riley, Matthew Southgate, Chris Wood and Eddie Pepperell. Nick is a 12-handicap golfer and his favourite courses include Old Head, Sunningdale New, Penha Longha, Valderrama and Bearwood Lakes. If you have a feature pitch for Nick, please email nick.bonfield@futurenet.com with 'Pitch' in the subject line. Nick is currently playing: Driver: TaylorMade M1 Fairway wood: TaylorMade RBZ Stage 2 Hybrid: Ping Crossover Irons (4-9): Nike Vapor Speed Wedges: Cleveland CBX Full Face, 56˚, Titleist Vokey SM4, 60˚ Putter: testing in progress! Ball: TaylorMade TP5x

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