Ian Poulter Pro Golfer, Swing Sequence (Video) - by Pete Styles
Ian Poulter Pro Golfer, Swing Sequence (Video) - by Pete Styles

We have this thing here in the UK called Marmites. I don’t know whether the USA equivalent of marmite, but marmite is the spread that you put on your toast in the morning. And we call it -- we say you know Ian Poulter is a marmite player. Because with marmite people either love it or hate it. And Ian Poulter is golf’s marmite player; you either love him or hate him. I think the guy is fantastic, I love the guy, he can’t do enough wrong -- he can’t do enough right for me. The reason why I like Poulter is that 20 years old, he was sitting in a pro shop of full handicap and not really getting to where he wanted to in the game of golf. And he decided that rather than staying in that pro shop, he was going to grind, he was going to work and he was going to play his much golf as he possibly could. And now he is where he is.

He has his own clothing label, his own collection of white Ferraris, a superb house, lovely family and one of the world’s best golfers. If only he could win a major championship, I think that would really make him happy. One of the thing we see with Poulter as well, is that he has a tendency to play amazing golf under match play pressure. He has won a couple of WGC match player events and also phenomenal player in the Ryder Cup. He is becoming Mr. Ryder Cup. Maybe taken over from mantle that Seve had particularly for the European team. So we’ve got a question, well why can’t Poulter take that match play, that one on one Ryder Cup spirit and bring it into the pressure of the major championships? And honestly, I don’t think I know the answer, I don’t know even he knows the answer.

We’ve got a question whether he puts himself from the more pressuring match play, or whether he actually puts himself in the more pressure in Ryder Cups. And I think he also likes the team aspect of Ryder Cup. He is going out there, battling for himself but also battling for the European pride, the team pride playing with the playing partner. Very sociable guy, so maybe he likes the fact that he’s got Rory Mcilroy or Justin Rose or Luke Donald, he’s good mates alongside him on the golf course. So I think one thing I would like to learn from Ian Poulter – not necessarily the swing characteristic, he swings very good but his swing is not necessarily as flamboyant as the guy himself. The one thing I think you could learn from Ian Poulter, is his match play ethos.

He goes out there, he looks at the guy across the first tee, and he beats the man. He doesn’t beat the golf course; he doesn’t go out there and try to shoot the best score. He just goes out there and tries to beat the man, and particularly if you are struggling in the match play format, maybe you feel there is too much pressure when you are one on one against the guy on the golf course, go out there, beat the guy, don’t beat the golf course. You don’t have to play amazing golf, you’ve got to use your course management skills to work out where he is going, and where you are going. And you really see the best of Ian Poulter on the putting grid, 12 foot away from the hole needs to hole the putt to win the match, needs to hole the putt to win the Ryder Cup, and you would bank your house on that guy holding that putt for you.

[playerProfile url="https://golf-info-guide.com/pga-players/ian-poulter/"][/playerProfile] 2013-07-02

We have this thing here in the UK called Marmites. I don’t know whether the USA equivalent of marmite, but marmite is the spread that you put on your toast in the morning. And we call it — we say you know Ian Poulter is a marmite player. Because with marmite people either love it or hate it. And Ian Poulter is golf’s marmite player; you either love him or hate him. I think the guy is fantastic, I love the guy, he can’t do enough wrong — he can’t do enough right for me. The reason why I like Poulter is that 20 years old, he was sitting in a pro shop of full handicap and not really getting to where he wanted to in the game of golf. And he decided that rather than staying in that pro shop, he was going to grind, he was going to work and he was going to play his much golf as he possibly could. And now he is where he is.

He has his own clothing label, his own collection of white Ferraris, a superb house, lovely family and one of the world’s best golfers. If only he could win a major championship, I think that would really make him happy. One of the thing we see with Poulter as well, is that he has a tendency to play amazing golf under match play pressure. He has won a couple of WGC match player events and also phenomenal player in the Ryder Cup. He is becoming Mr. Ryder Cup. Maybe taken over from mantle that Seve had particularly for the European team. So we’ve got a question, well why can’t Poulter take that match play, that one on one Ryder Cup spirit and bring it into the pressure of the major championships? And honestly, I don’t think I know the answer, I don’t know even he knows the answer.

We’ve got a question whether he puts himself from the more pressuring match play, or whether he actually puts himself in the more pressure in Ryder Cups. And I think he also likes the team aspect of Ryder Cup. He is going out there, battling for himself but also battling for the European pride, the team pride playing with the playing partner. Very sociable guy, so maybe he likes the fact that he’s got Rory Mcilroy or Justin Rose or Luke Donald, he’s good mates alongside him on the golf course. So I think one thing I would like to learn from Ian Poulter – not necessarily the swing characteristic, he swings very good but his swing is not necessarily as flamboyant as the guy himself. The one thing I think you could learn from Ian Poulter, is his match play ethos.

He goes out there, he looks at the guy across the first tee, and he beats the man. He doesn’t beat the golf course; he doesn’t go out there and try to shoot the best score. He just goes out there and tries to beat the man, and particularly if you are struggling in the match play format, maybe you feel there is too much pressure when you are one on one against the guy on the golf course, go out there, beat the guy, don’t beat the golf course. You don’t have to play amazing golf, you’ve got to use your course management skills to work out where he is going, and where you are going. And you really see the best of Ian Poulter on the putting grid, 12 foot away from the hole needs to hole the putt to win the match, needs to hole the putt to win the Ryder Cup, and you would bank your house on that guy holding that putt for you.

Player Profile