ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

Decluttering his life helps ian poulter clean up his game

Ian Poulter has a few good reasons to look forward to the Italian Open.

It has been a good year for Poulter, 42, who not so long ago seemed to be headed for the sidelines. The veteran English golfer was about to lose his PGA Tour card last year and along with it his ability to play golf on the U.S. tour. But he managed to play just well enough to maintain his eligibility, helped in part by the extension of a medical exemption because of a painful arthritic toe and a recalculation of Tour points.

Then came the Players Championship in 2017. It came down to one shot, he said. On his approach to the 18th hole, a par 4, in the final round, he shanked his ball into a hospitality tent and landed between two trees. He executed a perfect recovery shot and nearly holed out from 115 yards to close with a bogey. He tied for second at 7 under.

“It was a turning point,” Poulter said in a phone interview. “By pulling that shot off from behind the trees in the pine straw meant the difference between coming in 15th and finishing runner-up.”

ADVERTISEMENT

That shot allowed Poulter to plan a schedule for the rest of his year and 2018 as he made a bid to climb up the rankings once again.

Poulter has since experienced a resurgence. He has had two top 10 finishes on the European Tour and won the Houston Open in April, his first victory since 2012.

The victory in Houston won him a spot at the Masters, and he is now eligible for the remaining majors this year.

“A lot of people are wondering why,” Poulter said about his return to the winner’s circle.

Outside of his clean iron play, Poulter attributes much of his success these days to having a “free mind.”

ADVERTISEMENT

A few weeks before the Players Championship in 2017, Poulter made some major changes. “I reshaped my team,” he said.

Poulter fired his management at IMG, the sports consulting firm, and returned to his former agent, Paul Dunkley, who managed Poulter’s career for his first 21 years. Dunkley is credited for much of Poulter’s resurgence after helping him break down his game to the basics and rebuild it. Poulter also closed his golf clothing line IJP in April last year.

In short, he cleared the clutter.

“I cleaned up everything behind the scenes and simplified my life,” Poulter said. “I made some changes in my staff. I changed management, my accountants, my bookkeeping team. I had a full refresh. For me that was extremely important.”

He said the reboot had improved his game and elevated him to some of the best golf of his career.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Because of that, it freed me up on the golf course,” Poulter said. “It freed my mind up. I got a lot of things sorted out. It took a lot of time to rebuild and restructure, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.”

He continued, “I really enjoy being back with Paul and doing the same thing we did 20 years ago.” In other words, winning.

Poulter also credits his revival to golf coach Pete Cowen. “We came at it from a standpoint that if it’s not broken, don’t fix it,” Poulter said. “We are always tinkering with very, very minor things. We look at the poor shots and ask why. Then we work on stability and balance. We’re always trying to get the club in the little bit better position so we hit fewer poor shots.”

The trick is to not make any big changes, Poulter said.

“That’s something I’ve never wanted to do,” he said. “I’ve seen players through the years struggle with that and suffer dearly. The good shots are good enough. It’s really about managing those mistakes and making sure we have less of them. There’s hasn’t been a lot to do other than pick over minor little swing changes.”

ADVERTISEMENT

Poulter is now turning to the European Tour with an eye on making the Ryder Cup team. His second stop is the Italian Open, which starts Thursday at Gardagolf Country Club in Soiano del Lago, Italy.

With the 2022 Ryder Cup set to be in Rome, Italian golf is eager to get marquee names like Poulter, who set a course record in the Italian Open in 2002 after shooting a 61, which was tied by Angel Cabrera a day later.

“The presence of a champion like Ian Poulter is an honor for the Italian Golf Federation and it shows how much bigger the level of the Italian Open field became, the most important event along the way to the Ryder Cup 2022 in Rome,” said Franco Chimenti, president of the federation, the group that promotes and governs golf in Italy.

“Poulter’s extraordinary career started off with two wins right in our tournament, and I believe that this year also he will play to win,” Chimenti said.

“It’s really important to play the series events in Europe,” Poulter said. Those events include his home turf tournament at the European Tour PGA Championship, the Italian Open, the French Open, the Scottish Open and the British Open.

ADVERTISEMENT

He will also play a handful of tournaments in North America, including the U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York; the Bridgestone Invitational in Akron, Ohio; and the PGA Championship at Bellerive Country Club outside St. Louis.

“It’s a busy schedule,” Poulter said. “It’s tough. It’s juggling a lot of things, and I’m trying to stay fresh on the golf course. Rest is key. I need to get the right rest time and family time to stay refreshed. My downtime is for family activity.”

Poulter looks forward to returning to Italy — the cars, the people, the food. The golf? Who knows. It’s been 14 years since he played there.

“My game has changed, and I’ve done a lot of things in the past 14 years,” Poulter said. “I’m just excited to play and see how the Italian fans take to me playing there again.”

Part of Poulter’s Italian experience will include getting a tour of the Ferrari factory and meeting with engineers and designers to help customize Poulter’s new Ferrari — a 488 Pista, the company’s newest model. “I’m going to spec it from scratch,” Poulter said.

ADVERTISEMENT

Poulter has 14 of the luxury vehicles at his Florida home. While he’s in town for the tournament, the company has provided him a gray GTC4Lusso.

“I do not know which color he will choose,” said a Ferrari spokesman. “But he is a man of refined taste. He once he had a car with the interior mix of leather and a tartan fabric.”

A proper Brit, Italian-style.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.

JOHN CLARKE © 2018 The New York Times

JOIN OUR PULSE COMMUNITY!

Unblock notifications in browser settings.
ADVERTISEMENT

Eyewitness? Submit your stories now via social or:

Email: eyewitness@pulse.ng

Recommended articles

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

Here's everything to know about being a virgin on your wedding night

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

7 do's and don’ts of the Holy month of Ramadan

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

Top 5 sweetest celebrity mother-child relationships that stand out for us

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

International Women's Day: 5 Nigerian female celebrities championing women’s rights

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

Top 5 female directors in Nollywood

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

6 things that will break a Muslim's fast during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 benefits of fasting during Ramadan

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

5 reasons Easter was more fun when we were children

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

Dos and don’ts of supporting Muslims during Ramadan

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT