A Personal History of a Maligned Tour Pro

[Christosterone]

Disclaimer: I am a born and raised texan with a jingoistic fervor for America and it's exceptionalism...

 

I want to take a departure from the tone of this thread and tell y'all a little bit about who Ian Poulter is and how he came to be…

 

Ian Poulter was born in a small town in England and, like many golfers, had a low handicap father…

 

He and his father spent much time together on the course and Ian fell in love with the game like so many of us have..

 

After finishing school, Ian was not nationally known as a golf phenom the likes of Rory or Justin Rose…

In fact his handicap of 4, not +4, found him unable to get a job as a pro at his local club, Chesfield Downs Golf Club...

 

Ian had to assume the position of club shop manager, opening up at 5 AM and tending to the clothing needs of its members...

And, in exchange, the head pro allowed him to assume the moniker "Assistant Pro"...

Though he was not given the allowance to teach the members nor the amenities afforded fellow "pros" under the clubs employ…

 

In fact, Ian was so dismissed his boss would not let him play the course for free....claiming his 4 handicap was not sufficient to receive the benefits awarded actual "pros"....

So Ian was made to pay greens fee for every round he wanted to practice...and was therefore rarely on the course because he couldn't afford it…

 

Ian was, however, allowed free time on the driving range, chipping complex and putting green...

The irony being that short game skills would become his signature and propel him to the upper echelons of golf greatest players in the world..

 

Because his handicap remained at a 4, Ian was unable to enter any pro tournaments in England so he sought a less restrice employment elsewhere which landed him at Leighton Buzzard golf course...

 

At the Buzzard, Ian was finally afforded the amenities given an assistant pro and allowed to play the course for free so long as he gave children under the age of 10, lessons for 1 pound British sterling...

 

It was during this time that a burning fire erupted in his soul as he sought to prove the world wrong(specifically pros who saw him as a joke) that he was a world-class player and could compete with the best in the world…

 

His years of relegation on the chipping and putting greens at Chesfield Downs came in very handy during these years because he no longer needed to hone a short game of unmatched brilliance in the qualifying tours of late 90s Britain...

 

Ian's handicap dropped by eight strokes to +4 in a matter of 6-8 months once allowed to play on the course (which he did every day until the sun set)..

 

Barely 2 years after getting his handicap turn acceptable level, Poulter won the Open de Côte d'Ivoire on the European challenge tour...

-------

Aside: I want y'all to think about this for a second… He was a four handicap 2 1/2 years before winning on the European equivalent to the web.com tour…

This is an exceptional accomplishment

-----

Back to our lesson :)

 

During the same year, 1999, Ian earned the promotion to the European Tour through Q school...

A feat unimaginable to him just a few years earlier when he was opening up the golf shop at 5am to sell shirts just for the chance to get free chipping and putting practice...

 

From this point on I think y'all can Google his results but I wanted to give you context of who Ian Poulter is as a person and what it took for him to get where he is…

 

I think we can all understand the chip he has on the shoulder because nobody ever believed in him and he proved them all wrong becoming a top-five player in the world and becoming an absolute assassin on the Ryder Cup team…

 

And I would bet few people who bought shirts from him in the mid 90s believed him when he said he would one day become one of the best players in the world and by God he did it…

 

Top Ten on the Order of Merit:

2003, 2004, 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2012, 2013***

***he finished 2nd on the Order of Merit

 

-Christosterone

[Soloman1]

A 4 handicap in the UK is not the same as a 4 using the USGA handicap system.

 

Let's get that straight before this thread gets started...

[Christosterone]

A 4 handicap in the UK is not the same as a 4 using the USGA handicap system.

 

Let's get that straight before this thread gets started...

 

I assumed wrxers know this....

But the point remains Ian wasn't shooting 66 and beating Graeme McDowell in an exhibition at the age of 16 like Rory...

[Vindog]

I admire IJP for his self made success on and off the course.

 

I don't admire his tweeting like a teenage girl. But I'm not a twitter fan in general

[LeoLeo99]

My wife nicknamed him "Fancy Pants".

 

He's a guy I love to hate. At least he's not a generic guy out there.

[Christosterone]

My wife nicknamed him "Fancy Pants".

 

He's a guy I love to hate. At least he's not a generic guy out there.

 

 

I didn't put this into the history but an interesting sidenote is Ian developed a love for fashion while working as the club shop manager…

It's kind of an interesting happenstance that clothing was his only avenue into the golf world…remember he had to agree to work in the shop if he wanted free range balls and access to the chipping and putting green…

 

I can't say if that's why clothing became such an important part of who Ian is but I would surmise at least on subconscious level that it plays a factor in why he is so fashion sensitive...

 

So it stands to reason he would develop an affinity for fashion because that was all he could control at a time in his life when he was trying to achieve the impossible…in a sense, clothes saved his golfing life because without that job in the clothing shop his whole trajectory would've been different...

 

And like everything Ian has done in his life, he sought to become the best and most knowledgeable apparel manager just as he would later apply this ambition to his golf game on tour..

 

-Chris

[MadGolfer76]

So...guy works hard...and gets rewarded. Good post, but a familiar story.

[Christosterone]

So...guy works hard...and gets rewarded. Good post, but a familiar story.

 

I agree it's rote....

 

But I am a person who finds interest in who people are beyond the monolithic perceptions of our increasingly divisive culture...

 

For this thread, I could have easily written the same story about Robert rock…

I will always be humored by his press conference after staring downTiger Woods and Rory McIlroy down the stretch in Dubai and winning…

 

In the press room after the win, Robert rock was awed and somewhat drained from what had just happened...

And with tears in his eyes he said "three years ago I worked in a pro shop selling Tiger Woods shirts...I had a poster of him of him on my wall...and I just beat him.."

 

It is these human moments and reminders that golfers are people are just like us that draws interest for me…

 

And don't for a moment forget his spectacular Bobby Kennedy hair...

[Sir Hitalot]

So...guy works hard...and gets rewarded. Good post, but a familiar story.

 

Still good, still admirable. Still a fine example. Full stop. Forget Twitter

 

Kinda like KISS.

[Sir Hitalot]

Oh no!

 

No, no, no, no, no. Another Poulter bashing thread.

 

But, no!

 

Thank you, Christosterone.

 

Yep, he can be a twit and has 1x too many Ferraris, but we all say some dumb a** stuff sometime. Don't we?

[golfandfishing]

I'm reminded of what Coach Taylor said in Wolf of Wall Street. Most douchebags like IJP have fathers who were dbags, and their father's before them were dbags. But IJP got there all by himself.

[HighSpeedScene]

The question is, is he qualified enough to have and share negative opinions of the best players of all time?

 

Have always liked Poulter - he can be a caricature of himself at times, but I like a fair bit of dysfunction in my heroes (please don't take that literally - it's a metaphor). After all, these guys aren't just players, they are a TV show.

[Christosterone]

The question is, is he qualified enough to have and share negative opinions of the best players of all time?

 

Have always liked Poulter - he can be a caricature of himself at times, but I like a fair bit of dysfunction in my heroes (please don't take that literally - it's a metaphor). After all, these guys aren't just players, they are a TV show.

 

As a Florida resident and a soon-to-be(if not already) dual citizen Ian Poulter is protected by our bill of rights, specifically the first amendment...

 

So yes, he is qualified to critique anyone thanks to the sensibilities born of our founders who enacted into law the freedom to say whatever he wants about whomever he wants provided he is not inciting violence, fomenting revolution or the like...

 

-Chris

[bogeypro]

Who cares... too many big words for a golf forum.

[MadGolfer76]

So...guy works hard...and gets rewarded. Good post, but a familiar story.

 

I agree it's rote....

 

But I am a person who finds interest in who people are beyond the monolithic perceptions of our increasingly divisive culture...

 

For this thread, I could have easily written the same story about Robert rock…

I will always be humored by his press conference after staring downTiger Woods and Rory McIlroy down the stretch in Dubai and winning…

 

In the press room after the win, Robert rock was awed and somewhat drained from what had just happened...

And with tears in his eyes he said "three years ago I worked in a pro shop selling Tiger Woods shirts...I had a poster of him of him on my wall...and I just beat him.."

 

It is these human moments and reminders that golfers are people are just like us that draws interest for me…

 

And don't for a moment forget his spectacular Bobby Kennedy hair...

 

I'm too much of an optimist to really get the depth of what you are saying, but I do understand where you are coming from.

[HighSpeedScene]

The question is, is he qualified enough to have and share negative opinions of the best players of all time?

 

Have always liked Poulter - he can be a caricature of himself at times, but I like a fair bit of dysfunction in my heroes (please don't take that literally - it's a metaphor). After all, these guys aren't just players, they are a TV show.

 

As a Florida resident and a soon-to-be(if not already) dual citizen Ian Poulter is protected by our bill of rights, specifically the first amendment...

 

So yes, he is qualified to critique anyone thanks to the sensibilities born of our founders who enacted into law the freedom to say whatever he wants about whomever he wants provided he is not inciting violence, fomenting revolution or the like...

 

-Chris

 

So his playing record is sufficient to say the things that chamblee says, in your opinion?

[Christosterone]

MadGolfer76,

 

I too suffer from an insufferable case of optimism and often live with my head in the clouds as my wife is wont to say...

But it is from this optimism that our humanity endures...inherent to our genes is a want and need to reach over the next horizon with hope and optimism to guide our dreams and aspirations...

And from these most basic evolutionary instincts born of our genes have we, as a species, slipped the bonds of this good earth and indeed walked upon the surface of the moon...

 

Now back to Ian Poulter:

I love his pants and shoes :)

 

-Chris

[Christosterone]

The question is, is he qualified enough to have and share negative opinions of the best players of all time?

 

Have always liked Poulter - he can be a caricature of himself at times, but I like a fair bit of dysfunction in my heroes (please don't take that literally - it's a metaphor). After all, these guys aren't just players, they are a TV show.

 

As a Florida resident and a soon-to-be(if not already) dual citizen Ian Poulter is protected by our bill of rights, specifically the first amendment...

 

So yes, he is qualified to critique anyone thanks to the sensibilities born of our founders who enacted into law the freedom to say whatever he wants about whomever he wants provided he is not inciting violence, fomenting revolution or the like...

 

-Chris

 

So his playing record is sufficient to say the things that chamblee says, in your opinion?

 

My words are always measured…

I think you may need to re-read my posts...

 

I merely grouped Chamblee in the same category of journalists that once accused Arnold Palmer of stealing the masters…

And compared his inflammatory style to that of Skip Bayless....

I further argued him to be disingenuous when he said Tiger was the greatest of all time in the context of accusing him of cheating and therefore not being worthy of the player of the year in 2013...

 

Never did I question his right to say it as a journalist or player…

I may have taken a screenshot of Wikipedia in a humorous comparison of their major records but I am never for silencing anyone's opinion...

[milesgiles]

Nasty bit of work, I'm local to chesfiled downs as it happens and could give you a few stories.. so could tiger.

[TheGeekGolfer]

A 4 handicap in the UK is not the same as a 4 using the USGA handicap system.

 

Let's get that straight before this thread gets started...

Yes, but could he beat an LPGA tour pro at that point in his early career???

[playa]

My wife nicknamed him "Fancy Pants".

 

He's a guy I love to hate. At least he's not a generic guy out there.

 

 

I didn't put this into the history but an interesting sidenote is Ian developed a love for fashion while working as the club shop manager…

It's kind of an interesting happenstance that clothing was his only avenue into the golf world…remember he had to agree to work in the shop if he wanted free range balls and access to the chipping and putting green…

 

I can't say if that's why clothing became such an important part of who Ian is but I would surmise at least on subconscious level that it plays a factor in why he is so fashion sensitive...

 

So it stands to reason he would develop an affinity for fashion because that was all he could control at a time in his life when he was trying to achieve the impossible…in a sense, clothes saved his golfing life because without that job in the clothing shop his whole trajectory would've been different...

 

And like everything Ian has done in his life, he sought to become the best and most knowledgeable apparel manager just as he would later apply this ambition to his golf game on tour..

 

-Chris

I actually dislike Poulter more for his fashion sense than his off course persona, and believe me I don't like his off course persona. Poulter thinks that throwing together some garish colours and patterns that nobody else is wearimg equals fashion. There is a reason nobody else out there dressed like IJP, except possibly Aaron Baddley in his earlier days when he got the nickname 'dresses' (badly). He may be one of the highest paid clowns in the world, but he is still a clown.

 

P.S. Great op. I do love his back story and he is someone I would usually really like, but I just can't get past the stupid clothes and the 'look at me' off course antics.

[MtlJeff]

I applaud anyone who works really hard to get where they are, there are many many many people who take the easy way out and don't pursue their dreams, and truthfully there's not always anything wrong with that...nothing wrong with taking an easy paycheck and being comfortable .

 

But, the guys that really dedicate themselves to something, even against longer odds and make it....you have to tip your cap to them

 

That being said, i never really got the impression i would "like" Ian Poulter if i knew him. Maybe that's totally wrong....he seems really showy, bit of a peacock. Needs everyone to know he's made it....ironically this is often a trait of someone with his type of story. I just can't like someone who has like 7 Ferrari's on general principle...sorry that's just me

 

Again that doesn't mean i don't respect the hard work he put in

[Christosterone]

Sadly, I love tartan plaids(only repeating) made in Scotland...

And since I prefer winter golf and tee up at first light it's cold...

 

And own about 40 shoes each with a pair of pants made to match the shoes or in response to the shoes....here's 2 pairs of Poulter plaids...

He has cool tartans...

 

I realize I'm a weirdo but I love cardigans, plaid and polyester/spandex/wool blends...and shield tip shoes

Below is a picture of a little over half my shoes...lol

 

Best part is I'm normally home in the shower by 9:30 so nobody sees my clothes but me!!

 

*******edit: I feel like an explanation is necessary…

maybe 12 years ago I decided that I like shield tip shoes and so for Christmas, my birthday, and my anniversary I would ask for a pair of shoes…

12 years later you look up and you've got 50 or 60 shoes

[HighSpeedScene]

The question is, is he qualified enough to have and share negative opinions of the best players of all time?

 

Have always liked Poulter - he can be a caricature of himself at times, but I like a fair bit of dysfunction in my heroes (please don't take that literally - it's a metaphor). After all, these guys aren't just players, they are a TV show.

 

As a Florida resident and a soon-to-be(if not already) dual citizen Ian Poulter is protected by our bill of rights, specifically the first amendment...

 

So yes, he is qualified to critique anyone thanks to the sensibilities born of our founders who enacted into law the freedom to say whatever he wants about whomever he wants provided he is not inciting violence, fomenting revolution or the like...

 

-Chris

 

So his playing record is sufficient to say the things that chamblee says, in your opinion?

 

My words are always measured…

I think you may need to re-read my posts...

 

I merely grouped Chamblee in the same category of journalists that once accused Arnold Palmer of stealing the masters…

And compared his inflammatory style to that of Skip Bayless....

I further argued him to be disingenuous when he said Tiger was the greatest of all time in the context of accusing him of cheating and therefore not being worthy of the player of the year in 2013...

 

Never did I question his right to say it as a journalist or player…

I may have taken a screenshot of Wikipedia in a humorous comparison of their major records but I am never for silencing anyone's opinion...

 

That was humor?

[playa]

Sadly, I love tartan plaids(only repeating) made in Scotland...

And since I prefer winter golf and tee up at first light it's cold...

 

And own about 40 shoes each with a pair of pants made to match the shoes or in response to the shoes....here's 2 pairs of Poulter plaids...

He has cool tartans...

 

I realize I'm a weirdo but I love cardigans, plaid and polyester/spandex/wool blends...and shield tip shoes

Below is a picture of a little over half my shoes...lol

 

Best part is I'm normally home in the shower by 9:30 so nobody sees my clothes but me!!

 

*******edit: I feel like an explanation is necessary…

maybe 12 years ago I decided that I like shield tip shoes and so for Christmas, my birthday, and my anniversary I would ask for a pair of shoes…

12 years later you look up and you've got 50 or 60 shoes

I'm partial to plaids myself, but the two pics are a good example of how he gets the colours all wrong. He wears way too much pink, likely an attempy to try to own that colour and to stand out. But it gets back to my other post, there is a reason those colours arent worn.

[HighSpeedScene]

Sadly, I love tartan plaids(only repeating) made in Scotland...

And since I prefer winter golf and tee up at first light it's cold...

 

And own about 40 shoes each with a pair of pants made to match the shoes or in response to the shoes....here's 2 pairs of Poulter plaids...

He has cool tartans...

 

I realize I'm a weirdo but I love cardigans, plaid and polyester/spandex/wool blends...and shield tip shoes

Below is a picture of a little over half my shoes...lol

 

Best part is I'm normally home in the shower by 9:30 so nobody sees my clothes but me!!

 

*******edit: I feel like an explanation is necessary…

maybe 12 years ago I decided that I like shield tip shoes and so for Christmas, my birthday, and my anniversary I would ask for a pair of shoes…

12 years later you look up and you've got 50 or 60 shoes

 

Makes sense

[Christosterone]

"One thing is not like the other" is a reference to Sesame Street song by big bird...

Following that quote was Brandels and Tigers major records respectively...

 

Perhaps you are not familiar with the Street...

I will let a very underrrated character actor explain it...

http://youtu.be/Dd8NUVUUuoA

[HighSpeedScene]

Hilarious

[2putttom]

Who cares... too many big words for a golf forum.

Now hold on there Aloysius, I take particular offense in this statement as I am a nine iron packin loriate.

[Christosterone]

Hilarious

 

I've seen him on Broadway 3 times...he was brilliant in "Race"...

 

But I would encourage you, as I said before, to re-read my posts as my words are always measured...

And it was not for hilarity that I posted mr spaders video but to have somebody else explain Sesame Street since you were not familiar with it…

 

Also hope you understand that I use iPad speech to text and it is unable to understand my hick accent so often they will be homonym errors or grammatical mistakes I miss upon editing because most of my posts are streams of consciousness..

 

To save you time misquoting my previous posts, I used the word "humorous", not "hilarious"...

 

I feel you are under-equipped to debate me on anything but that would be very arrogant to say so I won't :)

 

-Chris