Ian Poulter's British Open clubs
SOUTHPORT, England --
The birdie at 16 and the par at 18 made Birkdale quake. Ian Poulter, whose clothing often overshadows his formidable game, was rolling on the back nine Sunday.
He fell short of winning by four strokes, but his runner-up finish was his best in a major and likely earned him a spot on the European Ryder Cup team.
Here is a list of the clubs he used this week at Royal Birkdale.
Driver: Cobra Speed Pro S (8.5°)
Fairway woods: Cobra Speed Pro (15°, 18°)
Irons: Cobra Pro MB (3-PW)
Wedges: Vokey Design Spin Milled (54°, 60°)
Putter: Odyssey Black Series i #1
Ball: Titleist Pro V1x
(Photo by John Biever/SI)
Posted by: Mark Sutherland | Sep 17, 2008 6:41:27 PM
How come there has been no mention of Ian Poulter's poor sportsmanship at the U.S. Open where he flipped off the crowd and then stormed off the course after the 15th hole? If he tries this at the Ryder Cup he will become the Monty of the Euro team!
Posted by: sacha weibel | Jul 23, 2008 5:27:22 AM
great post. would be nice to get this info. but i guess somebody would have to put a little work into it...
Posted by: harry beckwith | Jul 22, 2008 12:20:59 PM
Learning about pro's equipment might be interesting if readers were not aware that the pros use their sponsor's clubs, period.
Given that, these features can only be interesting readers learn from them what modifications the pros make to their clubs, which gives us some insight into how different aspects--lie angle, lead tape placement, and others--effect club performance. A player with Tiger's wedge swing, for example, almost certainly uses clubs with a more upright lie angle that an Allen Doyle at the other (flat) extreme, and learning this can coax us amateurs to look at those features and possible changes in our own clubs. (There seems no way Doyle could hit flush wedges with a standard wedge lie angle [52 degrees]).
How much bounce does each of Poulter's wedges have? Does he have a near-zero bounce 54 degree, or is that his higher bounce wedge he uses in the sand?
How does Ian hit a shot ten yards farther than his three iron? Does he shut its face down and play the ball back, or does he choke down and/or cut an 18 degree fairway wood from that distance? Ian's gap between the 18 degree club--and is it a fairway wood really, or a hybrid--and his 3 iron seems somewhat unusual.
These features should help us learn about equipment. Instead, as written, they are ads for Cobra and Titleist.