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Ian Poulter: What’s in the bag of a PGA TOUR winner?

By Jordan Fuller

AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 06: Ian Poulter of England plays his second shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images)
AUGUSTA, GA - APRIL 06: Ian Poulter of England plays his second shot on the fifth hole during the second round of the 2018 Masters Tournament at Augusta National Golf Club on April 6, 2018 in Augusta, Georgia. (Photo by David Cannon/Getty Images) /
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Ian Poulter has been one of the most successful golfers on the planet for nearly 20 years. These are the tools he uses to keep him on top. What can you take from his setup to make your game better?

The name Ian Poulter is no stranger to the world of professional golf, being a stalwart of the Ryder Cup. Quite recently, his win in a playoff of the 2018 Houston Open booked his place in the Masters, with a dramatic sudden-death playoff victory over Beau Hossler.

Recently, he posted his entire equipment setup, and here, we will cover a short discussion of his choice of clubs, and how they might be relevant to your game.

Driver: Titleist 917D2 (9.5 degrees loft), Mitsubishi Tensei Orange CK60TX shaft

The 917D2 is arguably Titleist’s most accessible driver ever, and also the first Titleist driver to feature the adjustable weight technology. A very versatile driver with virtually countless adjustability settings, and so a lot of shot shaping capabilities. We suspect this is the quality sought after by Poulter, considering his playstyle with incredible touches around the fairways and greens.

The Titleist 917D2 is also a very beautiful club: classic Titleist, classy with a monochrome finish and a touch of high-tech nuances. It also offers a very balanced feel with excellent, resonant response. You can easily know whether your shot is well-struck or off-center. Surprisingly, the Titleist 917D2 is also quite forgiving and accurate for a low-handicapper driver.

Yet, the most important thing about a driver is obviously the performance in distance. The 917D2 is an absolute monster in distance, especially thanks to the available adjustability features. Even if you only have a moderate swing speed, you will see a noticeable gain in distance, but the secret here is that you can customize the Titleist 917D2 to suit your ability and playstyle, producing your desired distance.

3-wood: Titleist 917F2 (16.5 degrees loft), Matrix Ozik TP7HDe 7X shaft

The Titleist 917F2 3-wood belongs to the same family of the driver we have discussed above. We can expect many similarities between the two, and indeed both feature similar designs. Obviously, the head size of 917F2 3-wood is significantly smaller than the driver, but the main design elements are the same.

Also, you won’t find any adjustability features with the 3-wood, which is a feature a key feature of the 917D2 driver. It is understandable, however, since we won’t need as much versatility in a 3-wood. Yet, the 917F2 3-wood has a very strong performance in distance, one of the longest hitters in the game. It is also very responsive with a balanced feel, a very rewarding fairway wood in the hands of an expert. Unfortunately, you won’t find much in the forgiveness department, making the Titleist 917F2 a difficult club for high-handicappers.

Hybrid: Titleist 816 H2 (21 degrees loft) Aldila Tour Green ATX85H TX shaft

It is interesting how an elite player like Ian Poulter chose a hybrid here in the place of the ‘proper’ long iron, and it’s even more interesting that the Titleist 816H2 is actually a very forgiving hybrid designated for mid-handicappers. This fact could probably give us an insight of how even the best players still strive for that extra consistency, and we can no longer associate forgiving clubs as beginners’ exclusive.

As with the driver and 3-wood above, the 816 H2 has the classic Titleist looks, although the hybrid features a slightly different design with a gray finish and a more rounded shape. Although the key highlight of the 816 H2 is arguably its forgiveness with a huge sweet spot, it also provides an excellent feel like a pure iron with a very balanced weighting. It is also a very versatile hybrid, although it especially shines with your natural shot shape. A very forgiving, yet well-balanced hybrid with great feel and sound, an excellent choice for just about everyone.

Irons: 4-Iron: Titleist 716 T-MB (Project X LZ 130 7.0shaft)
5- to 9-Irons, PW: (Titleist 718 AP2 Project X LZ 130 7.0 shafts)

So, now we get the complete picture of Ian Poulter’s iron set: a Titleist 816H2 hybrid, which we have discussed, to replace the 3-iron, a Titleist 716 T-MB 4-iron, and the rest, including a pitching wedge, is Titleist 718AP2.

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It is interesting how Poulter chose the 716 T-MB for his 4-iron instead of sticking with the 718 AP2 for his whole set. The 716 T-MB has a hollow cast body with a face insert, while the AP2 features a forged multi-material head. The T-MB also features stronger lofts. As a result, the T-MB is more forgiving up and down the face, while the AP2 is more forgiving heel to toe. We suspected the reason for Poulter for this 4-iron choice is the higher ball speed, easier lift, and less overall spin. In short: distance and shot shaping.

The 718 AP2 irons are the successor of the highly successful 716 AP2, which was the number one Iron on Tour. It is also worth noting that the 3- and 4- irons of the set are quite difficult to use both in terms of swing speed and accuracy. With the 5- to 9- Irons and PW, which we found in Poulter’s set, the irons feature a very nice combination of feel and forgiveness.

Wedges: Titleist Vokey Design SM7 (52.12F, 56.14F and 60.04L lofts), True Temper Dynamic Gold Tour Issue S400 shafts

Another Titleist, so you probably see the pattern here.

The Titleist Vokey SM7 is the successor of the successful SM6, which is designed around positioning the CG as central as possible. The SM7 further refines on that idea by modifying the heads. The face of the SM7 has been improved with a very precise, plated spin milling, giving the SM7 that extra spin for more control.

The SM7 also features a very wide sole, giving you more versatility. It is worth noting that there are a lot more varieties of loft, bounce, and sole-grind options than the three wedges used by Poulter.

Putter: Odyssey White Hot XG #7

An interesting choice of putter by Ian Poulter. The Odyssey XG #7 is a mallet putter, so again we see Ian Poulter’s preference for more forgiveness and consistency. The Odyssey XG is also quite popular with many pros: easy to align, great feel, and great performance in distance.

Nicknamed “the fang”, it is worth noting that although the Odyssey #7 is a mallet putter, the head is relatively small so it might not suit high-handicappers.

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Take this analysis, and apply it to your game. You may not have Poulter’s fleet of Titleist club builders at your beck and call, but you can take a little more understanding into your next club fitting. That may be the key to taking a few strokes off your handicap.

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