Analysis: Poulter Moves to Team Titleist

Golf writer Nick Bonfield analyses the recent announcement from Ian Poulter on becoming aTitleist & FootJoy staff player for 2015 and analyses Poulters' career and future potential.

Last week, Twitter was ablaze with excitement as Ian Poulter revealed his severing of ties with Cobra Puma Golf, a company he’d enjoyed an eight-year association with. Equipment fanatics, journalists and golf-obsessed observers were glued to their respective screens – or timelines, in modern parlance – to await the news on who the gregarious Englishman had chosen to align himself with for, presumably, the rest of his career.

The rumours abounded on social networking sites, with Titleist and Callaway frequently touted as the most likely destinations. On Wednesday afternoon, Poulter took to Twitter – rather fittingly, given his considerable presence and colorful association with the social-networking site – to post a picture of his new Titleist staff bag, accompanied by a caption confirming he’d represent the Acushnet Company – owners of Titleist and FootJoy – from January 1, 2015. As it transpired, there were no surprises. Poulter already plays the Pro V1x and uses Vokey wedges, and the deal will allow him to wear his IJP Design-branded clothing.

In my view, the move signifies the start of a pivotal period for the Englishman and a significant association for Titleist. All the talk on Poulter’s Ryder-Cup heroics and position as Europe’s ‘postman’ masked the fact – temporarily, at least – that his form has been declining slowly over the past couple of years. Titleist, meanwhile, will be hoping the move, which undoubtedly has the potential to deliver huge benefits to both parties, sparks a change in fortunes.

In recent years, Titleist’s stable of high-profile European players has dwindled significantly, with Rory McIlroy moving to Nike and Matteo Manassero switching to Callaway. If Victor Dubuisson were to decide to ply his trade elsewhere when his contract expires, it would leave Titleist very thin on the ground. That fact makes Poulter’s signing so key, and he’ll be acutely aware of the importance of his role as the Titleist’s flagship European representative on American shores. For the relationship to reach its full potential, Poulter needs to arrest his slide and rekindle the form that saw him breach the world’s top 10 four years ago. Both parties will be hoping the relationship acts as a catalyst. If the Englishman continues to slide, it could represent an expensive gamble. Poulter, after all, doesn’t come cheap.

But I’m not expecting that scenario to materialise, and I think it’s just what Poulter needed. I’m not for one moment suggesting that Poulter’s stagnation has anything to do with Cobra – far from it – but he’s now 38 years of age and perhaps he’ll benefit from being linked to, for want of a better phrase, a more serious brand with a reputation for producing some of the best equipment on the market. Of course, Poulter isn’t going to tone himself down dramatically – his feisty, gregarious spirit is entrenched in his DNA – but a move away from the colourful, outlandish Cobra could be a good thing.

At his age, Poulter really needs to make golf his first and only priority. He has his own clothing company, IJP Design, and is involved in a number of other commercial pursuits, but the next few years arguably represent his final chance to mount an assault on the four majors. His Ryder Cup prowess is indisputable and indelible, but that’s just one component of the game. He’s come close to winning majors before and he’ll know if he doesn’t win the Masters, US Open, Open or USPGA in the next couple of years, he probably never will. After all, very few players – the likes of Miguel Angel Jimenez aside – enjoy more success in their 40s than in the peak of their careers.

Here are some stats to validate my concerns: since 2000, only one golfer has won his first major aged 40 or above (Darren Clarke, 2011 Open Championship); going back to 1960, the average age of major-winning golfers is 32; less than 10% of major winners since 1960 were over 40 (let alone first-time major winners); players aged 35 and under have won around 75% of majors since 1960. The conclusion? The next couple of years are crucial if Poulter is to win his maiden major championship. His golfing ambition might be solely quenched by his irrevocable ‘Mr Ryder Cup’ label, but if his desire burns deeper, as you suspect it does, the next two years are pivotal, especially with long driving becoming an increasingly important facet of golf.

Simply put, Poulter’s career needed some fresh impetus. He hasn’t won on either the PGA or European Tours since the WGC-HSBS Champions in November 2012. That victory propelled him to 15th in the world, and he improved to 10th in February 2013. Since then, though, it's been a case of steady - albeit not catastrophic - decline, particularly this year. On the European Tour, Poulter has only recorded one top 10 to date and will miss the season-ending DP World Tour Championship unless he improves upon his 64th-place position in the Race to Dubai standings, an event he's never missed before. To contextualise that figure, he hasn't finished below 31st in the overall rankings since he joined the European Tour in 1999. This season on the PGA Tour, he only notched two top-10 finishes, came a disappointing 78th in the FexEx Cup and failed to qualify for both the BMW and Tour Championships.

Poulter's spell of inauspicious form has also coincided with a worrying period for Lee Westwood and Luke Donald, both former world number ones. Westwood has fallen to world number 46 and Donald (35) hasn't recorded a top-10 finish since April. It's a big season for these three players, but Poulter should really benefit from his new association with Titleist.  It looks a very good fit on paper and should be the much-needed catalyst for improvement at a crucial time in the context of his career. Given Poulter's constitution and track record, you'd expect him to rise to challenge.

Photo Credit: TourProGolfClubs.com