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No Limits: My Autobiography
An autobiography from golf's freshest, most individual voice
Ian Poulter is one of golf's most charismatic figures, with an appeal extending way beyond his sport. Here he tells his inspirational story, from his early rejection as a Spurs youth player, right through to his match-winning contributions to successive European Ryder Cup Triumphs.
Poulter went from an Assistant Professional staffing the club shop to a global superstar, turning pro when he still had a handicap of 4 but the drive and self-belief to make it to the top. His infectious optimism, will power and flair have ensured he remains one of the biggest names on the tour.
As well as insights into the crucial moments in his career, and the life of a professional golfer, he talks about his passions outside the game, including his own riotous brand of clothing. Just as Poulter's appearance on the scene came as a refreshing antidote to a sport that was staid and stuffy, so his own book is as forthright and passionate as Poults himself.
Ian Poulter is one of golf's most charismatic figures, with an appeal extending way beyond his sport. Here he tells his inspirational story, from his early rejection as a Spurs youth player, right through to his match-winning contributions to successive European Ryder Cup Triumphs.
Poulter went from an Assistant Professional staffing the club shop to a global superstar, turning pro when he still had a handicap of 4 but the drive and self-belief to make it to the top. His infectious optimism, will power and flair have ensured he remains one of the biggest names on the tour.
As well as insights into the crucial moments in his career, and the life of a professional golfer, he talks about his passions outside the game, including his own riotous brand of clothing. Just as Poulter's appearance on the scene came as a refreshing antidote to a sport that was staid and stuffy, so his own book is as forthright and passionate as Poults himself.
345 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2014
34 people are currently reading
95 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 18, 2016
Wasn't convinced at the start of the book but did enjoy it!
September 19, 2023
Straight from the horses mouth as they say, Ian Poulter gives some compelling recounts of historic Ryder Cup clashes from Valhalla to Celtic Manor and Gleneagles to Medinah.
There is a lot I didn’t know about Poulter and his early life, including his footballing potential, relationship struggles, and his obsession with having things neatly in order (OCD).
Some of the chapters come across a small bit defensive as he responds to critics about his lifestyle choices. However, all of his explanations are, of course, justified and because it’s his book he deserves to have his truth written down in black and white.
The book is overall a very inspiring read. As Poulter became a golfer in a somewhat unconventional way, it shows that there is hope for many aspiring golfers young and old that may not be as fortunate as the guys who get really good at a a really young age.
There is a lot I didn’t know about Poulter and his early life, including his footballing potential, relationship struggles, and his obsession with having things neatly in order (OCD).
Some of the chapters come across a small bit defensive as he responds to critics about his lifestyle choices. However, all of his explanations are, of course, justified and because it’s his book he deserves to have his truth written down in black and white.
The book is overall a very inspiring read. As Poulter became a golfer in a somewhat unconventional way, it shows that there is hope for many aspiring golfers young and old that may not be as fortunate as the guys who get really good at a a really young age.
October 25, 2023
This is a fascinating book about a different topic for me: the Pro Golf world, and Ian's role in it. I enjoyed all of the stories about him growing up and how hard he worked to excell. Lots of personal details and photos. He describes his orneriness and practical jokes.
The British phrases were fun to read, and colorful, such as his argument with Monty, where he says "He was throwing his toys out of his pram, which he does sometimes."
A highlight for me was reading about his first Ryder Cup!
The British phrases were fun to read, and colorful, such as his argument with Monty, where he says "He was throwing his toys out of his pram, which he does sometimes."
A highlight for me was reading about his first Ryder Cup!
September 18, 2018
Spiky read from one of golf's characters. Plenty of tales from the Ryder Cup and the pro tours as we learn a fair bit about the author's attitude to life on and off the course. Well worth a read for golf fans.
September 23, 2018
Great read!
Poulter is often a misunderstood character. This book really shows his die hard determination and confident attitude that his made him so successful! Let’s hope he brings some magic to Paris next week!
Poulter is often a misunderstood character. This book really shows his die hard determination and confident attitude that his made him so successful! Let’s hope he brings some magic to Paris next week!
September 20, 2017
Some fantastic passages and a truly enjoyable focus on Poulter's Ryder Cup exploits, but ultimately very basic language throughout and highly repetitive. A lack of cohesion.
April 22, 2019
You have to love Poulter
Brilliant read for a golfer! I get he's great to have a beer with!!
The Ryder cup stories are great!!
Brilliant read for a golfer! I get he's great to have a beer with!!
The Ryder cup stories are great!!
April 19, 2024
Absolutely brilliant, one of the best books ever!
October 4, 2024
Picked up at a charity shop. While 10 years old now, if you like sport/golf, especially the Ryder Cup, then you’ll like this.
August 25, 2016
"No Limits". That's a pretty bad title, and one that doesn't make sense at all until the final sentence. That cover's pretty bad, too; a close up #fistshot that is so close up, you don't even notice at first.
This was one of them where I got it as a 3 for £10 offer, but as time went on I started thinking maybe I didn't want to read it after all. I certainly didn't want to be seen reading it, so I read it at bedtime instead of taking it on the train with me. I actually quite enjoyed it. It's not literary by any means and it doesn't really tell me anything that I would have said I'd wanted to know when I started, but it does give a pretty good impression of what Ian Poulter is probably like.
You see, from the golf I've watched, I quite like Poulter, personality-wise, but when I started to read his book, he divulged things that would normally cause me to not like a person; he's an Arsenal fan, he's never read a book in his life (pretty much), he was a boy racer, and he likes fast cars. And he follows Piers Morgan on Twitter - presumably without wanting to smash the smug twat's face in.
In his favour though is that he portrays himself as a committed family man, a bit of a joker, and an ultra competitive sportsman. He's also fairly humble, though he's not ashamed to spend his wealth on nice things, nor doubt that he's earned it. He pretty much says, "I'm not the best, but I've worked hard", which is fair enough.
So what would I have liked to have learned by reading this book? Well, I'm not a professional sportsman, so I'd like some detail about techniques, philosophies, and the psychology of being in high pressure competitive situations. I'm a bit of a thinker, you see. When I'm playing sport I'm always thinking about the kind of player I am, the kind of shots I'm going for, what aspects of the game are more important to me than others... but the thing is, talented sportsmen just don't seem to think like that. They just do it, so they don't know how to rationalise it and they don't know how to communicate it. You'd think, by that token then, that maybe musicians would have more insight into their craft, but from the musician autobiographies I've read, they don't either.
So Poulter doesn't deliver what I wanted. At times all he delivers is a list of things that happened. It'll be like, "I shot 67 on the Friday, then 72 and 74 in the final two rounds to finish 7th". I'm not saying it's all as boring as that, but if you could just give us a bit more...
The real showpieces of this autobiography are the sections on the Ryder Cup, but even these don't go into the kind of detail I think golf fans would like to see. Elsewhere, the book is fairly well organised. Poulter avoids too much about his childhood and has organised the book into interesting chapters on things like his OCD, his run-ins with Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie and the struggles to earn his card. I think this helped to keep me interested - because, even though I didn't get all I wanted, I did find the anecdotes interesting, and Poulter's perspective forthright and honest.
Shortly after starting this I picked up Seve Balasteros' autobiography and recorded a comment on here that Seve is a legend while Poulter is more of a bellend (in the nicest possible way). By that I mean Poulter is a bellend in the way that you might think of your mates as a bellend. So really that's a compliment, in case you were thinking otherwise. And that's what his autobiography represents - it's like one of your mates was a talented golfer, and wrote his autobiography.
This was one of them where I got it as a 3 for £10 offer, but as time went on I started thinking maybe I didn't want to read it after all. I certainly didn't want to be seen reading it, so I read it at bedtime instead of taking it on the train with me. I actually quite enjoyed it. It's not literary by any means and it doesn't really tell me anything that I would have said I'd wanted to know when I started, but it does give a pretty good impression of what Ian Poulter is probably like.
You see, from the golf I've watched, I quite like Poulter, personality-wise, but when I started to read his book, he divulged things that would normally cause me to not like a person; he's an Arsenal fan, he's never read a book in his life (pretty much), he was a boy racer, and he likes fast cars. And he follows Piers Morgan on Twitter - presumably without wanting to smash the smug twat's face in.
In his favour though is that he portrays himself as a committed family man, a bit of a joker, and an ultra competitive sportsman. He's also fairly humble, though he's not ashamed to spend his wealth on nice things, nor doubt that he's earned it. He pretty much says, "I'm not the best, but I've worked hard", which is fair enough.
So what would I have liked to have learned by reading this book? Well, I'm not a professional sportsman, so I'd like some detail about techniques, philosophies, and the psychology of being in high pressure competitive situations. I'm a bit of a thinker, you see. When I'm playing sport I'm always thinking about the kind of player I am, the kind of shots I'm going for, what aspects of the game are more important to me than others... but the thing is, talented sportsmen just don't seem to think like that. They just do it, so they don't know how to rationalise it and they don't know how to communicate it. You'd think, by that token then, that maybe musicians would have more insight into their craft, but from the musician autobiographies I've read, they don't either.
So Poulter doesn't deliver what I wanted. At times all he delivers is a list of things that happened. It'll be like, "I shot 67 on the Friday, then 72 and 74 in the final two rounds to finish 7th". I'm not saying it's all as boring as that, but if you could just give us a bit more...
The real showpieces of this autobiography are the sections on the Ryder Cup, but even these don't go into the kind of detail I think golf fans would like to see. Elsewhere, the book is fairly well organised. Poulter avoids too much about his childhood and has organised the book into interesting chapters on things like his OCD, his run-ins with Tiger Woods and Colin Montgomerie and the struggles to earn his card. I think this helped to keep me interested - because, even though I didn't get all I wanted, I did find the anecdotes interesting, and Poulter's perspective forthright and honest.
Shortly after starting this I picked up Seve Balasteros' autobiography and recorded a comment on here that Seve is a legend while Poulter is more of a bellend (in the nicest possible way). By that I mean Poulter is a bellend in the way that you might think of your mates as a bellend. So really that's a compliment, in case you were thinking otherwise. And that's what his autobiography represents - it's like one of your mates was a talented golfer, and wrote his autobiography.
May 7, 2020
I started this wondering if Poulter would have a story interesting enough to make a book. How wrong I was, it was excellent. The tales from his early days working in a pro shop and grafting his way to becoming a pro are so understated and I had never heard of his struggles so it was a very interesting read.
I wanted to hear about his love of all things Ryder Cup and his tales and antics are incredible and hilarious. He is a natural born joker and I love that he loves whipping the American golfers into a storm and sees it per of his role for the European team.
I wasn’t actually aware of how much success he has had as an individual and it was amazing to hear his record in the PGA Tour and Open Championship in particular.
A very worthwhile read and fascinating how little I knew about one of golfs more entertaining characters.
I wanted to hear about his love of all things Ryder Cup and his tales and antics are incredible and hilarious. He is a natural born joker and I love that he loves whipping the American golfers into a storm and sees it per of his role for the European team.
I wasn’t actually aware of how much success he has had as an individual and it was amazing to hear his record in the PGA Tour and Open Championship in particular.
A very worthwhile read and fascinating how little I knew about one of golfs more entertaining characters.
March 15, 2016
Oh dear.
I wanted to like Ian and this book much more than I did. Aside from the early chapter on the death of his cousin, this book is repetitive, merely skims the surface and doesn't offer a great deal of depth sadly; golf talent doesn't translate to literary talent. Sentences starting 'Look,..' began to grate by the halfway mark too.
Badly written and badly in need of editing; unfortunately he comes across as having a chip on his shoulder and unable to handle criticism for the most part, often going off on various rants for no apparent reason (see Chapters 13 and 16). Sorry Ian.
I wanted to like Ian and this book much more than I did. Aside from the early chapter on the death of his cousin, this book is repetitive, merely skims the surface and doesn't offer a great deal of depth sadly; golf talent doesn't translate to literary talent. Sentences starting 'Look,..' began to grate by the halfway mark too.
Badly written and badly in need of editing; unfortunately he comes across as having a chip on his shoulder and unable to handle criticism for the most part, often going off on various rants for no apparent reason (see Chapters 13 and 16). Sorry Ian.
abandoned-didnt-care-for-it
December 5, 2014Ian Poulter is a great golfer. If you say he isn’t, you don’t know what you’re talking about unless you can prove to anyone that you’ve consistently beat him. That doesn’t mean I’m a fan of his, it means I have great respect for his ability and competitive tenacity, certainly in Ryder Cup situations.
Having said that, he should perhaps work on his putting and stay away from writing. I looked forward to this book but couldn’t get past the Kindle sample.
Having said that, he should perhaps work on his putting and stay away from writing. I looked forward to this book but couldn’t get past the Kindle sample.
May 5, 2015
Worth a read if you are a golf fan. Ian's unique perspective on Ryder Cup is interesting. Persistence and perseverance are Ian's biggest attributes and he maximizes them along with a big dose of self belief to forge a career on the PGA Tour. Not everyone likes his style but you can't help but respect how well he has done after turning pro with a 4 handicap.
January 16, 2016
Love it! Mr. Poulter is entertaining and insightful. Readers can hear his voice and personality jumping off each page. I caution that there is some cursing, which I am personally not a fan. However, it did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. This is definitely a must read for golf junkies everywhere!
December 26, 2014
Interesting biography and good golf stories! But don't expect literary expertise. Gives you a good insight into parts of of a professional golfers life.
March 11, 2015
Great read and insight into his life on tour
February 24, 2015
This was a much better read than i thought it would be. The main interesting parts are the route in which he took to become a professional golfer and obviously his Ryder Cup heroics.
June 29, 2015
Poulter is not a literary genius but he has an inspirational story, one that is very intriguing and demonstrates how he became the character he is now.
February 24, 2016
Worked incredibly hard to be where he is today and managed to brighten up the golf course with his dress sense
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April 25, 2016Excellent read.
Very easy to read. Relatable and exciting. Recommended for golfers and sports lovers alike. Ryder cup history a highlight. Ian deserves all transformed for.
Very easy to read. Relatable and exciting. Recommended for golfers and sports lovers alike. Ryder cup history a highlight. Ian deserves all transformed for.
June 30, 2016
Really interesting insight into his life. Controversial character but a good read
January 23, 2024
Great book worth the read for all golfing fanatics
May 16, 2023
Not perfectly written but some great stories and plenty of passion
October 29, 2014
Why do I always get suckered into reading these bad books by athletes?
January 14, 2018
Great read of a man done good for himself.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews