First Match Play Experience... Wow!

[Fairway_CY]

So, a little over a week-and-a-half ago... I played in the qualifier for the club championship at our county course. I posted a 91, which is a career best for me, and earned me the #4 seed in the C Flight (16+ Handicap).

With my #4 seed, I earned a bye in the first round. The second round began Sunday and matches need to be played before Saturday... so my opponent and I agreed to play this afternoon.

I have never played match play before, at least not straight match play. It's usually coupled inside a stroke play format... but, anyway... this was my first match, match.

Things began really well for me. I started off par - bogey - par en route to going 3 up very early. I doubled the 4th hole and he made a scrambling double to halve the hole (his tee shot hit the trees, kicked out... he put his 2nd in the trees... 3rd chipped out... 4th over the green... 5th on and a good putt for the 6). Another double on the 5th got him back to 2 down... but my par on the 6th gave me back the 3 hole cushion. Then, things got hairy.

I blew up on the 7th hole... taking an 8 on the toughest hole on the course (455 yard par 4) while my opponent bogeyed. We halved the 8th hole with bogey-bogey... but I blew an opportunity there. 9th hole he yanked his tee shot so badly it turned out great in the other fairway. My tee shot, meanwhile, found the right rough. I had about 208 to the front of the green and my 4 hybrid came up just short. He flew the green from his position, and then chipped on, leaving himself 35 feet. My pitch went 12 feet by... and I missed my par attempt, leaving me with 2 feet for bogey. He sank his 35 footer and we made the turn with me 1 up for the match.

Then I fell apart. 10th hole I conceded with him on the green putting for par while I took 4 strokes to attempt getting out of the bunker (I went from one to another on the first stroke and then I was flustered). 11th hole we both hit poor shots from the tee on a par 3... but he saved his par with another big putt, this time from 30 feet while I had 4 feet for my bogey. I went from 3 up after 6 holes to 1 down after 11 holes. It didn't get any better on the 12th... my tee shot put me in trouble and he scrambled to better me and take a 2 up lead.

I got one back on the 13th... although I didn't deserve it (great tee shot, decent 2nd shot, left my 3rd off the green, chipped on and 2 putted for bogey). Squared the match on 14 after a poor tee shot left me in the left rough with 183 to the pin... hit the 4 hybrid and left it 15 feet behind the pin then 2 putted for the par.

I gave him back the lead on 15 when my ball found the bunker and his just cleared it and landed on the green. His 2 putt par was better than my shot out of the bunker followed by 2 putts. I squared it again on 16 with another par (I thought we'd halve it, but his approach left him 80+ feet and he left his first putt 20 feet short and above the hole).

On the 17th, I figured it was over. I pulled my 3 wood into the trees... it kicked out, but so hard that it shot over the fairway and into the trees on the other side. My provisional found a similar death... and his poor tee shot kicked into the middle of the fairway... so I conceded and was 1 down with 1 to play.

The 18th is a very, very easy closing hole. 340 yards around a left-turning dogleg. The only trouble is left with a pond over there... the bunker on the right is out of reach if you play smart. He hit his driver and put the pressure on with a safe drive in the middle, leaving him about 120 to the hole. I decided to take an aggressive line and hit my 5 iron down the left side... and it landed perfectly, leaving me 110 to the pin. I watched him put his ball on the green, but it bounced over and off... so I knew the 110 would play more like 100. I hit my pitching wedge, but in taking a bit off... I pushed it into the greenside bunker. I played a good (lucky) shot from there... leaving me about 12 feet for par. He fluffed his chip (using a hybrid) and then stuck the next one to within 3 feet. It was almost a guarantee that he'd make it, so I KNEW my putt was huge. I had been leaving putts short all day and there was no way I was going to do that here. I drilled it, center cut... and we closed out 18 all square.

Back to number 1. He teed off first and again split the fairway. My 3 wood was a little left, but stayed in the fairway... leaving me 124 to the pin. He pushed his approach just a bit, but ended up pin-high 7 yards or so to the right of the green. My 9 iron never left the pin, but I came up 25 feet short. He chipped on, but left himself a tough 15 footer with a big right-to-left break down the hill. My birdie putt came up 4 feet short... and when he missed his par attempt, I drained mine to close out the match.

It was a helluva fun match and, to be honest, I'm proud of how I battled and stayed alive when things went sour. I hit only 4 of 15 fairways today... and only 5 of 19 greens... meanwhile, my opponent hit probably 9 of the 15 fairways... but very few greens.

I have to wait and see what happens in the match above me... but, I'll either face the #1 or #8 seed in the semi-finals. Either way, I need to start finding more fairways and I need to STOP leaving putts short. I'm happy to advance, but honestly, this match should have been over by 13... I just kept opening the door for him... he just wasn't able to shut it on me.

CY

[mddubya]

Congrats on the win,

[Augster]

Congrats, and some constructive criticism.....

You've figured out the putting, never leave anything short unless you can 2-putt to halve or 2-putt to win.

Always expect the other guy to hole every shot.

At your handicap level, play out every hole and never concede a putt that literally isn't a tap-in. There's a reason your opponent is a 16+ handicap. Let him prove it.

If you are going to concede a putt, never concede a putt that gets past the hole. Ever. Make him mark it, then make him putt it. Even a 6-incher. The same distance short of the hole, concede it. You want to subconsciously have him thinking that if he hits it past the hole, he's going to have to make the comebacker, if he leaves it short, he may be able to pick up. Ring the bell Pavlov.

Pure match play is the ONLY time you are playing the player, and not the course. Forget the course. Make sure you don't have a blow-up hole when it looks like your opponent is going to. Club down, lay-up, do whatever you have to do to get it in the hole in one stroke less than your opponent.

On the 17th, I figured it was over. I pulled my 3 wood into the trees... it kicked out, but so hard that it shot over the fairway and into the trees on the other side. My provisional found a similar death... and his poor tee shot kicked into the middle of the fairway... so I conceded and was 1 down with 1 to play.

At the 16+ handicap level, I don't agree with this at all. Hit your 5th from the tee if you have to and be lying 5 to his 1. Make him prove he can beat your 8. He can wiff, he can shank, he can not get out of a bunker, he can 3-whack. Give him the chance.

Now, if he's 15 feet away and putting for birdie and you are 10 feet away putting for 9, that's a different story. But against a handicap that high, give him the chance to blow some shots.

Finally, never get mad or frustrated with yourself. You can, and will, obviously, but never show it on the outside. When you hit one fat, don't yell, "Damn I hit that fat" while it's still in the air. Hit it, accept it, and stare it down like it's the best shot you ever hit. Don't show any weakness to your opponent. Don't give him any clue that you aren't hitting shots 100% pure.

Good luck in your next round! I love the individual match play at my club also. It is so hard not to get totally amped before the match.

[Fairway_CY]

Hey Augster...

Thanks for the feedback. Everything you said rings true with me. I think what got me going on the negative side was when he started dropping to 30+ footers for pars. That put me in the mindset that anything under 10 feet was automatic for him, even though I've played with him a few times and I know it's not true.

Regarding what happened on 17... my reasoning was that I knew I had an easy hole coming up and I didn't want to put myself in a worse mindframe by topping another tee shot or something. Instead, I relaxed on the way to the 18th tee and got myself prepared to play the last hole the way I knew it needed to be played.

While I had some tough breaks in the match, I also had some good breaks. The biggest break was the bunker shot on 18... I didn't hit it great... and it caught the rough before bouncing onto the green. That green was really fast... and it allowed my ball to roll to within 12 feet.

The mental aspect of match play is much tougher than stroke play for me... and I'll definitely keep your post in mind during the next round. I've got to remember to play my opponent.

Thanks again for the reply.

CY