Match play advice needed....

[Slingblade61]

Next saturday I play in round one of the club championship.
Match play, me v. some guy I do not know.
I have never played match play before but I do understand the concept.
Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of as we play the match?

[IrishGolfer]

Originally Posted by Slingblade61

I have never played match play before but I do understand the concept.

Yes you have, remember Yale? That was Match Play.

Originally Posted by Slingblade61

Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of as we play the match?

Yeah, bring a turkey with you (or a bottle of whiskey)

Oh, Good Luck!!

[Slingblade61]

No, that was just a friendly game (we gonna do that again sometime?)

In this case, I have to take some poor sap and kick the shit out of him.

[WelshGolfer]

Originally Posted by Slingblade61

Is there anything in particular I should be mindful of as we play the match?

MAKE SURE YOU WIN MORE HOLES THAN THE OTHER GUY!!

Seriously, you can play the opponent as well as the course in matchplay.
1 - By this I mean if your guy hits into trouble, instead of trying to thread a driver between two bunkers, lay up using any go-to club you have(within reason, as this would not work if you go-to club is the putter!! )
2 - Use any shots you get on holes (if you receive them) to your advantage. Try not to feel pushed into playing a high-risk shot if you can lay up utilising the shot on the hole and leaving an easy pitch to the green. This way you maybe can still put pressure on your opponent to play a shot he may not want to in order to better you on the hole.
3 - If the guy is playing out of his boots then pray!!

Good Luck.

[gwlee7]

Hone your short game as much as you can between now and the match.

I have played several Ryder Cup type matches against better players/ballstrikers and there is nothing that will demoralize someone and make them take unecessary risks more than watching you get up and down for par all day long and feeling like they have to make birdies to beat you. You will then win many holes with par because the risk taking always comes at a price.

I one putted for par eight times on one side in a match not all that long ago and the exasperation on the other guy's face was priceless. I easily closed him out because he kept trying to hit it longer off the tee so he could hit it close and kept playing worse and worse.

[Bravo]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

Hone your short game as much as you can between now and the match.

I have played several Ryder Cup type matches against better players/ballstrikers and there is nothing that will demoralize someone and make them take unecessary risks more than watching you get up and down for par all day long and feeling like they have to make birdies to beat you. You will then win many holes with par because the risk taking always comes at a price.

I one putted for par eight times on one side in a match not all that long ago and the exasperation on the other guy's face was priceless. I easily closed him out because he kept trying to hit it longer off the tee so he could hit it close and kept playing worse and worse.

This is great advice. I have played in two Ryder Cup-type tourneys in which I played Match. I played horribly the first time and very good the next...

Thoughts...

1) Stay steady...don't try to be a hero. On hard holes think...."play for bogey". This can really help you because it reduces your expectation level and if you do indeed get a bogey on the hard hole - it is likely going to be a win for you in many situations.

2) If you sense a long carry to a green think, "I'll be OK, if I come up a bit short here. I'll just chip on and try to get a par".

3) Keep you head still!!!

I would agree that practicing your short game all week would be a great idea...work like hell on this and go out there and hit em...

[Ravenous Bugblatter Beast]

If the opportunity presents itself, concede putts that he leaves short but are pretty makeable. If his ball goes past the hole, make him putt those. You might be able to get in his head enough with that that he'll unconsciously leave his putts short, thus not having a chance to go in.

[mediaguru]

Do some study on the differences between stroke play and match play. You may be able to find some rules that are to your advantage if he doesn't know them (i.e. him finishing out a putt even though you are away).

I'd concede some short putts in the first half of the match. When things get tight toward the end of the match then make him putt them. He won't have the feel for those putts and he may gag on one.

If you really want to mess with him you can wait till he just about putts that short one and then concede it...

Staty calm and steady. Let him make the mistakes.

[Davebud]

Wear a skirt and call hin Shuga all day, you will be so far in his head he will not see par once all day. Unless of course he's into that sort of thing, then you will have problems.

[Loop]

These are nice advice, but I think some of them don't serve a real purpose. If you can pressure your adversary with psychological tactics, what makes you think he won't use same tactics?

Just focus on your game. And above all, have FUN.

[DouginGA]

I agree with gwlee's approach to putting pressure on your opponent, the only thing you are doing is choosing how to play your shots.
But I kinda disagree with RBB, agree with loop's take on it. Attempting to mess with your opponents head goes against the spirit of the game.
If you took an airhorn and blasted it off several times before the round and then took the horn out of your bag every time the guy was about to putt (but didn't sound it off just held it) I dont know if you would technically be breaking the rules but you could surely mess with his head. Obviously you wouldnt do this as it is so obviously a display of poor sportsmanship.
So is messing with his head by conceding putts to mess with his game any less unsportsmanlike just because it is subtle and he might not be aware of it?
Beat the dude with your play, not by playing with his head.

[VtDivot]

Note to self: buy an airhorn

[Slingblade61]

Thanks guys.

Putting......that's number one.
I had a look at the rules, studying them more is number 2
number 3 is to eat a big bowl of French onion soup for breakfast......nasty gas will be the result.

[Bravo]

Originally Posted by Slingblade61

Thanks guys.

Putting......that's number one.
I had a look at the rules, studying them more is number 2
number 3 is to eat a big bowl of French onion soup for breakfast......nasty gas will be the result.

Fart your way to victory!!

[Rockford35]

Originally Posted by Bravo

Fart your way to victory!!

It's the American way!



R35