First of all, between match play and stroke play, match play has to be the far easiest form of the game and here’s why.
If you have a bad hole in match play you’ll often only lose the hole and sometimes even halve or win the hole. But if you have a really bad hole in stroke play it can often destroy the entire game. Although it shouldn’t do, it often does.
So when playing match play you should have fun because of this reduced pressure. Attack the course when necessary, watch what your opponent does and act accordingly. Now what do I mean by “act accordingly”?
Well, if your opponent hits his tee shot Out of Bounds, you should obviously be a bit more conservative. And please note I didn’t say “be conservative” because I’ve seen it happen too many times when a golfer has been too conservative. They have hit a very bad shot because of this conservatism and halved or lost the hole as a result!
So if your opponent has just hit the ball out of bounds then instead of hitting a driver off the tee, hit a 3 wood but attack the hole. Don’t think about “not hitting it O.B.” either. But instead choose a specific target down the fairway and focus on that.
Match play is all about choosing when to attack or defend. It’s like a game of chess. Watch your opponent and attack the course always safe in the knowledge that the worst that can happen is you’ll lose the hole. So have fun and always remember this when playing match play. Attack first and defend only when your opponent is in trouble, and defend in an attacking way by taking a more conservative club and play, but play the shot with the attacking mentality.
And always, always attack to the very end of your match. Never take it easy, because if you do, you’ll be in serious danger of losing the match. You’ll find in match play momentum either positive or negative plays a huge roll. So if you get a lead, keep attacking to get a bigger lead. If you’re down then “fight” and try to get on a positive roll by holing a big putt, pulling off an amazing recovery shot or whatever. Just keep trying.
Here’s another couple of points regarding match play. I always remember Jack Nicklaus saying “when playing match play you should imagine yourself winning each and every hole.” So you’re one up after one, two up after two etc., etc. So do this, you’ll really feel more confident by trying to win every hole you play.
One last point about gimme’s. Don’t be embarrassed about making someone putt to win or halve the hole, even if it’s only a 2 footer or less. Assess the situation and take a close look at how the person is coping with the pressure. If you watch closely you’ll soon be able to tell if your opponent is likely to miss a short putt.
And lastly, always walk confidently when playing match play. Never show any form of defeat or discouragement when playing this form of the game. Create your positive momentum with your body and you’ll win a lot of match play matches.
Tags: match play
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