Club championship

**Titleist Man** · June 2, 2009

So im in a match play club championship and my first round is this friday.

Im playing against the guy i lost to last year. I have to give him 4 strokes .
I have 3 problems.

1. He is a stickler for the rules. He tries to call a penalty even if there is nothing wrong with what the person does(for exampe i tap in from 1 inch last year(thinking the putt should have been given in the first place) and he tries to call me on it). This stuff gets into my head how can i combat that.

2. When i have a bad hole it can get into my head. How do i combat this?

3. My new irons are supposed to arrive today or tomorrow. I will be at the range for 2 hours tuesday-thursday. Considering ill practice this much should i use them in the match.

This is the single most important tourney of the year for me. Any advice for match play tournaments is welcomed. Also what should my strategy be for theholes i have to give him strokes on. Thanks a ton.

P.S. I REALLY wanna CREAM this guy.

**DavidFehertysBike** · June 2, 2009

Dont use your new irons in your match, ive made that mistake before. Strokes given are tough to overcome, because most likley they come on the hardest holes on the course. Be aggressive if the oppertunity is there, but generally play for par on the stroke holes. Epesically early in the match. You may not win them, but you should at least halve them because youre not pushing for birdies on the hardest holes. Make him shoot par or better to beat you, just dont hand em over.

Dont go for hero shots just because you want to punish this guy. Short game wins match play situations, not 180 bombs with a 6 iron. Keep that in mind as well.

Most likley, he is a stickler for the rules because he knows he cant compete on a ballstriking level. I would advise just to ignore what he is saying and to concentrate on your game. But if you notice he is gettting frustrated, make him putt everything. Its a little mean, but youre trying to win.

**billm408** · June 2, 2009

Agree... play the sticks that you're most comfortable with. You've hit a ton a solid shots with those clubs. Just pull that thought up on every shot.

It's always tough giving strokes and my guess is the guy's a stickler on the rules because a) he knows it gets to you b) he's just a prick. Don't let him get in your kitchen. One of Jack's favorite match play tricks was to concede every 3 footer on the front side and give nothing on the back. The thought was that they haven't had to make a putt all day and it gets harder when the pressure builds. It also plays with their head too.

As to the other point... it's match play. Every hole is a new match and the score doesn't matter so let it go. You don't get bonus points for miracle shots or get penalized for losing a hole by a big margin. If you just make a bunch of pars, you'll grind on the guy over the course of the round. Winning 2 & 1 is just as good as closing him out 5 & 4. Have fun!

**David in FL** · June 2, 2009

I agree with a lot of what the Bike has to say.......

Know the rules, have a copy of the rules, and play by the rules and you won't have a problem.

Stroke holes will be the harder holes......forget birdies. Make pars and you'll likely push most of them.

As to leaving bad holes behind you, just keep reminding yourself that a hole is no more than one hole in match play. The result is the same whether he wins with a birdie or you lose because of a double, it's still only one hole out of 18. Move on.

The biggest thing you're gonna have to overcome is how badly you want to kick this guy's butt. Play tactically smart when he makes a mistake, but beyond that, just play solid golf and don't worry about the outcome. Remember, you're giving him strokes because you're the better player. Play like the better player, and you'll beat him.

Oh yeah........leave those new sticks in the box until Monday!

**GDWindowpane** · June 2, 2009

If he bothers you, I'll take care of him. What you've got to do is cut the hamstring on the back of his leg right at the bottom. He'll never play golf again, because his weight displacement goes back, all his weight is on his right foot, and he'll push everything off to the right. He'll never come through on anything. He'll quit the game.

**TN94z** · June 2, 2009

I would say definitely don't use the new irons for this tourny. As far as getting past a bad hole, just stay in the present moment and concentrate on the shot you are about to hit. There is nothing you can do about the last shot once it leaves the clubface.

In match play anything can happen and you are always in the hole is my mentality. You could have your worst hole and still win it. Don't get down and keep telling yourself that it is just one hole!

Also, as stated above, don't let the thought of beating the guy mess with your strategy. Just play your game and don't let him get to you....you are giving him strokes for a reason!!

**ChappyEight** · June 2, 2009

You can't let emotion in.

Ignore how bad you want to cream this guy because that mindset will not allow you to move on from a hole you lose.

Play the course, play the hole you're on to the best of your ability. If you're giving him strokes, you're the better golfer, and as the previous poster said, you should beat him if you play your game.

Again, you just can not let emotion get involved in your match, you will lose all focus.

**Mr3Putt** · June 2, 2009

Match play is played one shot at a time.

Never give up on any hole as you never know what your opponent will screw up next. Holes can change on a dime.

Always expect every shot he hits to be great, this way you won't be disappointed with the one or two that is.

Rule violations should not even be in your head, just play by them as you usually do and you'll be fine. If he tries to talk smack on junk, ignore him.

Forget the banter, other saying "pick it up" I wouldn't talk to him at all. I also wouldn't be saying "pick it up" too often. Be focused on your NEXT shot.

Personally, I would play the new sticks, especially if your hitting them well at the range. New clubs tend to make me focus more on the shot.

Good luck!

**Scrape-o-TheClown** · June 2, 2009

For your first problem. Just make sure you dont commit any rules violations and you should be fine. Totally distance yourslef from the guy on the course. Get into what i used to call "your bubble" and dont get out until the round is over. He calls these BS penalties on you because thats one of his weapons, dont let it get to you and DISTANCE yourself. Walk on opposites sides of the fairway and just stay away in your zone concetrating on your next shot.

I used to get so upset about bad shots...I began to realize that it was making my game go south quickly...I finally realized there is no reason to get upset with a bad shot because after you hit it there is nothing you can do about it. The only thing you can do gather yourself learn from the mistake and hit a great next shot in order to save par.

I would not even take the new clubs out of the box until the tourny was over. Take your current clubs to the range the next two days and tune your game in. You have played many good rounds with your current clubs and trust me they still have a few more good rounds left in them.

Last but not least....Keep that fire burning and never let up. Beat him worse than he has ever been beat before. Give us a report when its over.

**Jay-Bird** · June 2, 2009

If he bothers you, I'll take care of him. What you've got to do is cut the hamstring on the back of his leg right at the bottom. He'll never play golf again, because his weight displacement goes back, all his weight is on his right foot, and he'll push everything off to the right. He'll never come through on anything. He'll quit the game.

That would work.

I'll call you if I need help.

**Shorty** · June 2, 2009

1. He is a stickler for the rules. He tries to call a penalty even if there is nothing wrong with what the person does(for exampe i tap in from 1 inch last year(thinking the putt should have been given in the first place) and he tries to call me on it). This stuff gets into my head how can i combat that.

Don't tap in. You would be playing out of turn. If he's going to be a jerk, mark it from one inch if need be. Use his attitude to your advantage. You don't need to "cream" him. That proves nothing. Just stay positive and maintain focus. Don't use the new irons. Finally, the best thing about match play is that a bad hole shouldn't do your head in. You start again on the next tee. You aren't scoring for 18 holes.

xringx · June 2, 2009

While I don’t have any golf experience in terms of tourneys and such, I have decades of pool tourneys, gambling etc...

Best advice, your not playing the man but the course....what he says and does should have nothing to do with what you do or how you do it...

Stick to the rules and you wont have to worry about his little gamesmanship games...

Some tricks I have learned about gamesmanship items that cross to golf might be give him easy putts early in the round, but when things are tight later in the round stop giving him those putts... by giving him 3-5ft putts early in the round, he wont have practice.. and when it counts he could be a little shaky.... I have seen thousands of dollars lost on such a tactic (and I don’t recommend it, just something I have seen)
.

**Uber$winG** · June 2, 2009

While I don’t have any golf experience in terms of tourneys and such, I have decades of pool tourneys, gambling etc...

Except in match play, you are actually playing against the man… in a match.

xringx · June 2, 2009

No you dont, you still play a course, post your best course.. you have no control over the man your playing against...

**Uber$winG** · June 2, 2009

No you dont, you still play a course, post your best course.. you have no control over the man your playing against...

O.K.

Yes, one is always “playing” the course – that is the cosmological constant in this game of golf. Now, I don’t want to turn this into a polemics match, but one does have a degree of control over one's competitor, e.g., you can allow him to “pick-up” or you can make him putt everything.

**Shorty** · June 2, 2009

No you dont, you still play a course, post your best course.. you have no control over the man your playing against...

This thread is about MATCH play.

You have to focus on what the other person is doing. He hits a poor drive - you alter your strategy. If you are in a bad position on a hole you take a risk that you would never take in stroke play. Etc etc.

**tjy355** · June 2, 2009

1. He is a stickler for the rules. He tries to call a penalty even if there is nothing wrong with what the person does(for exampe i tap in from 1 inch last year(thinking the putt should have been given in the first place) and he tries to call me on it). This stuff gets into my head how can i combat that.

Don't tap in. You would be playing out of turn. If he's going to be a jerk, mark it from one inch if need be. Use his attitude to your advantage.

No penalty for playing out of turn but he can make you replay the stroke. If he doesn't concede the 1" putt, make sure you mark it with the biggest fattest most distracting coin you can find.

3. ... Considering ill practice ...

Don't practice when you are ill. That can be counter productive.

**Three Putt** · June 2, 2009

If he bothers you, I'll take care of him. What you've got to do is cut the hamstring on the back of his leg right at the bottom. He'll never play golf again, because his weight displacement goes back, all his weight is on his right foot, and he'll push everything off to the right. He'll never come through on anything. He'll quit the game.

About spit my diet coke on the screen. Timing is everything.

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