Gamesmanship

Dictionary.com defines gamesmanship as:

The use in a sport or game of aggressive, often dubious tactics, such as psychological intimidation or disruption of concentration, to gain an advantage over one’s opponent.

The singles matches in the Presidents Cup take place tomorrow, while the Seve Trophy is being contested in Europe. The Seve Trophy is named after one of the greatest gamesmen of all time: Severiano Ballesteros. Ballesteros was (in)famous for developing a rather severe cough during past Ryder Cups.

Gamesmanship, though not covered by the rules except in rare cases (i.e. extremely poor etiquette can earn a disqualification and giving wrong information can earn penalties), skirts the boundaries of decent human behavior and “win at all costs” behavior.

Furthermore, gamesmanship can backfire, stoking the competitive fire of your opponent. I typically laugh off any attempts at gamesmanship, personally, and vow even more to beat the snot out of the guy who would be so foolish as to try a lame little trick.

Number Five: Conceding Putts
Gamesmanship experts often say that you should concede short putts – those nittly little two-footers – early in a match when there’s less pressure to make them, then take away that privilege later in the match. Your opponent, not having made a short putt all day due to the concessions, will feel more stress to make the putt. That stress is only compounded due to the late status of the match. This tactic is far more effective on poor putters, clearly, though the two foot range can be extended slightly for better putters with bad mental approaches to match play. As with all tactics, use this one at your own risk – conceding putts early doesn’t guarantee later short misses, but it certainly takes away the opportunity for early short misses (since you’re conceding everything).

Number Four: Know the Rules
And comment on them, frequently. It’s not considered giving advice to advise a player on rules situations. In partner play, a partner cannot stand on the line of play (particularly when putting) while a stroke is being made. Point this out. If a ball goes near a tree-line, insist that the guy hit a provisional, even if you’re quite certain they’ll find the ball. If their ball is in the bunker, remind the player that they can’t ground their club. Essentially, the goal here is simply to make them think about something other than the shot at hand, to make them question a shot they just hit, or to interrupt their normal flow. There’s no need to comment on rules all day long, but a few well-timed comments late in the match may come in handy now and then.

Number Three: Disrupt the Flow
Whether it’s taking an inordinately long time in the restroom or walking very quickly to your ball (or very slowly), disrupt the flow of the match as much as possible. Take a long time assessing your tee shot to a par three, tossing grass in the air five or six times. Choose a different club a few times. Or get to the green really early, but don’t pull the pin. Don’t play out of turn, but go through your pre-shot routine while your opponent is going through his, and play your shot as soon as his ball stops moving. Then get to your ball quickly.

A player who is thinking about “what is this guy doing?” is not thinking about the golf shot he needs to play next. If he feels rushed or delayed, he’ll be thinking about being rushed or delayed. You cannot, under the rules, unduly hold up play, but the rules do allow you to spend as much time in the restroom as you like.

Number Two: Give “Bad” Information
Though it’s against the rules to give “wrong” or “false” information, there are not rules against telling your caddy “that ¾ 8-iron was just the shot” when you, in fact, hit a hard 7-iron. Obviously, you’ll want to say it loud enough for your opponent to hear, but not loud enough so that it’s obvious you’re trying to let him hear it. This tactic is most effective against someone that plays a similar game to you. If you hit a 7-iron as far as he hits his pitching wedge (or vice versa), your club choice will have little or no impact on his decision-making.

Number One: Comment on their Game
If your opponent blades a shot and gets lucky, say “I like how you ran that ball up onto the green. Very Scottish of you… nice shot.” He’ll spend at least a little time wondering if you even know how the game of golf should be played. “That should be okay” as their ball heads towards the trees can be equally unnerving.

Commenting on the results of a swing may work, but the deadliest weapon is commenting on the swing itself. Imagine hearing this from an opponent: “Wow, it’s incredible how you hit that beautiful high draw from such a laid off position at the top of the backswing.” If you’re weak-willed, you’ll think about that the rest of the round. If you’re mentally tough, you might think about it for a hole or two. Only the mentally strongest folks can immediately shirk a comment like that.

Just Missed the Cut
Cough – Don’t cough during a swing – that’s just childish – but a well-timed “gag” type cough may put thoughts into your opponent’s head at a critical moment in the match.

Point out the Obvious – “There is OB left on this hole” or “Quite a downhiller you’ve left yourself!” can rattle a lot of people.

Talk Trash – If you win the first hole, tell your caddie that this match is going to be a breeze loud enough for your opponent to hear. If you have two putts from ten feet, talk about how easily you will have won the hole. If you sink a good putt, whoop and holler. If your opponent finds the bunker, say “ooh, that’s gotta hurt!” There’s a fine line between trash talking and just being a prick, and most people cross the line more frequently than they should. So, be careful.

Final Warning
Gamesmanship is a two-edged sword. As I’ve said, anyone attempting to give me any crap simply serves to increase my focus and my desire to beat them. Furthermore, the gamesman is often too busy thinking about gamesmanship to play his own game. One of the primary purposes of gamesmanship is to distract a player, and oftentimes that player is the one dishing out the gamesmanship.

One last word of caution: gamesmanship may win you a match or two, but it won’t win you any friends.