tips for playing against somebody better than you?

[James_Black]

Tomorrow I'm playing with a friend who's off 8, I'm playing really good lately and I could break 80.
we'll prob play matchplay, any ideas on how to beat him?
Do I play aggressive or safe?

[FHopper]

What an interesting concept, I have never played against anyone in my life. I have played with a lot of people an someone always plays better than others but "beat, "win", have never been in my vocabulary. No diss intended it is just my reaction to your chosen words. Have a great round and good luck.
How is this; every time you make a shot that is better than he expects out of you, say "Hmm just like the book said!", and when he asks you what book just ignore his question.

[Quinn07]

My suggestion to you is to play your game. I am assuming your HDCP is not 21 if you are shooting in the mid-eighties. So make sure the strokes you get on holes count! I find when I am trying to beat someone and concentrate on the number, I tend to struggle. You have to play the player sometimes, however if you can concentrate on your game you might be able to pull out a "W".

[RIduffer]

Tomorrow I'm playing with a friend who's off 8, I'm playing really good lately and I could break 80.

What an interesting concept, I have never played against anyone in my life. I have played with a lot of people an someone always plays better than others but "beat, "win", have never been in my vocabulary. No diss intended it is just my reaction to your chosen words. Have a great round and good luck.

Match play is alot of fun, whether it's in a league or just a casual round. If you take a triple-bogey it doesn't ruin your whole round because you play by the hole. It also forces you to change your strategy for different circumstances.

I generally find that my mistakes in match play are a result of paying too much attention to my opponent. Just play your game and don't let up if you take the lead...bury him or he'll come back and bite you!

[Gareth]

DON'T TRY AND BEAT HIM!!!!! As has been mentioned, play YOUR game! Relax, you're in the best position of being the underdog.

This person is the one under pressure, i assume you're playing to HC? Thus he has to give you strokes on holes in relation to the stroke index. Its far easier for you to hit par and be 1 under for your HP, than for him to make birdie when you make par to levell the hole, right? Thats where you have the upper hand.

Enjoy the round, and learn from watching him. More often than not, the lower handicappers are happy to give advice. It feeds there ego. :)

Enjoy your round

Gareth

[James_Black]

no handicaps in this game, handicaps in matchplay are stupid

[Gareth]

In that case you will lose. The handicap system is there for a reason.

It like asking a 10 year old to play trivial Pursuit when you've had a lifetime of education.

Out of interest how has this game come about? Is he a work collegue?

[DaSportsGuy]

Just play your game and don't let up if you take the lead...bury him or he'll come back and bite you!

Good advice. The guy I usually play with(against) has a handicap about seven better than mine. This doesn't happen often, but when I do get ahead of him and start pulling away I always fall apart on two or three holes and then he always starts pulling away.

[Shorty]

Tomorrow I'm playing with a friend who's off 8, I'm playing really good lately and I could break 80.

Very odd question.

Play your own game. You will probably find that he is not at all interested in how you play. If you did break 80, he probbaly wouldn't notice and if he did, wouldn't really care too much, especially if, as you say, you are capable of doing it.

[kpaulhus]

Just do what u have been doing. I beat my buddy who plays to a 7 yesterday. I beat him by 5 strokes and was up by 2 holes by the end of the round. At one point I was so consistent off the tee and on the green he kept getting more and more frustrated and I was up 5 holes before he composed himself. Just go have fun.

[RIduffer]

no handicaps in this game, handicaps in matchplay are stupid

Ummm...I think handicaps are precisely what make match play fun. How else can a 15 hcp and a 3 hcp have a close match?

[Fourputt]

no handicaps in this game, handicaps in matchplay are stupid

Huh???? I don't know about over there, but under the USGA system handcaps are designed to be used in match play even more than in stroke play. Courses are ranked hole by hole for match play handicap purposes. How can you say that match play isn't a proper handicap format? You would go heads up against a 2 cap with your 21? You will never win a match with that approach. It's fine if the handicaps are within a few strokes of each other, but when there is a large spread, it isn't fun for either the winner or the loser. In that case NOT using handicaps is stupid.

[James_Black]

Huh???? I don't know about over there, but under the USGA system handcaps are designed to be used in match play even more than in stroke play. Courses are ranked hole by hole for match play handicap purposes. How can you say that match play isn't a proper handicap format? You would go heads up against a 2 cap with your 21? You will never win a match with that approach. It's fine if the handicaps are within a few strokes of each other, but when there is a large spread, it isn't fun for either the winner or the loser. In that case NOT using handicaps is stupid.

If you play somebody that has a handicap of 10 and I'm a 21 I get 11 shots

if I par a hole he has to birdie it to halve it hole since most high handicappers are hot & cold during a round it isn't very fair.

[Shorty]

If you play somebody that has a handicap of 10 and I'm a 21 I get 11 shots

And if you have double bogey he only has to bogey to beat you. It is a totally fair system.

[leezer99]

No heroics... just go for par.

[Fourputt]

If you play somebody that has a handicap of 10 and I'm a 21 I get 11 shots

Low handicappers can go hot and cold too. My cap hovers around 12 most of the time, yet last year I submitted scores from a low of 76 to a high of 94.

You look at it wrong.. you don't get 11 strokes on him, you get one stroke on each of 11 holes (1 - 11 rated handicap holes). If the course is set up right, that means you get a stroke on 6 holes on the front 9 and 5 holes on the back. If either of you wins the match before you have played all of your stroke holes, then you don't get the benefit of those strokes. I've been on both ends of the stroke meter, and I've won and lost both ways. When playing a handicap match, I've found that most matches come down to the last 2 or 3 holes, and many of my clubs matches have to go to extra holes to be settled. On my home course an 11 stroke differential would get strokes on 2 of the last 3 holes (16 is the #2 handicap and 18 is the #6 handicap hole).... if the match is settled before that, you only get the benefit of a 9 stroke differential. As long as you both carry honestly established handicaps, the USGA system is a very good equalizer. I'm not sure how the system works over there, but it should be similar.

[DavidFehertysBike]

Drain putts. Thats the easiest way to take a better ballstriker down. Ive gotten beat by 12, 15 handicaps because i kept them in matches by not getting the ball in the hole.

[Quinn07]

no handicaps in this game, handicaps in matchplay are stupid

This is a pretty ridiculous post then. You may as well just hand your money over at the start. If he plays his handicap you will have to play better then your best round. Good Luck I guess...I hope there isn't much money on the line.