It’s one of the most interesting formats around and while a player might be a superstar when it comes to stroke play, things might suddenly come crashing down as soon as they step into a match play format.
This is something in which the design of the course really shouldn’t impact you. For example, if you were playing at a neutral venue in Memphis, there’s absolutely no advantage to either party. The same can be said about Louisville, or even a university course. The location doesn’t matter in the slightest.
What does matter, according to Bob Mims Memphis, is your attitude. You might not be the best player in the community, and you might not stick to every guideline in the book, but with a few shrewd moves you can report very good match play scores. Bearing this in mind, before you pick up your golf clubs and head to the course this August, take a read of the following tips which might help you in your next match play situation.
Always try and play first
One way to steal the pressure and put it onto the arms of your opponent is to attempt to play first. Obviously, in a lot of situations you don’t have this option, but if you are given the choice from the tee it is something you should take full advantage of.
If you happen to hit a good shot, you have immediately placed all the pressure onto the other player. Even if you hit a poor shot, there is still pressure on them to ensure they take advantage of the situation that has been handed to them.
Always think about the worst case scenario
There’s nothing better than seeing your opponent in a dire situation as you march up the middle of the fairway. At the same time, there’s nothing worse than watching him or her hit a miracle shot that actually puts you on the back foot.
Sure, you can’t control what they pull out of the bag, but you can at least make sure that you always play the most sensible shot. It can be tempting to not take sufficient time over a shot if you think the hole is already won, but for the sake of safety it’s time to sway away from this approach.
Make sure you don’t give up
Following on from the last point, it’s important that you never throw in the towel. If it’s you that seems to be in all sorts of problems, while your opponent has hit a perfect shot down the middle, you shouldn’t look to simply give up.
Even if it means you chipping out, there’s no guarantee that your opponent is going to hit the perfect shot with their next ball. They might go out of bounds for all you know – meaning that your sensible play was vindicated and you scored an unlikely win on the hole when all looked lost.
