Matchplay guidance

Sorbet

So I have my first matchplay match ever coming up in my club😳. Entered the singles. While I’ve watched the Ryder & Solheim cups and have a general idea on how it goes I’ve never played a matchplay so would appreciate any tips, particularly in rules and etiquette. E.g. have to strictly observe who’s next shot based on distance from the hole etc. Thanks

prawnsambo

If you rake your shot out of turn, you can be made take it again. Depends on your opponent.

Make sure you know the rules of golf. Don't tee up in front of the tee markers. When taking relief make sure you take full relief. Time yourself and your opponent when looking for lost balls.

But mostly just enjoy it. It's fun.

bobster453

Give tiddler putts when you are out of the hole, give nothing when you are still in the hole.

Be straight with your shots even if it means a club less, approach shots matter and being short gives you a chance to be on the green first.

Bogeys, even double bogeys can and will win holes so get it back in play after a stray shot.Its never over til its over.

Enjoy it, the purest form of golf and great craic.

Sorbet

Thanks. Stupid question, do I complete a scorecard or is just down to the two people to monitor 1 up etc and then post the result afterwards?

spacecoyote

Worth Keeping a card to track the score in the match. Removes any risk of a dispute.

Your club should have a board up presumably where you just write up the winner in the next available round slot

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123424628#Comment_123424628

A lot of that is done on computer these days. Any club with Handicap Master software has the facility for members to input matchplay results on the computer or their phones.

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123424595#Comment_123424595

You don't need to keep a card with strokes on it, nor get it signed, nor hand a card in at the end.

But worth having a card to track hole wins, just put a + for a win, a - for a loss and a o for a half.

Sorbet

Thanks. I’m the higher handicap, so as I understand it we compare playing handicap and take his from mine to give me say 5 shots and then I get a shot in index 1-5. Is this something we just work out ourselves and agree on the first tee or would it be similar to a regular stableford comp in the weekend where you’ll get your playing handicap from the computer on a sticker.

Does the lower handicap tee off first on the first and then just with whoever won the last hole?

awec

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123424902#Comment_123424902

You don't sign in on the computer, you need to work out your handicap manually.

Calculate your playing handicap, their playing handicap, and then I think singles match play is 100% of the difference.

You should be able to see their handicap index on master scoreboard if your club uses it, it's worth calculating the handicap in advance and then just agreeing rather than trying to do the calculation on the first tee.

Correct on the tee order.

blue note

Don't make a mistake of thinking that matchplay is different from stroke or stableford in terms of strategy. 99% of what you do should be the same. If there's a par 4 that you usually play as a par 5 - play it that way. If you've a shot on a par 4 don't think you should now start playing it as a par 5.

The odd time you should change it slightly - if you've a 10 footer for a half, aim to leave it 10 inches past the hole instead of dead. If it's a 20 footer, once you start thinking about not leaving it short that's when you start hitting it too hard to have a chance of going in. Play it at your normal pace and hope for the best.

And as others have said - remember that anything can happen on a hole. 4 putts are far from uncommon, we duff shots, shank them, thin them. If a hole looks lost, keep trying until it actually is (within reason).

Trampas

Don’t overthink things. Just because a player hits a good shot doesn’t mean you feel you need to go for yours. Just play your normal game and if anything play the % shot than a hero shot. If you’ve a 10 on a hole it’s just a lost of hole and not a card destroyer

jarrieta

Apart from the valuable advice given above I would add that you should play your game, don't try difficult shots even if you adversary is in advantage, they could thin or fat a shot and lose the advantage, but if you lost your ball or put yourself in trouble… (obviously if they are on the green or have an easy enough chip you will need to adjust)

Edit: More or less the same that @Trampas said, sorry, I was editing before refreshing the page

ChippingSodbury

A couple of things:

Get agreement on the score while walking off each green i.e. "I win that hole, you took 5, I had a 4 with a shot. That makes the me 1up" or whatever. If there is any doubt, discuss it there and then and count back both of your shots.

There is no compulsion on you to concede putts, no matter how short they are. The way I think about it is if there's >99% chance of him getting the putt, I'll concede it. That chance of him missing is different if the putt is for a win or for a half too: most of the time, there is a slightly smaller chance of missing a short putt for a half than there is of missing the corresponding putt for a win, therefore the putts I concede are slightly longer for a half than those for a win!!

If you are conceding a putt, make sure that your signal/ words are clear: you can't "un-concede" a putt once you've conceded it. On the other hand, if your opponent "reasonably assumes" that you've conceded a putt when you haven't, then they should replace the ball under no penalty. (if it is not a reasonable assumption on their part, then they should replace the ball and take a 1 shot penalty!). If you or your opponent putt a conceded putt and it misses, it doesn't matter because it has already been conceded. https://www.nationalclubgolfer.com/rules/concession-golf-rule/

prawnsambo

Always check your opponents lie in the rough. They could be closer to the hole than you, but if it's a bad lie, you have the advantage and just need to play within yourself and not try and kill it to match what you think they can do.

spacecoyote

This guy generally gives good practical advice rather than technical advise around golfing, wrote a couple of good books. The algorithms must be listening to boards threads I've looked at as it popped up on my YouTube feed:

https://youtu.be/Ui1nesfRi-I?si=c7Cv3nK2G2GH9p07

Haven't watched the video yet, but he usually gives quite sensible stuff out

BraveDonut

Chances are you will throw away holes - don't let that get in on you, it will happen.

Chances are your opponent will throw away holes too!

prawnsambo

Most important one. If you get ahead, don't let up. Keep your foot on their throat and don't give them a chance. If you lose a hole, do your damndest to win the next one or at least half it.

Rikand

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123434251#Comment_123434251

This is it in a nutshell for me.

I'll be nice and friendly outwardly but in my own mind all I'm thinking about it is getting up on top of the guy, ripping off his head and sh!tting down his neck.

Sorbet

Thanks all for all the advice. Played my match tonight. Enjoyed it. Front 9 went well with a few wins either way and turned the front 9 level. Then hit a bad spell and if anyone had a foot on the throat it was him on me and sadly lost on the 15th. A lot of learnings and look forward to the next time! Thanks again all!

willabur

some good advice here, but also some bad advice.

You absolutely should adjust your strategy depending on what your opponent does. What they do has a massive influence in what you do, sometimes it should determine what you do. E.g. I played a matchplay last week, our opponents knocked down their tee shot and were in poor position taking their third. We were in an ideal position of the fairway to attack the pin, I hit a very conservative shot to the back of the green guaranteeing we were putting with the next shot and we won with a par.

Par 3, do you go for the flag or do you go for the fat part of the green. Depends on what your opponent does, if they stitch the flag then you need to be aggressive, If they are short sided or in a bunker or in trouble then you play for the fat of the green.

If you go and play your own game and play your own strategy it might work, especially if you are ahead and teeing off first. If you get into the lead then keep the foot down, it works etc. But I have played alot of matchplay over the years and really you are playing the person far more than the course. I have been beaten by way worse golfers than me because they played me and likewise I have taken down lads I should have no hope against because I played him far more than the course

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123424572#Comment_123424572

Don’t be a dick about conceding putts. A gimme is a gimme. We had a mixed inter club match yesterday. We were asked to hole out four times from 14 inches or less. You don’t lose to opponents like that.

bobster453

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123507981#Comment_123507981

Did you win?

Sorbet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123466233#Comment_123466233

sadly not 👆but better effort than I would have without the advice!

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123509724#Comment_123509724

Yes. There was no way we were losing to a pair like that who had no respect for the values of the game.

prawnsambo

You should never concede a putt if it's to win the hole.

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511070#Comment_123511070

That’s nonsense. Are you telling me you would ask someone to sink a putt from less than a foot?

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511262#Comment_123511262

Yep.

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511273#Comment_123511273

Seek help if that’s what it means to you.

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511278#Comment_123511278

Very judgey aren't you? Maybe you should seek help.

downthemiddle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511295#Comment_123511295

The day I ask someone to sink a putt inside a foot I will. Golf is a game of honour and integrity, something that we are meant to play for enjoyment. Part of that is respecting your opponent. When you play a match you represent your club as well as yourself. From my long experience of playing inter club golf most opponents are decent and respectful.

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123511442#Comment_123511442

I'll add pompous to judgmental so.