10 Top Tips for Match Play Success

Introduction

Hey, welcome back to the channel. Now this is episode 5 of my weekly wedge series. If you’ve missed any of the previous episodes then you can find them over on my channel or by hitting the link in the description below which will take you straight to the playlist. With the new golf season just around the corner, one thing I am particularly looking forward to is playing match play events. It’s something that I’ve enjoyed over the past few years, and I thought for this week’s video I would share 10 of my top tips based on my own personal experience of playing match play. Now obviously I’m just sharing my own personal tips based on my experience, but if you’ve got any other tips that aren’t covered in this video that you think people would love to know, then make sure you drop them in the comments area below. And, as you’re there, be sure to hit those like and subscribe buttons if you haven’t already done so.

Tip 1: Be Aggressive from the Outset

Tip number one is to be aggressive from the outset. When I play match play, I tend to opt to use my driver more than I do other clubs because what I’m looking to do is get the ball as far down the hole as possible and I don’t like to try and hold back. So, if I’m playing stroke play for example, on our first hole in my home club, I’ll usually play an iron to the center of the fairway which leaves about 120 yards into the green with my approach shot. However, when I’m playing match play, I’m playing one hole at a time and I’m not trying to protect a score or play in a wider competition, so I’ll always opt for the driver on this hole to give myself as good a chance as possible of getting way further up the fairway and just leaving a short wedge into the green. Now in that hole there is a bit more danger, but it generally makes more sense when you’re playing match play and playing one hole at a time to be a lot more aggressive where possible. I also think it signals your intent to your opponent from the outset. If you’re standing there with an iron in hand and you’re looking to play safe, your opponent is going to be all too aware that you’re maybe not feeling confident or comfortable and they’re going to capitalize. So on that first hole just make sure you grab the driver. Of course, obviously if it’s a par three that’s probably not going to be a sensible choice, but be aggressive from the outset.

Tip 2: Play Smart

Tip number two: play smart. Now although in tip number one I talked about being aggressive from the get-go, it doesn’t mean that you need to be reckless. If for example you’re playing and you notice that your opponent is maybe in trouble, let’s say for example on a par five they have put their ball out of bounds off the tee, then capitalize on this. Make sure you pick a club that’s going to keep your ball in play. It’s going to put so much more pressure on your opponent if they know they need to find the fairway with their third shot off the tee because you’re already on there with your second shot. Again, when you’re trying to putt to the green, if you’ve got an extra couple of strokes to play with either through extra strokes that you’ve been given or the fact that your opponent is out of play, then just make sure you can get to that green in regulation and give yourself every chance of winning the hole. If they’ve lost a ball from the tee, that is the perfect opportunity for you to be smart and make sure you get your ball into play.

Tip 3: Always Practice Your Putting

Tip number three: make sure you practice your putting. Now if you are playing a hole early on in your round and your opponent gives you the putt, let’s say for example it’s a couple of foot away and they say “yeah, just pick up, that’s good,” always pick up, but then put the ball back down and practice a couple of putts to that hole. I specifically remember the first time I qualified for the knockout stages of the Club Championship and the opponent I was playing gave me two two to three-foot putts in the first two holes. By the time I got to the third hole, I then had a putt of just over one foot and I was ready to pick my ball up because I expected to be given it. However, my opponent didn’t give me the putt. I didn’t really think about this but I managed to miss the putt and he won the hole. And for the next two or three holes, all I could think about was the fact that he had given me the two putts in the earlier holes and then for some reason hadn’t given me on that hole there. And this was obviously part of his plan because what he had done is he’d made me play two holes without having done any putting, and then when the opportunity came up to make me a little bit worried over a putt, he took the opportunity and I missed. So something that I have always done since is if I’m given a putt, I’ll always drop the ball after the hole has been finished and I’ll make a few putts from that point just to keep the putter going and to practice those putts. So this is something that completely caught me off guard. I didn’t think people would play like this or do this, but this is something that happens quite a lot. So in the future if you’re playing and you’re given a putt, just make sure you pick the ball up and then put it back down and make a couple of strokes from that location.

Tip 4: Make Your Opponent Putt Everything

Tip number four: make your opponent putt everything. Now when you’re playing match play, generally what will happen is if a putt is sitting just next to the hole or within a putter grip’s length, then usually your opponent or you to your opponent will give the putt because it’s often not going to be missed. However, sometimes you’re playing people, they will make you hole everything out, and some people you play will be fairly generous with these putts. When I play match play, something I’ve learned over the years is always just make the player putt it out unless it really is a putt that they just cannot miss, because often if you’re playing other amateur golfers, they can easily miss putts within one to two foot, especially if they’re not concentrating. The way I now view it when I play match play is if I think I have a possibility of missing that putt, I’m going to make my opponent putt it. Now it may seem a bit awkward, it may seem a bit unfriendly, but especially if you’re giving your opponent strokes already, say for example they have a higher handicap, then you need to take advantage of every opportunity you can of them missing some putts and giving you some points. So where possible if you’re playing just make them see it out. Obviously if the ball’s sitting on the edge of the cup and they really cannot miss it then you’re not going to make them putt that, but if it’s outside of one to two foot and you think there’s a chance of them missing, especially if there’s a bit of break on that putt or if it’s downhill, then make them see it out and make them earn that half or that hole.

Tip 5: Forget Your Mistakes and Move On

Number five is to forget your mistakes and move on. When you’re playing stroke play events, it’s quite easy to get frustrated knowing that that 10 on the par three you’ve just made has dropped you seven shots off of the pace and is potentially going to ruin your chance of either getting a cut or winning that Saturday medal. But when you’re playing match play, you really are playing hole by hole, so that big number on the previous hole, although it may have resulted in you losing the hole, it should not matter because you’re going to move on and start a fresh from the next hole. It’s really easy when you’re playing to get bogged down on making mistakes, losing golf balls, or for maybe finding the bunker when you shouldn’t have and losing a hole, but you need to forget it and you need to then move on to the next hole with a fresh outlook on that hole, otherwise it’s just going to compound the error. So you’ll just move on from one hole to the next feeling down, feeling upset, and the chances are you’re probably going to start losing more holes. So if you have a bad hole and you lose it, forget about it, move on to the next hole, regroup, and hopefully go ahead and win that point back.

Tip 6: Play Your Own Game

Tip number six is to play your own game. Now it’s quite easy when you’re playing one-on-one match play to see what your opponent do and try to follow. They might take the driver off a tee when you normally only have three-wood or an iron. They may take an iron when you’ve got a driver in hand. Don’t allow what they’re doing to dictate how you play your round. If you’ve got a game plan, stick to it. You may need to divert a little bit depending on what the score is like, but don’t let what they’re doing dictate what you’re going to do. If you are comfortable with hitting a seven iron and you catch that they’re hitting an eight iron or they’ve gone a little bit long or short or whatever, just stick with the club that you have initially chosen. Don’t doubt yourself, don’t deviate from your plan just because they’re doing something different. Stick to what you know.

Tip 7: Know Where Your Strokes are Coming From

Tip number seven: know where your strokes are coming from. If you are lucky enough to gain strokes on your opponent, make sure you mark those on the scorecard so that you know exactly which hole you are getting an advantage on. You don’t want to play the hole and then find out that actually you could have been more aggressive because you were given a stroke, because you simply didn’t make sure of this before you played. So make sure when you start your round off, grab a scorecard, mark on there where you’re getting strokes. If you are giving strokes to your opponent, it’s also worth noting on there which holes they are getting that stroke on. They likely won’t tell you when they’re teeing off that they get a stroke in that hole, and there’s nothing worse than when you complete a hole and you think you’ve halved it or indeed won it, only to find that you’ve actually lost or halved that hole because they were getting an extra stroke. Also, if you are giving away strokes, keep an eye on which holes they are. If they’re coming early in the round, that might be your opportunity to be a lot more aggressive because you know you’re giving strokes on those holes. If you’re the recipient of strokes and there may be coming later on in the round, then you might want to play a little bit more conservatively knowing that you can be more aggressive later when those strokes come into play, but either way just make sure that you know when you’re getting or giving strokes.

Tip 8: Aim to Hole Every Putt or Chip Shot

Tip number eight: aim to hole every putt or chip shot. Now I’ve mentioned earlier about being aggressive when you play match play and it’s so so important when you’re on or around the greens. Don’t worry like you maybe do in stroke play when you’re trying to preserve a score about getting the ball close to the hole. When you’re playing match play, you need to be aggressive and you need to be trying to hole all of these putts or chip shots out. There is nothing better than if you chip in or you hole a long putt when you’re playing match play and put the pressure back onto your opponent. You’re not trying to protect the score in match play, you’re trying to win the hole, so give yourself every opportunity with the flat stick or with your wedge because if the ball doesn’t reach a hole it cannot go in, and in match play that is a big big mistake. So remember to be aggressive on the green or around the greens.

Tip 9: Slow Down or Speed Up Depending on Your Opponent

Tip number nine is to either slow down or speed up depending on your opponent. Now I’m not really one for generally playing mind games with people especially during match play, it’s not really what I’m into, but one thing I do normally do is I’ll have a look at how my opponent is moving and I’ll try to do the opposite. So if my opponent is quite slow and methodical in everything to do either pre-shot during the shot or when they’re walking between holes, I will purposely try to speed things up. So if I notice they’re walking really slowly, I’ll speed up that a little bit to try and get them to move quicker. Likewise if they are very very quick at doing things, I’ll purposely try and just slow things down. So it might be that I take longer between holes, it might be that I, you know, stop a little bit more often to check my yardages or maybe make a couple of extra practice swings. And all I’m doing there is just trying to knock their rhythm out of time. Now it’s one of these things, I don’t like really playing mind games, but this is something that I do quite often when I play match play and I’ve definitely found that I have seen a change in my opponent after I’ve started to do it. So it’s not too difficult, just assess how they’re moving, what they’re doing, and then just try to do the opposite.

Tip 10: Never Give Up

The final tip, number 10, is to make sure you never give up. Now you’re probably taught this in anything you do in life, but it is so so true when it comes to match play. The match really isn’t over until that final putt has gone in and you have either won or conceded the match. What you’ll find in match play is it will move from player to player, the momentum shifts quite easily, and even if you’re maybe three or four down with only five holes to play, you’re not out of it yet. All it takes is for your opponent to have one bad hole that can easily carry over to the next. You can get a bit of momentum on side. There might be some holes coming up where you get strokes or there may be holes that you tend to play quite well and you can have every opportunity to turn the match around and win. You’ve also got to remember if you are up in the match heading into the last few holes, you need to remain focused because it isn’t over until the end and it’s quite easy to become quite complacent if you have a rather sizable lead. So just keep plugging away, keep thinking your shots through, keep trying to avoid making mistakes, remain aggressive if you have to until that final putt is sunk.

Conclusion

So there you have it, those are my top 10 tips for match play success. Of course those are just based on my own personal experience of playing match play, but if you’ve got any other tips I’ve maybe missed from this video, be sure to drop them in the comments area below so that other people can benefit from them. If you enjoyed this tip video and you’re looking for some tips to help you reduce your handicap, why not check out this video?