Match play is a round of golf with a little more personality. You versus your opponent. Usually played over 18 somewhat more stressful holes.
Unlike stroke play, where every shot eventually gets added to your score that round, match play gives you a fresh start on every hole. You can make a double bogey and win the next hole. You can hit a perfect drive and still lose. And you can watch your opponent hit one 40 yards into the trees and somehow walk away with a par.
That’s match play.
It’s also one of the most fun—and most mentally demanding—ways to play golf. You aren’t just playing the course. You’re playing the person standing next to you.
And most of the time, golf handicaps count. You may be giving strokes to a higher-handicap player, or you may be receiving them. Either way, playing match play with handicaps adds an extra layer of complexity and strategy. Double-check the handicaps before you tee off and mark your card!
Here are five tips to give yourself an edge in your next match.
1. Have a Plan
Don’t just show up and start swinging.
Before the match, think about how you want to play the course. Know where you can be aggressive, where you need to manage risk, and which holes might give you problems.
And know your opponent. If they’re a bomber who loves to take on every pin, you probably shouldn’t try to out-bomb them. Play to your strengths.
Have a strategy. Then stick with it—unless the match situation tells you it’s time to change.
2. Focus on One Hole at a Time
Match play is more of a marathon than a sprint.
Don’t get caught staring at your scorecard after every shot. You’re 2-down! You don’t need to win the next two holes. You’re 2-up! You haven’t won anything yet.
Every hole is its own little contest.
Play the hole in front of you. If you win it, great. If you lose it, forget it and move on. The match can turn in a hurry, which is exactly why there’s no reason to panic early.
Know where things stand in the match. Just don’t let the score blow up your plan.
3. Playing Smart and Getting Beat is Better than Beating Yourself
This might be the most important match-play rule of all:
You don’t have to win every hole. You just have to avoid giving them away.
If your opponent hits it into trouble, don’t join their tea party. If they’re 30 feet from the hole, you don’t necessarily need to fire at a tucked pin. Hit the fairway. Find the green. Two-putt.
Make them beat you.
Sometimes the smartest play is the boring play. And boring pars can be incredibly annoying when your opponent spends all day in the trees trying to pull off miracles.
Of course, if you’re 2-down with three holes to play, the math changes. That’s when you may need to take on some additional risk.
4. Forgive Yourself and Move On
You’re going to make bad decisions.
You’re going to hit bad shots.
You’re going to ask yourself, “What the hell was I thinking?” Or worse yet, “Why wasn’t I thinking?”
Welcome to golf.
The key is not allowing one mistake to become two. Match play rewards players who can reset quickly. Shake off the bad drive. Forget the three-putt. Accept that you just made a boneheaded decision and move on.
The last hole is over.
The next one doesn’t care what happened.
Neither should you.
5. Expect Your Opponent to Make Putts
This one takes some discipline.
Don’t stand over your opponent’s 8-footer thinking, “Please miss.”
Expect it to go in.
Respect their putt. Assume they’re going to make it. Then go make yours.
And whatever you do, don’t start wishing for the miss.
Because Karma is a bitch, and you will eventually answer for every “Miss it!” your mind has ever screamed at a golf ball.
The best match players aren’t necessarily the ones who hit the best shots. They’re the ones who stay patient, manage risk, handle adversity, and make their opponent earn every hole.
So have a plan. Stay patient. Play smart. Forget the bad shots.
And when it comes down to the final hole and everything is tied up, bring it.
Mano e Mano.