Tiger is back ! I must have heard this ten times yesterday as he made a triumphant return to competitive golf at the Accenture World Match Play.
I love match play. It is the only time in golf where it is truly mano-a-mano. In most other sports like tennis, boxing, ufc, basketball, and football athletes play against one competitor. Competitive golf is usually played by score against par, called medal play. In medal tournament play the field plays the golf course. The golfer who has the fewest strokes relative to par wins. In this format, SCORE, is what matters.
Not so in match play. Holes won against your opponent is what matters. Win more holes than your competitor, and you win!
This proposes new strategies for course management and risk taking. Here are three keys to help you succeed in match play. You may not be playing in a World Golf Championship or even a Ryder Cup, but chances are you will tee it up against friends for lunch or a county amateur.
1. Micro matches- Play each hole as a match. The goal is to win each hole not break par. Play the man not the course. Win the hole with a par, birdie, bogey, or whatever you need to beat your opponent.
2. Value of one- If you make a triple bogey and your opponent makes a birdie you only lose one hole, not 4 strokes like in medal play. Keep fighting!
3. Agile Strategy- It is important to have a game plan to attack each hole. However, be flexible to adjust that game plan as circumstances change. For example, If your opponent hits it out-of-bounds then you may want to change clubs off of the tee to ensure putting the ball in the fairway giving you an advantage to winning the hole. Conversely, you may want to take a risk not normally taken if the reward will save or win the hole. The key here is THINK and ADAPT.
Watch the tournament this weekend and find these keys evident in thier matches. Implement them in your saturday nassau and enjoy the spoils of victory!