Match Play: Rules - Strategy - Tactics - Mindset
While stroke play is by far the most popular form of competition in modern golf, match play still peeks through at some very important golf events. All of the USGA's individual amateur championships are played in this format. As for the professional golfing world match play events consist of the Accenture Match Play Championship, the Ryder Cup, and the Solheim cup. But what exactly is different between stroke play and match play: Rules, strategy, tactics, and mindset.
Rules:
- Stroke Play: Teeing off outside the teeing ground equals a two stroke penalty and must retee
- Match Play: No penalty exists, except a player may require their opponent to retee inside the teeing ground
- Stroke Play: Playing out of turn recieves no penalty, unless both players involved played out of turn to give one of them an advantage (both are disqualified in this case). Many times you will also see a player putt out while others are still away.
- Match Play: The player who is away is always allowed to play first. If a player plays out of turn, the opponent can force that player to rehit the shot with no penalty.
Another area of difference is in the penalty situations. If one breaks the rules it generally costs a player two strokes in stroke play and incurs a loss of hole in match play.
Strategy:
This boils down to the overall game you decide for the match. It could mean you go for every par-5 green in two shots, or take dead aim at each pin. Nick O'Hern, who has beaten Tiger Woods twice in match play, ignores what his oppnent is doing the front nine and focuses on what his stroke play score would be instead. Once he is on the 10th tee he switches his mindest to that of match play.
Tactics:
This invovles the individual choices a player makes during the course of a match. Sometimes the second player will leave a tee shot shorter than their opponent to be able to put the pressure on by having the first shot into the green. Also remember to plan a tactic based off what the opponent has already done instead of thinking what they might do.
Mindset:
Often times players will hold back during stroke play and are patient during a round. This luxury is not afforded to those in match play. When playing in a match play event you shold be aggressive, without being reckless. You will also need the mental skill to close out the opponent, something many professionals and amateurs struggle with as well.
Match play was the original form of competition and always provides some of the most entertaining golf we see today.
Get ready for your next match play even with one of our innvoative golf nets at Rukket.com!
