1st ever singles match

hi all
just seen the draw for the 1st round of my 1st ever singles matchplay.
ive been drawn against a 7 handicapper who is new to our club.
any seasoned competitors got any advice on what is the best way to approach this game?

Hi slater
play your own game and play the course and don't think about him or how he plays if you do it will affect you game. you will have almost a shot a hole so use the extra shots your handicap gives you. the pressure is on him not you.
cheers
bill

Play the percentage game, keep away from hero shots especially where your opponent has just hit a bad one. If he hits OOB make sure yours is steadily on the fairway, if he is in the water make sure you lay up or hit long, when he putts see and learn how his ball rolls and make allowances for fast or slow greens. Leave your opponent to pressurise himself and as Bill said play the course nice and safe.

Oh! and never give up.

I've just been drawn against a 15 handicap for our singles matchplay.

What are the R&A doing? FULL DIFFERENCE???!

I gotta give the guy 10 shots! I've got to be looking at shooting birdie better than every other hole to have a realistic chance!

I'm a 5, not a +5! The bonus is I've been drawn against the same guy in the scratch matchplay. You're mine, sunshine!

Believe me Slats, he will have to play one hell of a game to beat you. Do what you do, and no silly shots. Make your next shot easier and he won't have a chance mate.

__________________
Luke: I don't believe it!
Yoda: That is why you fail.

Cheers guys
im liking the sound of this now

Neil

I couldn't believe it either when I heard about the rule change. I've been drawn to play a 19 h/c in my knockout comp. What makes it worse is my opponent shot a gross 81 in the 1st comp of the year, it was a non-counter as it was placing on the fairways so he won't get pulled.

Not so Neil, or at least not according to the SGU "Myths & Misconceptions" article from which the following extract comes.....









Numerous researchers and golfing bodies including the United States Golf Association, English Golf Union and Scottish Golf Union have investigated the relative merits of full versus three-quarters difference in handicap.

All of these independent pieces of research have come to a single conclusion – full difference between the handicaps of the two players is clearly the more equitable allowance.

A Scottish Golf Union survey covering 4000 handicap singles matches showed:

¾ Diff. Full Diff.
Matches won by lower handicap player 61% 55%
Matches won by the higher handicap player 39% 45%

From the above it can be seen that even when conceding full difference the lower handicap player retains an advantage.

To further explore the significant advantage given to the lower handicap player by limiting the handicap allowance in match play to ¾ of the difference in handicaps, a handicap match play event with a large entry was analysed in detail.

The following table tracks the representation, and hence performance of players in respect to Handicap Category at various stages of the competition.


Err due to my inability to insert the table here's the link to the full article.

http://www.scottishgolfunion.org/ind...TOKEN=95724346

__________________
And, Brian, it's still not the Pope.

hi Davie
its really hard when playing of such low numbers as you are. there is no room for error, there are on most courses 3 or 4 hard holes that make it hard for you to get -1 or -2 on those holes but someone playing of 12 or 14 has a couple of easy holes he gets a shot and if he plays to handicap he always has a chance at par on an easy par 4 or a par 3 and thats hard to beat.
i do remember how easy it is when playing of 4 to get into thinking, he has a shot here i have to make 12 par,s to match his handicap and its so easy to lose playing that way.
cheers
bill

__________________
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top flight "T" golf balls

this 'full difference' as opposed to the normal3/4 , when did this come into effect? because i always end up losing out to a lower h/capper.
anyway, back to the original question, having played lots of match play, albiet in pairs comps , don't panic if you go 2 or 3 shots down there will be plenty of chances to get even , and don't get too complacent if you go 2 or 3 up !! good luck

Mmmm! Handicaps are there for the purpose of creating a level playing field between golfers irrespective of their skill. So it seems to me that full difference is the correct procedure.

I know it seems difficult for low handicappers but the 3/4 system was sometimes hard for higher handicappers. I know when I started playing and was drawn against say a 5 HC, I may have had say 12 shots but sometimes depending on the stroke index you may not get a shot until the 4th or 5th hole and by then be under a lot of pressure.

In my match play experience, where shots are to be given, the higher capper is the one generally holding the aces...

Slats, just keep your ball in play and don't put any undue pressure on yourself in trying to match him off the tee or around the course.

On those holes where he has to give you a shot, you are already in a position to win the hole. Hit that 3 wood of yours down the guts and put the pressure on your opponent.

Expect him to make good shots all day, then you won't feel any additional pressure should he actually do so.

Play within yourself. No "glory" shots if the hole or match is still alive.

Bottom line, above all else, just go out there and enjoy yourself regardless of the result.

Good luck. Looking forward to your match report...

Cheers


Footnote: Did I mention that I beat a fellow off 4 off the stick over the weeekend.

__________________
Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe....

hi slater
how often do you play to par with your handicap, i know i can play to my handicap or better eight out of ten times on my course. but i also know its harder and more pressure to play to par if your off 4 as you cant make up for mistakes the same.
play your game and see it he can make par with his handicap you will be suprised how many time it the hight handicapper playing to his handicap that wins.
best of luck
bill

thanks scraggs
im having a rehearsal with my pairs partner tomorrow who also plays off 7 should give me an idea what to expect!
no glory shots from me just nice and steady down the middle


congrats on the win

cheers bill
not played to my handicap for a little while but got plenty of practice lined up so will get back in the groove pretty soon

One other thing, Slats, whilst I think of it...

Don't discount the pressure that your opponent well might be feeling....

Reasonably or not, the expectation to win is on him...

(Isn't that why they give strokes to balance up..??)

This means you are free to just play your game.

During my club match play knock out, I beat the 2 guys who had to give me strokes and the guy I had to give strokes to beat me.

In fact (and I'd have to check to be certain) I think in all but 3 of the 14 matches played, the higher capper won the day.

Our game does some strange things to our mind, the pressures (real or perceived) that we feel can and often do effect our swing mechanics.

I feel it is more a test of character and sportsmanship than a game.

Also I would suggest you brush up on the rules, would hate to see a match decided by a simple rules interpretation error. It might sound trivial to say so, but, if you don't already, carry a rule book and don't be afraid to refer to it if (and I seriously hope it won't) an issue arises.

Again, best of luck...

Cheers

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Every time a golfer makes a birdie, he must subsequently make two triple bogeys to restore the fundamental equilibrium of the universe....