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I mentioned in a thread recently that I had to play a chap in our full difference handicap match-play tournament.
Well, the fixture came last Tuesday. The wind was high. Fairways and greens were firm and running. But the sun was out.
16 shots I had to give him. Me off 5 and him playing off 21. 16 shots on 18 holes is quite a large number!
I made a concerted effort to leave my ego at home and resolved to make it as difficult as possible for my opponent, and strive not to make a mistake. No hero shots. Make my next shot easier. Nothing fancy. Hit the fairway, hit the green, see if a putt or two rolls in.
We halved the first in pars (he didn't get a shot there), but from then on I was unstoppable. 1up, 2up, 3up.................. 5up by the turn.
My only "error" came on the 10th. A difficult long par 4 dog-leg left with the strong wind off the left from the tee, then into for the approach. It was the only time I failed to get up and down all day.
That got him back to 4 down (he managed to make a par, net birdie 3. So even if I'd got up and down I'd have still lost the hole
).
He then holes a 20 ft putt from off the green for par, net birdie on 11. I put my wedge approach to 11 ft but above the hole (on the top of a bank a good foot above the cup). Had to hole it for birdie for the half...................and did. I'm glad it went in, because the guy I was playing is renowned for monster come-backs.
I wound up the match on 15. It would have come earlier except for 2 stunning putts from him of around 20 ft each to halve/win the 13th and 14th respectively.
Whilst we were walking back to the clubhouse, I cast my mind back over the round. I'd hit 10 of 15 greens, 9 of 12 fairways and got up and down 4 out of 5 times (only one of which was a tap in gimme - the rest I had to hole). I'd shot -1 for 15 holes.
I think I'm going to approach all my competitive rounds in this manner from now on. The strategy allowed for my misses and always gave me the air of control about myself and my game. Without taking on anything crazy, I didn't give myself a chance to get out of position and drop silly shots, and also didn't knock the wind out of myself.
-1 for 15 holes is the best I've ever played round my current home course, and I didn't feel like I did anything that special. I can't even say I hit the ball really well all day. It was OK, but not to my highest ability, but straight. The wind did make good ball-striking a hard job.
The strategy also made putting really fun. With 10 birdie putts in 15 holes I could really be creative as the confidence my game was building gave me the impression I couldn't miss from 6 ft.
I recommend the approach to everyone. One shot at a time, full attention to each one, pick the shots that avoid trouble if they go awry, aim for the middle of the green, give yourself the largest room for error and swing at 75%.
You never know what score you might come up with, and who you might beat doing it. The proof is firmly in my pudding!
Well, the fixture came last Tuesday. The wind was high. Fairways and greens were firm and running. But the sun was out.
16 shots I had to give him. Me off 5 and him playing off 21. 16 shots on 18 holes is quite a large number!
I made a concerted effort to leave my ego at home and resolved to make it as difficult as possible for my opponent, and strive not to make a mistake. No hero shots. Make my next shot easier. Nothing fancy. Hit the fairway, hit the green, see if a putt or two rolls in.
We halved the first in pars (he didn't get a shot there), but from then on I was unstoppable. 1up, 2up, 3up.................. 5up by the turn.
My only "error" came on the 10th. A difficult long par 4 dog-leg left with the strong wind off the left from the tee, then into for the approach. It was the only time I failed to get up and down all day.
That got him back to 4 down (he managed to make a par, net birdie 3. So even if I'd got up and down I'd have still lost the hole
). He then holes a 20 ft putt from off the green for par, net birdie on 11. I put my wedge approach to 11 ft but above the hole (on the top of a bank a good foot above the cup). Had to hole it for birdie for the half...................and did. I'm glad it went in, because the guy I was playing is renowned for monster come-backs.
I wound up the match on 15. It would have come earlier except for 2 stunning putts from him of around 20 ft each to halve/win the 13th and 14th respectively.
Whilst we were walking back to the clubhouse, I cast my mind back over the round. I'd hit 10 of 15 greens, 9 of 12 fairways and got up and down 4 out of 5 times (only one of which was a tap in gimme - the rest I had to hole). I'd shot -1 for 15 holes.
I think I'm going to approach all my competitive rounds in this manner from now on. The strategy allowed for my misses and always gave me the air of control about myself and my game. Without taking on anything crazy, I didn't give myself a chance to get out of position and drop silly shots, and also didn't knock the wind out of myself.
-1 for 15 holes is the best I've ever played round my current home course, and I didn't feel like I did anything that special. I can't even say I hit the ball really well all day. It was OK, but not to my highest ability, but straight. The wind did make good ball-striking a hard job.
The strategy also made putting really fun. With 10 birdie putts in 15 holes I could really be creative as the confidence my game was building gave me the impression I couldn't miss from 6 ft.
I recommend the approach to everyone. One shot at a time, full attention to each one, pick the shots that avoid trouble if they go awry, aim for the middle of the green, give yourself the largest room for error and swing at 75%.
You never know what score you might come up with, and who you might beat doing it. The proof is firmly in my pudding!
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