Are mind games acceptable in matchplay matches?

[louise_a]

The girl I played this morning played the best mind games on me..... she kept scoring less than me on most holes.

 

[triple_bogey]

Golf is a battle of mind and skill imo.

I choose my words and actions in a matchplay game but i suppose it depends what people see as mind games or banter etc.

A famous man once said :-

“I look into their eyes, shake their hand, pat their back, and wish them luck, but I am thinking, 'I am going to bury you.”

This!! ........................ Too many people concerned with E-reps

 

[macca64]

mind games didn't do Seve any harm,

 

[mcbroon]

The girl I played this morning played the best mind games on me..... she kept scoring less than me on most holes.

Yep, that one's impossible to overcome

 

[rickg]

In bounce games with mates......yep all the time....

In a serious match, no...

 

[HawkeyeMS]

Matchplay is psychological warfare.

Matchplay is to strokeplay what chess is to draughts.

From the moment you are drawn against a player, say he's off scratch, you may feel intimidated if your giving away loads of shots, this may lead to over confidence.

Are these all not mind games?

I've seen a fair few of them.

Like the scratch player smashing the living daylights out of drives to intimidate me (I won that 5&4).

Questioning the number of shots I got, saying it was 3/4 difference no full difference (I won that one).

Leaving the flagstick below the hole when you have a slippery downhill putt.

But the worse for me has to be finishing off a short putt (3 feet)when, really it's me to play. Of course you ask for them to replay it, but in the two instances it has happened I did not know the ruling. However as I know it now I would do it without hesistation.

There is so much one can do to play with an opponents mind.

Personally, for me when they play a bad shot or a putt lips out for a half, I say nothing and let the disappointment sink in.

A player hitting longer drives than you isn't mind games, it's him hitting a longer drive than you

 

[Crow]

The girl I played this morning played the best mind games on me..... she kept scoring less than me on most holes.

That's not mind games, that's outright cheating!

 

[Hacker Khan]

A player hitting longer drives than you isn't mind games, it's him hitting a longer drive than you

 

[white_feather]

I didn't make myself clear, the drives he was smashing were on the practise tee, so I left my driver in the car and just used a 3 wood off the tee instead.

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

No mind games other than anything allowed within the rules and etiquette of the game - and then that is not me playing mind games it is simply me playing golf as allowed - my opponents problem if he doesn't like it very much. So for instance I will occasionally ask an opponent to hole out a putt of less than 18" say - even if it is straightforward. I never expect any gimmes in a match.

 

[Smiffy]

I remember playing a match against a mate of mine. Stood on the 9th tee, I think I was about 3 up at the time.
As I teed the ball up, he said something along the lines of "haven't you got a funny old swing"
I just replied "No problem. You can just keep swinging properly and losing holes, I don't care".
He shut up after that

 

[Deleted member 1740]

I didn't resort to any mind games whatsoever my opponent done a good job on himself

I lost my match despite playing like a complete dope for 13 holes, being 4 down on 14th tee I told him the score was dormie, I parred 14+15 to go 2 down halved 16 after duffing my 3rd shot and his 2nd shot wad flying left til it hit a tree and landed middle of fairway.

I then won 17 to go 1 down and my opponent was in pieces by now. He bogeys 18 and I had a 4ft downhill putt for par to take it to a playoff but missed I lost the match but I was gutted with how I played and how easy I let him win holes.

If I'd have won the 18th I think I would've won the match as I was confident and hitting the ball better but it wasn't to be.