Mid-Handicap Matchplay

Newtonuti

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if you go in with that mindset you might as well not play.

Get yourself a game plan and stick to it. Someone off 22 is going to be erratic so you just need to make sure you stay in each hole.

There is a very good chance they won’t be hot with the putter so don’t give too many short putts.

Stay in your own game and don’t try to force wins.

Oi! What you saying about us high handicappers? We4 aren't erratic at all! ;)
 

SwingsitlikeHogan

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Yes, several times. I would say the sweet spot is 9 - 11 h'cap. A near perfect balance between consistency / ability / shots
Indeed. Two weeks ago off a PH of 11 I won our Winter Singles K/O - 6 rounds to the final and the final itself. In general I am comfortable that I'll beat a 18+ handicapper as I know the secret to doing so is patience and unless absolutely necessary not playing risky shots. He will mess up, I just have to make sure I am in a position to take advantage. Of course I don't win every match I play against much higher handicap players...but I do very much more often than not.
 
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Well I ended up giving away 20 shots thanks to the vagaries of WHS, never given that many away, 5&4 in the end. To be fair I was well over handicap, but he didn't have a single triple bogey, just kept me at it, and the putter just wasn't good enough. We're still waiting on the OP result I see?
 

Neilds

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I have a slightly different scenario this afternoon. 4BBB knockout, playing a 4 and 5 handicap pairing. My partner is off 7 - I am off 20!! :eek: Just need to make sure I use my extra shots and don't get drawn into trying to play like them - which I have been guilty of in the past
 

Bdill93

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Well everyone I took the notes on board and went into the match in full confidence that as the better player the ball was in my court despite the shots being given.

The breakdown of the match:

1st - SI 9 - Evens (both par)
2nd - SI 17 - 1 down (topped my tee shot of all things! Recovery shot finished behind a tree!!!)
3rd - SI 15 - Halved in pars - 1 down
4th - SI 3 so first shot being given - 2 down (the dreaded top AGAIN!)
5th - SI 13 - Halved in bogies - 2 down
6th - SI 7 - par 5 so advantage me it felt - BD pulls one back! 1 down
7th - SI 1 - So here theres a brook which requires a 190 yard carry off the whites, opponent could never get over that so layed up - silly fool - I smashed it to 100 yards out, chipped just short and ppped it in for birdie - suck on that - ALL SQUARE
8th - SI 5 - Another shot giving hole, halved. Evens
9th - SI 11 - Halved in bogies.

So all square through 9 and the hardest half of the course is behind us. Our back 9 opens up a lot - Im feeling good, driver is now behaving and im putting well.

10th - SI 12 - Halved in bogies
11th - SI 8 - Halved in bogies again
12th - SI 4 - Our longest par 4, a gully on the right that swallows balls for fun. I cream one down the middle, 170 out from the green. Opponent hooks it in to trees on the right, provvy played but I did find the ball under trees and all credit to him, he got out in 1 but was easily 200 yards away from me and used his shot. He proceeded to then stick his next in the gully, hack out again and by this point hes still not near my tee shot and hes had 4! I took a smooth 8 iron to play short of the green as I needed to take no risks and just finish out - made par. BD 1 UP FOR THE FIRST TIME!
13th - SI 10 - Creamed my drive again, 80 yards to the green. Hes hacked down this one too. Long story short BD 2 UP!
14th - SI 18 - halved in double bogies... not great but no holes lost. BD 2 UP
15th - SI 2 - A tight hole but short, Im 2 up so I play hybrid off the tee... silly fool! OB right.... Lose the hole by 1 overall after a good recovery but alas BD 1 UP
16th - SI 14 - Halved in pars, I sunk a good 12 footer to half the hole and celebrated like Tiger on Masters sunday :ROFLMAO: BD 1 UP - 2 to play!
17th - SI 6 - Another shot giving hole - the final one - Annoyingly here, my second shot just caught the top of a small tree and we just lost it! All credit to him, my opponent was looking everywhere with me for it, well over 3 mins, but we couldnt find it. I recovered well to make a double but he made bogey and so we go to the last ALL SQUARE

The 18th. SI 16. Its a funny hole our 18th, its not long but plays right to left and theres a stream that runs vertically up the hole, in the summer any player with decent length can make the green in 1 with a 3 wood at most but it really is a make them or break them hole. So often Ive seen players about to shoot their lowest ever score only to have to take a drop and finish up with a triple. My opponent has the honor and I'm stood there wishing his ball into the stream.. he made it over GUTTED :ROFLMAO: So I pull driver, Its been going well today and a very soft drive will have me on the green or close by.

Didnt quite go to plan, but I made it over too. Opponent plays his second, thins it through the back and requires another chip on. I proceed to chip just to the fringe of the green but a good testing 2 putt from there. Opponent plays a decent chip but equal distance to the pin as me. So I just need to 2 putt. First putt I caught too hard, rolled downhill and left myself a testing par attempt. Opponent gives his a tiny tap and it goes to about 3 foot - his heads gone a bit though after the chip and Im still firmly focused on the next putt - sink it and I win. Well, I didnt sink it, I left it about an inch to the right but he gave me the tap in so Im in for 5.

Opponent just needs to sink a 3 footer to half the hole, hes sunk the all day, surely hes going to do the same again and take me down the first?! Nope. Bottle job. Ive never seen such a bad putt in my life.:ROFLMAO:

BD WINS THE MATCH :D:D:D:D:D

Up the forum!
 

Backsticks

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There you go, well done, and thanks for the report - it was more entertaining to see how you got on than the tour stuff on TV last night!
Learn from it - I've often heard low hcs or people having to give lots of shots in a match feeling they haven't a chance, but I don't think the reality bears that out.
 

Orikoru

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There you go, well done, and thanks for the report - it was more entertaining to see how you got on than the tour stuff on TV last night!
Learn from it - I've often heard low hcs or people having to give lots of shots in a match feeling they haven't a chance, but I don't think the reality bears that out.
I agree with you. I'm sure the lower handicapper giving the shots wins more often than not. The last matchplay I was in was foursomes, we won our first 3 matches giving shots, the first time we actually received shots was the match we lost. The more consistent player(s) always have the best chance I think.
 

Slab

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Well done on the win, but poor etiquette this like.

Mibbes aye, mibbes naw. Can't really say its def one way or the other

Depends on the atmosphere/conditions the match is being played under.
A couple of mates, why not celebrate? Under more 'formal' staid conditions with players that don't know each other at all then maybe refrain
 

Doon frae Troon

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One of my old clubs had over 1000 members and approaching 100 had single figures.
The handicap match play was nearly always won by a single figure player.
I contested one memorable final between two 4 handicappers.
I lost the first four holes and lost the game on the 17th.
 

SteveW86

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Well everyone I took the notes on board and went into the match in full confidence that as the better player the ball was in my court despite the shots being given.

The breakdown of the match:

1st - SI 9 - Evens (both par)
2nd - SI 17 - 1 down (topped my tee shot of all things! Recovery shot finished behind a tree!!!)
3rd - SI 15 - Halved in pars - 1 down
4th - SI 3 so first shot being given - 2 down (the dreaded top AGAIN!)
5th - SI 13 - Halved in bogies - 2 down
6th - SI 7 - par 5 so advantage me it felt - BD pulls one back! 1 down
7th - SI 1 - So here theres a brook which requires a 190 yard carry off the whites, opponent could never get over that so layed up - silly fool - I smashed it to 100 yards out, chipped just short and ppped it in for birdie - suck on that - ALL SQUARE
8th - SI 5 - Another shot giving hole, halved. Evens
9th - SI 11 - Halved in bogies.

So all square through 9 and the hardest half of the course is behind us. Our back 9 opens up a lot - Im feeling good, driver is now behaving and im putting well.

10th - SI 12 - Halved in bogies
11th - SI 8 - Halved in bogies again
12th - SI 4 - Our longest par 4, a gully on the right that swallows balls for fun. I cream one down the middle, 170 out from the green. Opponent hooks it in to trees on the right, provvy played but I did find the ball under trees and all credit to him, he got out in 1 but was easily 200 yards away from me and used his shot. He proceeded to then stick his next in the gully, hack out again and by this point hes still not near my tee shot and hes had 4! I took a smooth 8 iron to play short of the green as I needed to take no risks and just finish out - made par. BD 1 UP FOR THE FIRST TIME!
13th - SI 10 - Creamed my drive again, 80 yards to the green. Hes hacked down this one too. Long story short BD 2 UP!
14th - SI 18 - halved in double bogies... not great but no holes lost. BD 2 UP
15th - SI 2 - A tight hole but short, Im 2 up so I play hybrid off the tee... silly fool! OB right.... Lose the hole by 1 overall after a good recovery but alas BD 1 UP
16th - SI 14 - Halved in pars, I sunk a good 12 footer to half the hole and celebrated like Tiger on Masters sunday :ROFLMAO: BD 1 UP - 2 to play!
17th - SI 6 - Another shot giving hole - the final one - Annoyingly here, my second shot just caught the top of a small tree and we just lost it! All credit to him, my opponent was looking everywhere with me for it, well over 3 mins, but we couldnt find it. I recovered well to make a double but he made bogey and so we go to the last ALL SQUARE

The 18th. SI 16. Its a funny hole our 18th, its not long but plays right to left and theres a stream that runs vertically up the hole, in the summer any player with decent length can make the green in 1 with a 3 wood at most but it really is a make them or break them hole. So often Ive seen players about to shoot their lowest ever score only to have to take a drop and finish up with a triple. My opponent has the honor and I'm stood there wishing his ball into the stream.. he made it over GUTTED :ROFLMAO: So I pull driver, Its been going well today and a very soft drive will have me on the green or close by.

Didnt quite go to plan, but I made it over too. Opponent plays his second, thins it through the back and requires another chip on. I proceed to chip just to the fringe of the green but a good testing 2 putt from there. Opponent plays a decent chip but equal distance to the pin as me. So I just need to 2 putt. First putt I caught too hard, rolled downhill and left myself a testing par attempt. Opponent gives his a tiny tap and it goes to about 3 foot - his heads gone a bit though after the chip and Im still firmly focused on the next putt - sink it and I win. Well, I didnt sink it, I left it about an inch to the right but he gave me the tap in so Im in for 5.

Opponent just needs to sink a 3 footer to half the hole, hes sunk the all day, surely hes going to do the same again and take me down the first?! Nope. Bottle job. Ive never seen such a bad putt in my life.:ROFLMAO:

BD WINS THE MATCH :D:D:D:D:D

Up the forum!

So after all that worrying about the hardest hole on the course, you go and birdie it ?
 
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