A Practical Guide to Match Play Strategy

Read before you reach for a club

Good match play starts with the concession, the halve, and the scoreboard. For match-play scoring, that quick check tells you whether the shot is an attack, a placement, or a tidy escape. The expensive mistake in opponent pressure is treating a marginal ball as if it deserves your favorite full swing.

A four-question ladder

1. What miss hurts most in this match play situation?
2. For match-play scoring, which shot can you hit seven times out of ten?
3. For match-play scoring, does the score, lie, or opponent justify extra risk?
4. For match-play scoring, where should the next shot be played from?

On-course note: In match play, a plan you can say in one breath is usually the plan you can swing with.