Playing in a match play event does require a bit of strategy. But when that is starting to fail, what is a golfer to do? When your opponent is playing well and you cannot get traction on the score, how do you overcome the situation. Well, my advice is to just stay the course. It is as simple as playing your game and following the strategy you laid to win the match. This is what happened to me yesterday during the first round of the Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort Match Play event.

My first match was against my friend Charlie. He is a close friend of my wife’s family and as such is a now a close friend of mine. Charlie was hitting from the red tees as he is a few years older than me, however do not let that fool you, Charlie does have game. I had a fantastic time yesterday and it was mostly because I was playing golf with good friend.

After taking the first hole, I thought that I was on my way to winning this match. However, Charlie had a different view as he almost chipped in on the second hole. His ball hit the pin a stay on the lip of the hole. After a less than stellar chip (after watching Charlie hole his out) the match was all even.

Interestingly, we seesawed with the score until I was one down with 4 holes to play. Charlie was playing great and I was trying to stay the course. Then on the 15th hole, our fortunes changed. We both missed the green on the short par 3, however I was able to get up and down and Charlie was not. With three holes to go, we were all square. I am not sure why, but my short game decided to kick in and on the 16th hole I had a 10 foot put for birdie. Charlie struggled a bit and I was 1 up with 2 holes to play

On the 17th hole, I was able to reproduce my success from the previous two holes. I hit the ball well and was putting for a 10 foot birdie on the long par 5. Unfortunately, my opponent hit a poor third shot and was sitting directly behind a tree in three. After surveying the possibilities, Charlie conceded the match. It was a close match and could have went either way. It was the last 4 holes that were the difference for my game. And why, because I stayed the course and did not panic by changing my strategy.

I am fortunate to be moving on to the next round in the match play event. (the Open event results can be found here) During my match, there were many opportunities to rethink my strategy, but each time I decided to stay the course. I hit my driver hard on the open fairways, I used my hybrid off the tee when required, I aimed for the center of the green on all approach shots from 60 yards out, and I putted with enough steam to roll my ball past the hole by 1 foot. It is a standard strategy and one I will likely continue to use. The trick when playing match play, in my opinion, is to play consist golf and press only when there is a clear advantage. By letting my opponent set the tone, I am able to play offensive when it counts.

I wrote an article about pressing my advantages with aggressive golf in the past. That strategy is still sound, however, in my match yesterday, staying the course made the most sense. There is no wrong answer to playing in a match play event, however once you commit to a plan, let it unfold and see what happens.

I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!