I am currently in two match play tournaments at my home course of Mattawa Golf and Ski Resort. These events (which I organize) are my attempt to involve more golfers to play tournaments at my home course. Currently, I am playing well, however each match is unique and because of this my preparation must be tailored differently. I have not played against any of my competitors before so the unknown forces me to evaluate my play without considering my opponent.

Yesterday, I played in the second round of the Open Match Play event. I was matched against a young lad who I never met. He loves golf and decided to throw his hat into the ring to see how he would fair against more experience players. Cedar (age 14) played extremely well, but came up short. Cedar is a long ball hitter who out drove me on virtually every tee shot. He plays with the perfect attitude of calm and focus. I very much enjoyed our match and look forward to playing against him in the future.

For preparation, I decided to take a conservative approach. With so many unknowns about my opponent, I focused on the playing conditions of the course (we had rain the day before), the weather, and how I was feeling. After not swinging a club for 4 days, my swing was a going to be a bit tight as we started our match.

The weather was perfect in temperature and wind, however some rain did fall unexpectedly. These conditions (without the rain) are my favourite, so they benefitted my game for sure. I decided to arrive at the course 30 minutes early to sharpen my chipping and putting. Additionally, I took the time to swing my driver 20 times (thanks Kevin for the advice) in order to loosen up my back. It all worked and I was ready, physically, to play.

Mentally, I took the time about 2 hours before the match to go through the round in my mind. I focused on what clubs to use off the tee and for approach shots. I visualized what I thought would be each shot and how I was going to shoot even par. As it turned out, this part of preparation process was as important as being physically ready to play.

Overall my preparation was well worth the effort. I won my match and advanced to the third round. As I move forward to my next match (this coming Thursday), I will likely continue with my winning strategy.

I want to give a shout out to Cedar. He is the best young player I played with in a very long time. He played like a gentleman and carried himself with poise. Congrats Cedar on a great match.

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