I’m fascinated by the idea of the match play culture. England, Scotland, Ireland have it, though it’s not really caught on in the states. In the U.S., every round ends with “what did you shoot”? I am not sure why the number is so important. People tell me all the time what they shot, and to be quite honest, I’m not sure what to do, or think with that information. I can’t be certain they counted all their shots. I can’t be certain if that is better or worse than usual. I can’t be certain of anything. To be honest, your score is like your car, it does nothing for me. I know that golfers attach themselves to the number, and either have a good or bad rest of the day, depending on how that number makes them feel. That’s psychology for another day.
Match play is just different. It’s head-to-head. Bad scores don’t have the same effect. Here is a theory why you should be playing match play. When I play golf with people, I see a lot of crazy decisions. You can’t make crazy decisions when playing stroke play. Stroke play is about consistency, mitigating loss, high percentage, etc. Match play is about risky shots, and understanding where to take those risks. Everyone I watch play golf, has a match play mentality, and they add up their stroke play scores when done. Your mind is already wired for match play, so just play match play. Oh wait, the guys on TV don’t play match play, and we have to emulate what they do. The also have agents, a personal chef, exercise twice a day and live in hotels. I don’t see you emulating everything they are doing, so why draw the line at stroke play?
