I love match play golf. I've played in stroke tournaments many times, and even a couple modified stableford events. For those that are unfamiliar, stroke play is easiest to understand, the one with the lowest score at the end of the tournament wins. Stableford scoring is a bit different in that the one with the highest point total wins, where each score as it relates to par gets point values. For example, in one of those events, par was worth zero points, birdies were worth 2 points, eagles worth 5 points, bogeys are -1 (negative) points, double bogeys and worse were -2 (negative) points.
Match play is a whole different animal altogether. Two players playing match play determine the winner by the number of holes won. The person winning the most holes, wins the match. Each hole can be won or halved. Halving a hole means that the each player got the hole in the same net number of strokes.
Note, I said same NET number of strokes. In the Meadows match play, we are playing with handicaps. For example, in my first match, I was up against a very good player, Devin DeCator. Over the years, I've played many rounds with Devin and I like his ballstriking with the driver club very much. I knew it would be quite tough. Devin carries a USGA index of 6.1. At the time of the match play start, my USGA index was 9.8. For the Meadows course, on the tees we were playing, Devin's course handicap was 7 and mine was 11. Devin was required to grant me four strokes on the four hardest holes on the course, which are holes 18, 16, 5 and 8 (i think).
So for all the other holes, it was straight up, we had to match score to halve a hole or one of us had to win it. On the holes where I get a stroke, then I could subtract one stroke from my score and compare it to Devin's. If I got a bogey on those holes, Devin would need to birdie those holes for him to win the hole. It would not be enough for him to par it.
Here is a shot of the current brackets
Well, I just gave away the outcome of my first match against Devin... I won 2&1.
Now what does 2&1 mean? That means that I finished two holes up with one left to play. That is one of the fun things about match play, we were done on hole 17. That is, after 16, I was 2 holes up with two left to play. At the teebox on 17, Devin would have needed to win the next two holes (17 and 18) to continue the match until someone finished (that happened with Dawdy's match, it went 19 holes).
So at the 17 tee box, all I had to do was match Devin's score for the hole (I did not receive any strokes on that hole). We both scored 3 on that par 3, and the hole was halved. BUT since I was still two up, there was now no way for Devin to win the match, so it ended there.
I won't give a full play-by-play of my match against Devin, but it was a very exciting match in that we traded leads twice during the match. Neither of us got our more than 2 past the other. So it went essentially, Devin was up for a while, I was then up for a short while, then Devin was up, then we were even, then Devin was up, then we were even, then I was up. It was akin to boxers trading blows, but this is golf and we (rarely) beat each other silly with fists!
While I play o.k. and Devin is a good player, neither of us had what you would call a 'stellar' shot making day. But what I did get out of it was a fun round with people I enjoy playing with, even if the gimmies were in very short supply (yes, the greens were pretty quiet).
Next up, I play against Tyler Potter. I have never played with him, so this should be interesting. Especially since I have to give him one shot in the competition (#18). Hopefully, the match ends before then.
If you play against your buddies, try match play a few times. You will find it very exciting and
interesting. If you are unsure of the rules of match play, check with the USGA web site where you can find the rules of match play online (although gamesmanship is something you learn on your own).
