An Introduction to the Ryder Cup and its History
Mulligan Plus September 10, 2023
Match play is the most exciting format of Golf
Learn the basics of Match Play and get the friendly competitions started
What is Match Play Golf
Match play is perhaps one of the most exciting and perhaps one of the most underused formats in golf.
Rarely do you find regular Match play competitions being held at clubs at the weekend at there are just a few Match play tournaments on the professional tour?
However, the Ryder Cup, perhaps the best golf competition in the world, is entirely matchplay, which is perhaps why it is so exciting an event.
It is man against man or two-man team against two-man team (or pairing) and the score is kept by recording the number of holes won or lost.
In match play golf, handicaps and Stableford points can have a significant impact on the outcome of the game. Here’s how:
Handicaps: Handicaps are designed to level the playing field in golf. A player’s handicap represents the number of strokes that player might be expected to take above par for an average round. In match play, handicaps are used to give strokes to the higher-handicap player, effectively reducing their score on certain holes. The difference between the players’ handicaps determines the number of strokes given.
For example, if Player A has a handicap of 10 and Player B has a handicap of 14, Player B would receive one stroke on each of the four hardest holes (as determined by the course’s Stroke Index).
Stableford Points: The Stableford system is typically used in stroke play rather than match play, but it can still have an impact. In the Stableford scoring system, golfers are awarded points based on their performance on each hole relative to their own handicap, rather than the raw number of strokes taken.
Under this system, the player with the highest number of points wins the game. This encourages aggressive play, as the penalty for a poor hole isn’t as severe as in traditional stroke play.
However, in match play, the game is played hole by hole. The player who takes the fewest strokes on a hole (after any handicap strokes are applied) wins that hole. The player who wins the most holes wins the match. So, while Stableford points could theoretically be used to determine the winner of a match, it’s not the standard practice.
Remember that the specifics of how handicaps and Stableford points are used can vary depending on local rules and the format of the competition. Always check the specific rules of the event you’re participating in.
Match play Format - rules for match play golf with handicaps
It is usually played over 18 holes. If a competitor takes fewer strokes on a hole than his opponent, he wins the hole and goes one up. If he wins the next, he goes two-up; if he loses it he is back to all-square. A match is completed when a player is more holes ahead than there are holes left to play – as when, for example, he goes four up with only three holes remaining. In this instance, he has won 4&3. In the event of the opponent being all-square after 18 holes, the match is halved, or shared, with each player collecting half a point.
A player is regarded as ‘dormie’ when he is ahead by the number of holes remaining to be played. So if, for example, he should win the 16th to be two up with two to play, he cannot be beaten. His opponent may still, however, win the final two holes to halve the match.
Because they are playing each other, putts may be conceded, or given, so if a player putted his ball to within a few inches of the hole, his opponent would probably ‘give’ him the remaining stroke to save time. Equally, if player A has difficulty on a hole and eventually gets to the green in four strokes and at best can score five, while his opponent is six feet away from the flagstick in two, he may well concede the hole, certain that his opponent will do no worse than two-putt. Because of this, scores in match play are often estimated.
A player is regarded as ‘dormie’ when he is ahead by the number of holes remaining to be played. So if, for example, he should win the 16th to be two up with two to play, he cannot be beaten. His opponent may still, however, win the final two holes to halve the match.
Because they are playing each other, putts may be conceded, or given, so if a player putted his ball to within a few inches of the hole, his opponent would probably ‘give’ him the remaining stroke to save time. Equally, if player A has difficulty on a hole and eventually gets to the green in four strokes and at best can score five, while his opponent is six feet away from the flagstick in two, he may well concede the hole, certain that his opponent will do no worse than two-putt. Because of this, scores in match play are often estimated.
| The Terms | Match Play Explanation |
|---|---|
| All-square | Match is equal |
| 2 Up | 2 hole ahead |
| 3 down | 3 holes behind |
| 5&3 | 5 holes ahead with only 3 holes left to play. Wins on the 15th Hole |
Match Play Golf
Benefits of Match play
One of the major benefits of Match play is that one or two bad holes do not necessarily ruin your round, as they can do in strokeplay. You are simply trying to beat your opponent. Another benefit of Matchplay is that it introduces tactics as an essential part of the game.
Gimmies
If your playing partner is less than a yard from the hole, you could concede or ‘give’ the putt. When the match gets tight towards the end of the round, you give nothing and suddenly your opponent is facing a knee-knocker of a three-foot putt that he has had no chance to practice.
Alternatively, if you think your opponent is likely to become rattled or annoyed, give nothing, even the six-inch putts – the inference being you think he might miss. Few golfers play well when they are angry.
Get your retaliation in first
If your playing partner is less than a yard from the hole, you could concede or ‘give’ the putt. When the match gets tight towards the end of the round, you give nothing and suddenly your opponent is facing a knee-knocker of a three-foot putt that he has had no chance to practice.
Alternatively, if you think your opponent is likely to become rattled or annoyed, give nothing, even the six-inch putts – the inference being you think he might miss. Few golfers play well when they are angry.
Weight up the risks - Matchplay tactics
The situation of the match determines your shot selection. If you are facing a difficult approach early in the round – to a green fronted by a water hazard, for example, near the limit of your range – play the percentages and lay up. But if you face the same shot late in the round, when your opponent is in good position and you are behind in the match and running out of holes, you need to take the shot on.
Rules for Match Play golf with Handicaps
Matchplay competitions can be ‘scratch’, which means that everyone in the field is assumed to be equal, or they can be based on handicap. So if a five handicapper is playing a 10 handicapper, he gives his opponent five strokes during the round – on holes 1-5 stroke index on the scorecard.
The stroke index, incidentally, is an assessment of the difficulty of the holes in relation to each other, so the stroke index 1 hole is considered to be the toughest on the course, while the stroke index 18 hole is the easiest. In our example, if the two golfers are playing the stroke index 3 hole, a par four, and both score 5, the 10 handicapper wins, because his opponent is expected to play the hole in one stroke less.
TEAM MATCH PLAY
Foursomes
Each match involves two players on either team, who play in tandem using one ball. One player from each side tees off and then he and his team-mate play alternate strokes until the hole is completed. Irrespective of who makes the final stroke on that hole, the other play then tees off at the next and they again play alternate strokes (which is why the Americans often call foursomes ‘alternate shot’).
It is probably the most difficult form of golf because each player only play half the number of shots they would usually take and it becomes difficult to get into a rhythm. In addition, it emphasises team-work, because each competitor has to play from wherever his partner leaves him and the two members of a team have to accept that they are each doing their best.
A philosophy that can be seriously tested if, for example, the first member of a team hits a shot to within four feet of the hole and his partner then misses the putt.
Fourballs
Each match involves two players on either team, who play in tandem using one ball. One player from each side tees off and then he and his team-mate play alternate strokes until the hole is completed. Irrespective of who makes the final stroke on that hole, the other play then tees off at the next and they again play alternate strokes (which is why the Americans often call foursomes ‘alternate shot’).
It is probably the most difficult form of golf because each player only play half the number of shots they would usually take and it becomes difficult to get into a rhythm. In addition, it emphasises team-work, because each competitor has to play from wherever his partner leaves him and the two members of a team have to accept that they are each doing their best.
A philosophy that can be seriously tested if, for example, the first member of a team hits a shot to within four feet of the hole and his partner then misses the putt.
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