Winning in match play isn’t just about hitting good shots and sinking putts. Match play is a mental battle with yourself and your opponent. Projecting an image of confidence when you are feeling edgy under pressure, keeping your cool when things don’t go your way, and being able to make great decisions at critical moments are all part of the mental combat of match play.
Here are my top tips for bringing mental toughness into your next match.
When you play the match expecting the unexpected, you can keep your cool no matter what your opponent throws at you.
Expect the Unexpected
Does this scenario sound familiar: You hit a solid tee-shot, and second shot into a good position down the fairway of a par-5, followed by a lovely approach within 6-feet for birdie. Text book golf so far. Meanwhile, your opponent starts the hole with two poor shots, leaving a lengthy approach into the green. They manage to roll their long 3rd shot onto the front edge of the green and sink a 20-foot putt for birdie. Your short birdie putt lips out and suddenly you’ve lost the hole feeling cheated and caught off guard.
The unpredictable nature of match play is what makes the game so exciting but also mentally challenging. Predicting the outcome of the hole and not expecting your opponent to play great shots will reduce your sense of control when things don’t go as you anticipated and lead to a quitting mentality.
To keep your cool on this roller-coaster ride, you must remove the feeling of surprise caused by your opponent’s actions. To achieve this you have to play every match expecting your opponent to make every putt, hole pitch shots, and play outrageous golf beyond their usual capabilities. When you play the match expecting the unexpected, you can keep your cool no matter what your opponent throws at you, maintaining a feeling of control and a never-say-die attitude, ready to keep fighting back on every hole.
Play your own Game, but also ‘Play the Man.
In Golf Digest magazine, golfing great Seve Ballesteros’, shared his top tips for winning head-to-head matches. Seve said, “opponents are not there for me to ignore, rather to help me in my choice of shots.” Take advantage when your opponent makes an unforced error. For example, if your opponent drives into the trees on a tight fairway, they have given you a green-light to play a easier safer option, rather than mindlessly taking the same club with a high change of achieving the same result. This advice isn’t encouraging you to over-analyze your shots, but rather play mindful, strategic golf, taking into consideration your opponents game.
Protect your shot-selection time. The more you meddle with your shot-selection process the more you will feel uncommitted to your shot and likely hit poor shots.
Speed of Play Dilemmas: Protect your Shot Selection Time
I hear a lot of stories about how player’s felt in control of their match until the marshall started to hurry them to speed up play. Firstly, expect and accept that a marshall will nag your group at least once during a match-play round. Secondly, protect your shot-selection time. Focus on every other space between shots to speed up play, but never alter the time and effort you put into your shot selection routine. If you are known to have a time consuming routine – work on this during practice time, but don’t change it mid-round. The more you meddle with your shot-selection process the more you will feel uncommitted to your shot and likely hit poor shots slowing your group down more.
On the Green is the Zone to Pressurize your Opponent
Putting is where the mind games really play out. Do not give your opponent their first few short putts. Use this time to observe their body language and approach. If they look uncomfortable or sigh relief when they make a putt, keep making them putt out. If your opponent is putting well, you can give them a few short putts, but make them putt out every now and then. The change in routine can be unsettling and it only takes one miss to get them thinking differently about their putting confidence.
We become frustrated and emotionally irate when we focus on the things we cannot control
Keep your Emotions in Check
Emotional control dictates winning and losing more often than your skill comparison to your opponent. We become frustrated and emotionally irate when we focus on the things we cannot control (e.g., your opponents slow play or poor sportsmanship). To keep a cool head focus only the things you can control and practice letting go of the things you cannot change or influence.
Fake it til you Make it
In the same vein as emotional control, it’s important to project an image of confidence no matter the score or how badly you feel you are playing. You can quickly give your opponent the edge when they can sense your loss of confidence and once they have that on you, it’s hard to turn the tables. Hold a strong power posture on the green and tee when waiting for your shot and stride slowly with your head up when you walk down the fairway. Psychologically, these actions affect you as much as it influences your opponent’s perceptions. Research by renowned US social psychologist, Amy Cuddy, shows that standing still in a “power pose” by engaging tall, strong body language with you eyes up for just 2 minutes can enhance feelings of confidence and actually reduce levels of a hormone in the body responsible for causing stress. Amazing! Practice your “power pose” and prepare your mind and body to be less stress reactive in your next match.
Visit Dr Jay-Lee today to find out how you can build your mental game for match play.
