Being an Excellent Match-Play Competitor

By RICK MARTINO, Scripps Howard News Service

Watching the best players in the world go head-to-head in match-play competition is, in my opinion, among the most enjoyable spectator experiences in golf. The weekend's PGA Tour WGC Accenture Match Play Championship in Tucson, Ariz., is a good example of a bracketed, individual match-play competition, while the Ryder Cup, which takes place Sept. 19-21 this year at Valhalla Golf Club in Louisville, Ky., is the world's premier team match-play competition.

There was a time, however, when many of golf's major competitions used the match-play format. That's the way the PGA Championship started in 1916, and remained until converting to stroke-play format in 1958. Dow Finsterwald, who lost to Lionel Hebert the previous year in the finals of the last PGA Championship to use match play, bounced back to win the inaugural stroke-play PGA Championship with a 4-under-par 276 at Llanerch Country Club in Havertown, Pa.

One of the reasons that the PGA Championship and other professional golf tournaments converted to stroke play was the rise of the influence of television. The problem for television broadcasts with a match-play championship is that one player can be eliminated very early in a competition, as Phil Mickelson was this past Thursday. But in addition to the Ryder Cup and the WGC event, many friendly rounds and local competitions are still conducted at match play, and they are as much fun to play in as they are to watch.

So, what does it take to be an excellent match-play competitor?





Here are eight key strategies:

-- Know your game's strengths and weaknesses and plan strategies that fit them.

-- Play the course, not your opponent.

-- Understand the rules of golf as they apply to match play.

-- Tee off first when possible to put pressure on your opponent's tee shot (assuming you hit a quality shot).

-- Try to finish the hole first so the pressure is on your opponent's final putt.

-- Always plan on your opponent hitting a quality shot.

-- Focus only on the match you are in now -- do not look ahead to other potential matches.

-- Never give up or concede, as momentum can turn around in match play very quickly.

What types of golfers make the best match players? Many golfers think it is long hitters who can make a lot of birdies, but the list of winners in Ryder Cup matches often shows it is the steady players and strong putters who do better than the "go for broke" home-run hitters. Look for U.S. Ryder Cup captain Paul Azinger to take a long look at the steady, solid putting types when he makes his four captain picks to round out a team that will surely be headed by long-hitting mega-talents like Tiger Woods and Mickelson later this year.

For information on this year's PGA Championship and Ryder Cup, as well as instruction, equipment and travel advice from PGA Professionals, visit www.PGA.com. To locate a PGA facility near you that offers playing and learning opportunities, as well as PGA professionals who can advise you on all aspects of the game, visit www.PlayGolfAmerica.com.

Until next time, here's to better golf!

Have a look at The Simple Golf Swing for tips on how to improve your game!

(Rick Martino is director of instruction at the PGA Learning Center in Port St. Lucie, Fla. Golf Tips is a feature of Scripps Treasure Coast (Fla.) Newspapers, The Stuart News, Fort Pierce Tribune and Vero Beach Press Journal.)

Classic Golf in Scotland

by: Morgan Clarke

For people who take golf holidays, golf breaks in Scotland represent the quintessential golfing retreat. There are three main reasons for this. Firstly, Scotland has all the best courses – including the world-class Turnberry, St Andrews and Gleneagles, all offering the most fantastic golf holidays available.

Secondly, the scenery is unparalleled and provides the perfect backdrop to a round of golf. Scotland’s rugged mountains, lush green valleys, thundering waterfalls and ethereal mists all help to create an experience you can really savour. Thirdly, Scotland always is easy to get to, either by road, train or air travel.

Anyone who plans a golf break in Scotland is also probably influenced by knowledge of the country’s long-standing affiliation with the game. It is widely accepted that golf originated in Scotland in the 1100s, with the first recorded game played at Bruntsfield Links in Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1456.

Even the word ‘golf’ comes from Scotland - it is thought to have come from the Scots word ‘goulf’, meaning ‘to strike or cuff’. When the game was in its early days and, in fact, right up until the mid-20th century, it was usually played with clubs made from hickory wood, which is why golf played with old-fashioned wooden clubs is now called ‘hickory golf’.

Traditional hickory golf is catching on in a big way. You see, there’s a big secret haunting the manufacturers of modern golf clubs - despite all the ‘improvements’ in golf club technology, you can hit nearly as far with clubs made the original way – with hickory - as you can with the latest club being promoted on the US PGA Tour. What’s more, with hickory golf clubs you can play the game the way it was designed to be played - playing around the bunkers, through the gaps and really thinking about the challenge of the hole.

There are tournaments all over the world for modern-day hickory golf players, and for the last three years one particular tournament has been held in Scotland - golf’s birthplace. The 2007 World Hickory Open took place last month at Craigielaw golf course in East Lothian. As a golf course, Craigielaw is scenically located on the shores of the Firth of Forth with the hills of Fife framing its magnificent backdrop.

Craigielaw golf course presents a challenge for both short and long handicap players. As a result, the course is a popular for golf breaks in Scotland for players at every level. The layout at Craigielaw is such that the wind is nearly always part of the course’s natural defence. The consensus among both pro and amateur golf players is that the organisers picked a course almost perfectly suited to hickory golf.

There is a special physical sensation that hickory golf clubs give you. You know if you’ve hit a good one just by the lovely feeling coming through your hands and you also know if you’ve hit a bad one (especially in a cold Scottish wind) as it feels like a cricket ball has landed on your knuckles!

I managed to come third in the Amateur section, no disgrace but I’m coming back for more. And at last I know what I want from Father Christmas – All the best hickory golf clubs: Persimmon woods with True Temper shafts, a set of matching hickory irons pre-1935, a Cleveland wedge and sand wedge and a Scotty Cameron putter.

Don't forget to check out the popular e-book Bogey Killer Golf


About The Author

Morgan Clarke is the Chairman of Your Golf Holidays (http://www.yourgolfholidays.com/scotland-golf-breaks-holidays.html), a company which has been providing golf breaks in Scotland for over 25 years. The award-winning specialist tour operator is privately-owned and determined to ensure that both experienced golfers and novices will enjoy an unforgettable experience in whichever of the 20+ countries they wish to play.

The Basics Of Improving Your Putt

Author: Tony B

Too many people spend hours at the driving range, trying to tweak and master their drive, but what good does that do anyone if they cannot get the ball in the hole on the green. A 196 yard Par 3 on which you hit the green is meaningless if it takes 3 putts to sink the ball - a bogie is a bogie. It takes a deep understanding of the game, the mechanics of golf and a respect for the shear importance of the short game to ensure that your putting game is as successful as possible.

It's no secret that people have trouble with their putting game. If you visit your nearest golf club and watch the people there putting, you'll notice the two most common mistakes in any putting game:

The putter is being pulled back and yanked through the motion.

Their head is lifted from the club as soon as or before the club makes contact with the ball.

These two common flaws sound like mistakes when you write them down and discuss them, but on the green, you probably make the exact same mistakes and may not even realize how often you are doing so. Watch a successful putter in the PGA. Tiger Woods' putting game starts with a single stroke that smoothly follows through, the takeaway and follow through exactly the same length. They keep their heads down throughout the shot and wait to listen for the ball dropping into its cup. The only time you should ever lift your head from a putt is if it is a long putt of more than 15 yards and your stroke is one-hundred percent complete.

The key to finding success in your putting game is not in simply overcoming these simple flaws though - it is shocking just how hard that can be. You must practice regularly and step back to ensure that you can quiet your mind - removing every extraneous thought from it carefully and focusing intently on your breathing.

In addition, you must be able to learn how to read the greens successfully. This takes careful, repeated observation of the greens while playing. If you are good at the art of putting, you will never be content with your own shot - you will watch everyone that goes before you to look for shapes in the green and curves on the ground.

Practicing Your Putting

You should practice putting as often as possible. One good way to do this is by creating a corridor through which you can shoot your ball. Set two clubs down on the green, about 6 feet away from the hole. Place them parallel to each other and facing directly toward the hole and try repeatedly to punch the ball directly between the clubs.

Use this opportunity to measure your backswing and follow through and ensure that you have the right measurements and length on your shots for each stroke. This also lets you work on your alignment to see where you should be standing to make a straight shot.

Ideally, if you create a good form and practice your putting regularly, you can overcome some of the most common mistakes people suffer from on the greens. This will vastly improve your putting game and almost always lower your score significantly.

Check out the 330 Page Golf Mental Game EBook(R) And 8 Audio Coaching/Mental Imagery Sessions. Mental Game Training Material Used By Pros On The Pga And European Tours!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/sports-and-fitness-articles/the-basics-of-improving-your-putt-326471.html

About the Author: Kevin Keene is a contributing writer at Body Sport Paintball, writing reviews of paint ball. He also is a freelance writer contributing articles on putting game.