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What's Your Strategy? Low Handicap vs High Handicap

golfinnut

golfinnut

DANNY LE! WHAT A GUY!
Albatross 2024 Club
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Handicap
HEAT!
You play a match (your Player A ... 5 Handicap) vs a fellow competitor (Player B ... 18 Handicap). You realize that you are giving up a lot of strokes.

Player B got a shot on every hole except 2 Par 3's. He wins a lot of holes with Pars, net Birdies & Bogies, net Pars. This has really affected your game & your strategy. It has made you fire at more pins, be more aggressive, thinking that you have to win the holes outright. You end up losing a lot of holes ... the only way you were going to win was by shooting under par for the round.

I understand that sometimes you can run into a Buzzsaw and there really isn't anything that you can do about it ... regardless of handicap.

But my question to you is, going forward on future matches, what's your strategy vs a higher handicap that gets a lot of strokes? Do you play your game and let the chips fall as they may, or do you start firing at all the flags to force the issue? Do you wait for him to make a mistake with his inconsistency (reason for the high handicap) and then pounce? Of course you need to be in the position to win it when he is imploding. Keep hitting fairways & greens to keep the pressure on.

Or do you just tip your hat to your opponent & say "good round, I'll get you next time."

I feel that if you are a skilled enough golfer & your handicap reflects that .... then you shouldn't be worried about the number of strokes you are giving up. You should be able to execute shots without the feeling of added pressure. Remember that your biggest opponent is the course & not your opponent.

Play your game ... each round ... one shot at a time.


Thoughts?
 
In theory, if both handicaps are accurate, the lower cap still has the advantage. I say you play your game and let the chips fall where they may.
 
In Match play, as much as you're playing against another person, you're still playing you vs the course. I've played some Matches where I was playing really well, and got beat and others where I wasn't and won. So, it's very much hole by hole. With that said, some situations come up during the match which can force you to change your strategy on THAT hole, but it's pretty much hole by hole.
 
You must stay within yourself and play your own game. You have to go into the match realizing he's going to win some ugly holes but that he's also going to give holes away. The more good solid shots you make the more pressure you are going to put on him.
 
Stay in your game and let the chips fall, no reason to press, if the handicap is accurate then you will have plenty of holes that are earned easily but of course great holes happen, you can't let that get in your head

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Play your game and let the chips fall where they may. If it comes down to a situation where you are say 3 down with 4 to go in match play, then you may want to press the issue because it is do or die at that point.
 
Howzat said:
In theory, if both handicaps are accurate, the lower cap still has the advantage. I say you play your game and let the chips fall where they may.
Click to expand...

So more often than not, Player B is going to implode more than he is going to play well. His inconsistency is what kills him ... but your steadiness and consistent play is what carries you.
 
Howzat said:
In theory, if both handicaps are accurate, the lower cap still has the advantage. I say you play your game and let the chips fall where they may.
Click to expand...

True and exactly what I do, play my game and ignore the bogey golfer knowing that a couple double bogeys are likely. Over the last 25 years I have played about 1000 rounds with a good buddy of mine who is a 12-14 index which means I've always gave him 14 shots per round. I've certainly won more money than he has in our matches. He's coming out Master's week for a little golf vacation and we are are playing 36+ holes a day Thursday - Sunday.
 
golfinnut said:
So more often than not, Player B is going to implode more than he is going to play well. His inconsistency is what kills him ... but your steadiness and consistent play is what carries you.
Click to expand...

Exactly, keep putting on the pressure. As the B player in this situation most of the time in my weekly games, it is tough watching the A player go fairways and greens even if I have an extra shot at my disposal.
 
Well, it's hard for me to speak as Player A, as I'm in reality Player B.

I know your situation was hypothetical and not the norm, as I can tell you as an 18 HC I rarely make lots of pars, maybe 3 or 4 a round at most. So i may take a hole here or there. But in the situation you described, I'd say player A, should say "Congrats, Nice round" And know the it was probably just a fluke, and not change his approach next time.
 
Beers.

In my (league) experience, they're more likely to effect higher handicappers than they are to effect me.

Which is another way of saying let the chips fall as they may. If you can appear relaxed and consistent it will eventually catch up with the higher 'cap player.
 
I just play my game because more often than not as the low hdcp the chips will fall in my favor. Some days the high hdcp just has a good day and nothing you can do about it
 
Howzat said:
In theory, if both handicaps are accurate, the lower cap still has the advantage. I say you play your game and let the chips fall where they may.
Click to expand...

I agree 100%.
 
Howzat said:
In theory, if both handicaps are accurate, the lower cap still has the advantage. I say you play your game and let the chips fall where they may.
Click to expand...

Pretty much this. I play my game as I normally would, and I let the match play out and use that to gauge if/when I need to press a bit more. I tend to play pretty aggressive anyway.
 
I play my game and don't worry about others. If I get hot I know I can play with a low capper in match play. I make a good number of Pars just have one or two holes that I need to forget each round

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Since the handicap system does a really good job of making sure either player has to shoot well to win, just play your game.

This is assuming that both players are honest about their abilities.
 
Just let the chips fall. Everyone will have a better than average round on occasion, but if you are playing your game and not worrying about the strokes you are giving up, player A will win 90% of the time. If player B has a great day and wins, so be it.
 
Definitely let the chips fall. You don't really have much of a choice. A lot of Player A's out there get too caught up in how many strokes they're having to give up that they get in their own heads. If you want to get all psychological on Player B then figure out what his weakness(es) is(are) and make sure to do that very well. While not a 5 like your example, I've played matches where I've had to give 12 or more strokes. My opponent in one match struggled mostly with tree trouble off of the tee. I made sure that even if I had to play a shorter club that I was hitting my second shot from the fairway. If he's punching out for his second shot, there's your one shot advantage right there. Now just play your game and beat him to the hole. At the end of the day, its golf. The handicap system lets you compete and feel pressure with any opponent you decide to play against. Enjoy the journey.
 
golfinnut said:
You play a match (your Player A ... 5 Handicap) vs a fellow competitor (Player B ... 18 Handicap). You realize that you are giving up a lot of strokes.

Player B got a shot on every hole except 2 Par 3's. He wins a lot of holes with Pars, net Birdies & Bogies, net Pars. This has really affected your game & your strategy. It has made you fire at more pins, be more aggressive, thinking that you have to win the holes outright. You end up losing a lot of holes ... the only way you were going to win was by shooting under par for the round.

I understand that sometimes you can run into a Buzzsaw and there really isn't anything that you can do about it ... regardless of handicap.

But my question to you is, going forward on future matches, what's your strategy vs a higher handicap that gets a lot of strokes? Do you play your game and let the chips fall as they may, or do you start firing at all the flags to force the issue? Do you wait for him to make a mistake with his inconsistency (reason for the high handicap) and then pounce? Of course you need to be in the position to win it when he is imploding. Keep hitting fairways & greens to keep the pressure on.

Or do you just tip your hat to your opponent & say "good round, I'll get you next time."

I feel that if you are a skilled enough golfer & your handicap reflects that .... then you shouldn't be worried about the number of strokes you are giving up. You should be able to execute shots without the feeling of added pressure. Remember that your biggest opponent is the course & not your opponent.

Play your game ... each round ... one shot at a time.


Thoughts?
Click to expand...

Don't change a thing. I've played many such matches, and I've won and I've lost. The last big mismatch I played in I won 7 & 6, and I was giving him 19 strokes (At 80% course handicap, I was an 11 and he was a 30).
 
Can't play defense in golf so you just have to focus on your game. I've played matches on both sides of higher vs lower hcp. More often as the higher hcp player, seeing the low player just play consistent would often get in my head. Even if I know I've got an extra stroke on a hole, if I was in the rough off the green and the A player was on the green. Assuming I'd need a par in that scenario to win the hole would get in my head and I'd often walk off halving the hole after a bogey. As the high handicapper I'd know the holes I'm getting a stroke would be the ones I had to take advantage of if I wanted to win, so I'd end up pressing more.
 
As Player B, I'd like to just offer a viewpoint. When I'm playing against someone who's 18 strokes better than me, I actually quite prefer match style play. I seem to feel a lot less pressure when I'm playing just this hole, instead of having to keep track of an ever-escalating stroke deficit.

To answer the OP, as your opponent, I would want you to wait for me to make a mistake. If you want to break me mentally, keep flag hunting.
 
Just play my game. Can't control anything else.
 
I'm of the opinion that our handicap system is designed more for stroke play than for Match Play but if all caps are honest (ESC incl.) It works either way. Usually the Victor just played better golf relative to his abilities that day.

Great round, I'll getcha next time!
 
go low and make sure I have lots of birdie putts and eagle putts on par 5s. Make the putts
 
Always play your game and stick to your strengths. If you force it and get out of whack it won't end well for you.
 
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