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Team matches, how do you pair players?

Id say it all depends on how well rounded your team is. If yoi have a versatile group that is fairly well at most but has 1 part of the game they are strong/weak at then its okay. However, if tou have more team members that excel at the same things then you coild run into some trouble.
You also have to match personalities as well. I know alot is about the game, but if tou have one outgoing player and one who is quiet, thjngs could go downhill quickly
 
Don't fall for the trick adwillingham and JeffS!! He's trying to get information from you guys! He-He
 
I play in a 36 hole Ryder Cup style event every April that takes place on one day. We have 16 guys on each team, each nine is broken up by Alt Shot, Scramble, Best Ball & Match Play. Each captain has a pretty good pulse on what each player brings to the table and sets up the teams accordingly. Pairing a shorter hitting with a longer hitter during Alt Shot & Scamble, then Best Ball and Match play you line up according to handicaps and abilites. This allows the captains to set up the teams for each nine to maximize your point total potential.

IMO the key here is communication & honesty. Check your ego and be upfront with your playing partner about your strengths & weaknesses. Get a feeling what is each other's comfort zone in terms of yardages for approach shots. Especially in Alt Shot where your shot is setting up your teammate. Have the better putter always putt last so he at least gets a sense of the break, etc..

It can get dicey if you have two "alpha dogs" in a pairing and one has to stand down. I guess at the end of the day it's managing egos for the greater good of the team.
 
So contrary to what 'big time' said I'm not looking for info. I'm curious as to how people approach team matches. More importantly how you group players together.

Make few have said compliment each other's weaknesses, others have said like games. Se would group weak with strong. It's interesting to see people's approach.

I am in total agreement with like hdcps and I'm big on comfort level with your partner. You want to gel with your partner and feed off them. It will be interesting to see groups in July. So many different styles and levels of players.
 
I think going with like minded individuals that have similar games is the best approach, kind of like the pods that Azinger went with in the Ryder Cup. If you can do that and get match ups that you think are favorable even if you have to sacrifice a match, whatever gets you the most points.
 
I agree with others that said to put guys together with similar games. Especially if 9 of the holes were an alt shot format. Putting a right to left player with a left to right player in alt shot could turn really ugly. Not as much impact on other formats.
 
I dont think the change in format will matter much as long as the team is working well together
 
I think it might change slightly based on the format, but in the end the chemistry and interaction of the partners is still paramount no matter the format.
 
I think it is going to make the captains make the teams a bit different. You could go from a format where two guys work really well together to the opposite. I love the twist. I would want to make sure you have your team positioned to win no matter what.
 
As several have said already, if a pair has a complimentary skill set, they should be able to play well in either format. I also believe that is important to have a blend of experience as well, especially if there are some who are unfamiliar with the subtleties of match play in general. I know the first match play event I played was a really eye opening experience as far as paying more attention to my opponent's ball far more than when I was simply trying to post a low score. Having someone with experience in this format can be very beneficial.
 
Having never played in any kind of team golf event I'm reading this with lots of interest.

As a mid-capper I'm sitting here wondering if I would rather be paired with a high-cap, a low cap, or the same cap. Maybe that's the wrong way of thinking about it and I should want a partner that excels where I fall short.
I think I'd like to play with someone of a similar skill level so that there's no feeling of pressure to carry the team or pressure of letting your teammate down. That said, I think it's critical that you don't pair two guys together who both struggle off the tee.
 
Having played in the team golf events I liked being paired with the better player. I am usually the higher Hcap of our team & playing with better players always seems to help me elevate my game. Also the formats help cover up my weaknesses also.
 
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