Manic Mondays Spring 2014   June 9, 2014 at 8:41pm

Match Play Rules Explanation

I just thought I would make a post in case some of you planned to play your match early. Match Play is similar to skins only each hole is only worth 1 point. Here is a scenario that will explain how Match Play is scored.

Player A throws a 3 on Hole #1
Player B throws a 3 on Hole #1 . . . the hole is pushed and there is no score.

Player A throws a 2 on Hole #2
Player B throws a 3 on Hole #2 . . . Player A wins the hole and goes 1 Up.

Player A throws a 2 on Hole #3
Player B throws a 4 on Hole #3 . . . Player A goes wins the hole and goes 2 Up (1 point for Hole #2 and #3). It doesn't matter that Player A beat Player B by 2 throws . . . they simply won the hole with a better score.

Player A throws 2's on the next 7 holes
Player B throws 3's on the next 7 holes . . . Player A wins the match 9 & and 8 (meaning 9 Up with only 8 holes to play) . . . the match is over because Player B cannot win enough holes to catch Player A.

If you tie after 18 holes . . . it is sudden death and the winner will be the first person to win a hole outright.

The other difference with match play is that you can concede putts . . . that might be something you are not accustomed to in disc golf, but sometimes it pays to avoid frustration if you have thrown OB twice or lose 2 discs on a hole . . . and your opponent is under the basket . . . you might as well just let them have the hole and avoid more frustration. Regroup and focus on the next hole.

One other thing that really does matter . . . the furthest away ALWAYS plays first . . . no tapping out to get out of the way, you must let the furthest person away play. It flip flops the pressure back and forth with every throw. If someone plays out of turn . . . the player can make them re-throw that shot from the same spot IF THEY DESIRE.

Match Play is a much more mental game that takes constant adjustment on each hole and even moreso after each shot. If your opponent has the box and they throw a poor throw . . . play a little safer and don't risk as much. If your opponent parks it under the basket . .. you know you need to birdie also . . . and if your opponent aces . . . no reason to leave it short because you can still push the hole with an ace yourself!

Any questions . . . I will be at VV early selling discs today so be sure to ask me if you don't understand any of these rules.