Team Neo Grudge Match or Match Play Messing With My Mind

This past weekend was perhaps one of the most enjoyable fundraiser events you will ever see. Four guys from the local disc golf community raise money for two events later on in the year by hosting a team match play event that consists of four teams of 12 players each. While there are prizes like advanced entry into one of those tournaments, it really is more about the fun of playing disc golf and enjoying the company of those playing. That is not to say that it is not competative. Lets be honest, the trash talk has been happening ever since the team draft went down.

We played at a nice little course in Broomfield called East Interlocken Park. They added three holes to the course and honestly, the extra holes were some of my favorites. I was not playing my best disc golf for this event, but I think I may have found a reason for that. I shot under par two out of three rounds and even the third. The problem is that the course really requires you to shoot well under par to do well. In match play, you are really only playing against one person so that shouldn't matter too much. But, it ended up causing me to loose two out of my three matches. And of course that meant my team ended up finishing last. I really let me team down, especially since I could have won the two matches that I lost.

Match play requires a completely different style than stroke golf. In match play you really do have to play your opponent. There will be times that you lay up because your opponent is in so much trouble. There will also be times when you go for something that normally you would have laid up on because hey, you might catch them but if not, the worst you can do is loose one hole. I think that this style of play does not always suit me best. When I was allowed to play smart I played well. This is the whole reason I won my first match. When I was forced to push, that is when things started to go poorly for me. Ultimately the lesson learned is that I need to stick with my smart style of play when the next tournament comes around. I just hope I can mentally get myself back to that before the next tournament.