Matchplay Instruction from Chris Wood

Top Tour pro Chris Wood reveals his secrets to becoming a matchplay master.

Forget your weekly battles against the course, matchplay is all about beating your opponent. On any given day, any golfer can beat another. That’s the beauty of the format that everyone, even the pros on Tour, love to play. Aggression can be what you need, but only at the right time. Young European star Chris Wood has an impressive matchplay record, so it’s no wonder he loves the format.

“I do like the challenge of playing matchplay. You get to play it a lot in amateur golf,” he said. “I love the team format and miss it. Fourball better ball matchplay is awesome – it’s a lot more exciting to play. I had a pretty good Team England record at matchplay. It’s great fun and I think it can bring out your best golf.”

So throw away your scorecard and get one up on your opponent even before you tee off with his top matchplay tips.

	TEE SHOT STRATEGY Be aggressive on the tee at the right time. The goal in matchplay is to be aggressive, but not overly so. Read this tip >>>
	HAVE A GO-TO SHOT Pile on the pressure by finding fairways. In matchplay, it’s vital to have a go-to shot – one you can rely on. Read this tip >>>
	MASTER THE FLOP SHOT Annoy your opponent by pulling off this wonder shot. Playing the flop shot successfully is a great way to get under your opponent’s skin! Read this tip >>>
	HOLE CLUTCH PUTTS Keep your match going by nailing 8-footers. Matchplay is all about keeping momentum going and grinding your opponent into the ground. Read this tip >>>
	PUSH THE RULES TO THE LIMIT In matchplay it’s important to gain a psychological edge early on by whatever means possible! Read this tip >>>