Matchplay ploy ?

Just played a tie this weekend. The chap I was playing against uttered barely a word to me all the way round. I have never played a game of golf where this has happened and suspect this must have been a deliberate approach on his part.

Found the whole thing quite odd and not a particularly enjoyable experience. I aways regard social interaction [even if it a tie] to be important.

Has anyone experienced this before [it may be more common that I am aware as I have not played a lot of competitve matchplay golf] - indeed does anyone employ this approach themselves ?

Happened a couple of times with me.
I thought 'what a miserable geek' and concentrated much harder than normal to hammer him. Worked very well if I remember.

Nothing worse than playing with a nervous chatterer, that is the other end of the stick.

I love the games when you chat most of the way round and stop talking when it's level with two to play!

goodwalkspoiled wrote:Just played a tie this weekend. The chap I was playing against uttered barely a word to me all the way round. I have never played a game of golf where this has happened and suspect this must have been a deliberate approach on his part.

Found the whole thing quite odd and not a particularly enjoyable experience. I aways regard social interaction [even if it a tie] to be important.

Has anyone experienced this before [it may be more common that I am aware as I have not played a lot of competitve matchplay golf] - indeed does anyone employ this approach themselves ?

Did you beat him tho?

This is a tactic I used often when I used to play in club comps. I could either say nothing or engage in idle chit chat with some guy that thought the daily mail had something to offer. I choose the silence route, after such a round a guy once declined my offer of a drink. I got home earlier and avoided the clubhouse. Everyone was a winner.

Mac
Are you starting to carry LJ's flag?

Doon the Water wrote:Mac
Are you starting to carry LJ's flag?

not sure i follow?

Sand Today

Yes - comfortably !

Like DTW says, it just made me all the more determined not to lose to be honest......

oops

Sorry Sand - have given you a surname [and one everyone has when they post TODAY !!]

Yes, it's a ploy, so what? There are many matchplay ploys.

In my experience 'matchplay ploys' rarely work... just concentrate on your game, like in any walk of life, if the conversation flows then great if not, then fine... but if someone was being deliberately evasive in order to 'concentrate' then i would assume they have a serious definiciency in their game on which they must concentrate so much. On quiet round i tend to hum or sing at and audible level to fill the silence.

Never let it bother you. If you play a lot of practice rounds on your own (as I prefer to) then you get used to the quiet anyway. Helps you concentrate better when you don't have to listen to inane babble imho.

People will have all types of ploys/gamesmanship strategies they employ in matchplay, best be ignore them and play your own game and teach them a lesson

If you come up against someone that deliberately goes for the silent treatment then just keep talking constant drivel to them all the way round, usually winds them up a treat

Maybe he just didnt like you ?

i played in the club matchplay against a 16 year old 4 handicapper who didnt say a word the whole way around. in addition to this he ran off every tee where he had the honour. I'd consider myself a pretty fast player but this was taking the proverbial!
Although it didnt bother my game at all it did take away alot from the enjoyment of the competition. in the other rounds i played ive made a few new friends from the club which ive played with since.

hend's comments really mirror my view- it certainly took some of the enjoyment of the few hours spent on the course away. Life's too short ....

Diggers - you are probably right [and he won't be alone !]

A guy at my club (no it wasn't me!) was drawn in the singles knockout to play against a fella well known for his friendly nature and his love of conversation both on and off the golf course.

Preferring to concentrate on the match and leave most of the chatting until in the bar after the game had concluded he nevertheless, listened politely to the continual stories and anecdotes that his opponent was bombarding his eardrums with all the way round.

That was until they walked off the 13th green and he was 3 down with 5 to play. Suddenly he could take no more and he exploded with "For f***s sake Brian, why don't you shut the f**k up until after you have beaten me"

Cue a very startled look on his opponents face who then spent the rest of the round in complete silence and nervously hitting the ball sideways! Regretting his outburst almost immediately the guy then began to feel more and more embarrassed and uncomfortable especially after winning the match on the 18th!

When you say the opponent never speaks, would he acknowledge a good put, help yOu look for an errant ball, comment on the weather etc or just completely blank you. I would understand if he wasn't talking about holidays, cars etc or anecdotes but surely there would be some dialogue when filling the scores in between holes and stuff. Wouldn't enjoy no chat, also hate to see my opponent really struggle, even in a match scenario and I have took plenty encouragement if I am having a stinker myself

McLaren wrote:This is a tactic I used often when I used to play in club comps. I could either say nothing or engage in idle chit chat with some guy that thought the daily mail had something to offer. I choose the silence route, after such a round a guy once declined my offer of a drink. I got home earlier and avoided the clubhouse. Everyone was a winner.

What a laugh riot you are. Note to self: avoid any reasons to play a game with Mac!

Tarka

He looked for the one ball I stuck in the rough [never spoke at all whilst searching for it]. Other than that he never acknowledged any good shots of mine [I did as I usually do and complimented him on the shots he played well], never mentioned the weather, never spoke at all between green and tee [or on the fairway], even when there was a hold up on a couple of tees with groups backing up a bit not a peep was heard, walked off each tee on his own, never waited for me once on any tee from 1st till match ended. The only thing which was said on a number of occasions was when he conceded putts [which was quite nice to hear !].

It was really quite bizarre - I have certainly never experienced anything quite like it and, to be honest, would prefer not to again.

Surely any matchplay 'ploy' such as this, especially when adopted from the off rather than in response to an opponent's behaviour, is an open admission of insecurity and lack of confidence? As such, aren't they only ever of use against someone even weaker of mind?

Playing today I remembered one old ploy that used to work well for me.

If I had a short chip from around the green I would ask for the flag to be taken out.

Doon the Water wrote:Playing today I remembered one old ploy that used to work well for me.

If I had a short chip from around the green I would ask for the flag to be taken out.

Doon; yes that tactic works well up to the point when you skull a delicate downhiller 30 feet past the pin at which point you weaken your opponent through helpless laughter

NST
Very true.

Fortunately that has never happened to me.

Doon, you've never duffed or skulled a short chip? Ever?

I think once in 1973.

No, joking apart short chips around the green was the strongest part of my game.
I recall one match play semi when I chipped in three times, the last on the 18th to win. My opponent went on to become a decent pro and was pig sick at losing that one, it was tough for him to shake my hand and say well played.

Now 50 yard chips that is a different story, nowadays I generally duff about one in every three.

Fair enough Doon
Stuff my current coach, i'm coming to see you!!

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:This is a tactic I used often when I used to play in club comps. I could either say nothing or engage in idle chit chat with some guy that thought the daily mail had something to offer. I choose the silence route, after such a round a guy once declined my offer of a drink. I got home earlier and avoided the clubhouse. Everyone was a winner.

What a laugh riot you are. Note to self: avoid any reasons to play a game with Mac!

Exactly my thoughts!?!? "I got home early and avoided the clubhouse" - what a guy...

i've had a few rounds in the past where i've chipped in twice, three times, and on a couple of occasions four times during the round, and then gone months before another chip in - quite bizarre. this season i think i've only had about 6 or 7 chip ins, and only one round where i've had 2.

doon, i've been struggling with those in-between 50 yarders too. i've found in the last couple of weeks that setting up with an open chipping stance and a 2/3 normal swing is just about right with my gap wedge for about 70-75 yards, and about 50-55 with my sand iron. for some reason i feel much more comfortable opening my stance when executing a 'reduced' swing than if i set up square - and seem to be striking the ball much more crisply too.

sharrison01 wrote:

navyblueshorts wrote:

McLaren wrote:This is a tactic I used often when I used to play in club comps. I could either say nothing or engage in idle chit chat with some guy that thought the daily mail had something to offer. I choose the silence route, after such a round a guy once declined my offer of a drink. I got home earlier and avoided the clubhouse. Everyone was a winner.

What a laugh riot you are. Note to self: avoid any reasons to play a game with Mac!

Exactly my thoughts!?!? "I got home early and avoided the clubhouse" - what a guy...

Im with Mac on that one to be honest. If you have just spent the best part of 5 hours with someone why should you feel any commitment to go nad have a drink with them as well. Some people want to just paly golf which takes up a lot of time in its own right, spending another hour in a bar is not going to be everyones cup of tea.

Diggers, can understand not having the time or desire to sit in the clubhouse bar after a round but someone that doesn't say a word for 5 hours would not be in my ideal 4 ball. It is just a game after all, no matter what level you are playing at...

I agree with Sharrison

There is of course no obligation to go into the clubhouse after every round but I'd be disappointed if a guy like Mac was in my regular group and never came in for a drink. It's meant to be a social game after all and if i'm not good enough to have a 15 minute chat with afterwards every now and then, then i'm not good enough to play golf with i'm afraid.

I love it that every guy Mac plays with must think the Daily Mail has something to offer as if that implies they're not up to his level of intellect and conversation. Dear oh dear.......

MustPuttBetter wrote:
I love it that every guy Mac plays with must think the Daily Mail has something to offer as if that implies they're not up to his level of intellect and conversation. Dear oh dear.......

But he has got a piece of paper framed next to a photo of himself looking like a Harry Potter extra that shows he is a genius...

I dont agree with the not talking part, to be honest all these little matchplay ploy talks I find a bit sad, it is indeed just a game. But I dont like golf clubhouse bars by and large and Id much rarther spend my time with my family after a round of golf than hanging around some place I dont want to be.

sharrison01 wrote:But he has got a piece of paper framed next to a photo of himself looking like a Harry Potter extra that shows he is a genius...

Well that proves it.....
And if the guy he is playing with also has one? I have one. How would he know?? I assume there is some sort of questionnaire to fill out before hand so he can decide who is worthy.
What a way to live.......

I'm picturing Victor Meldrew.......

Digs, it wasn't necessarily any individual part of Mac's post that came across as Meldrew.
I sometimes don't go to the bar. I sometimes don't feel particualrly chatty. I sometimes don't like the guy i'm playing with.
But the post as a whole "i don't talk as no one's as high brow as me and the bonus is i don't have to go in the clubhouse and mingle with the commoners.......", paints a very sad picture indeed

MPB, I thought that everyone had them these days? I suppose some people need to advertise them to justify a waste of four years with a job at McDonalds at the end to show for it...

Digs, agree with you and I'm not a massive fan of golf clubhouses. I get a big enough social "fix" from my playing partners to not feel the need to extend my game into the bar but after a round with someone like this I could understand the need for a drink!?!

I am not going to advocate slow play...but has anyone else noticed that those who complain the loudest about the length of time it has taken to complete their round of golf are often the same people that then spend a similar amount of time in the bar afterwards?

BlueCoverman wrote:I am not going to advocate slow play...but has anyone else noticed that those who complain the loudest about the length of time it has taken to complete their round of golf are often the same people that then spend a similar amount of time in the bar afterwards?

No, not really

Can't say as I've noticed that either.

I don't rush around the course or play slowly either always keep up woth the game in front. But I enjoy a chat and the banter afterwards whilst sinking a nice cold one in the bar.

MPB
I left school at 15 with nothing.
Gained the odd vocational certs etc but nothing to boast about.

I have had young men working for me with a good degree but who were clearly lacking in any skills associated with thier chosen career.
By the way the young women with good degrees were nearly all brilliant.

My daughter got a first at Exeter and had a group of six friends. Not one of thier jobs has anything to do with the courses they studied.
Total waste of time IMHO but I suppose it keeps them off the dole while they pay for thier 'education'.

Doon
I'm not sure if you're agreeing or disagreeing with me?
If the latter i fear you may have misunderstood.

The point of my mentioning degrees was in response to Mac's implied view that he wouldn't speak to a playing partner who he judged didn't have his level of intellectual aptitude.

I quite agree with you that many degree are worthless, and there is certainly a difference between an educated person and an intelligent person.

Goodwalk,
was it KJ Choi before he learned English?

MPB
No No definately agreeing with you.

The folk I know who boast about thier education are generally numpties.

I find it interesting in the West of Scotland as the unsuspecting sometimes equate a strong Weegie accent with a lack of education. This has led to some fist in mouth moments from me when a dimwit gets put in his/her place.

DTW/MPB

couldn't agree more, never ceases to fascinate me how so many people think their Uni education makes them think they are of superior intellect when generally their degree in naff all has no relevance on their job. I finished school at 15. Served many years in the british army and until recently run 2 successful businesses sold 1 for a substantial profit. now run my other one part time.

The clients I come across assume I have a much higher education because the way I negotiate and handle my business yet they find out my background and are shocked to find my company is run with pure simple intelligence learned from years of working hard and by simply teacing myself the ins and outs of life and what needs to be learnt. I often find myself dealing americans (as most of my business is done out there now) that have ridiculously higher educations that cannot grasp what their business should be doing or grasp simple common sense solutions that they think should be more complex than they are because they cannot think outside of the box because they are not taught to

Pedro - would have had a better conversation with KJ before he spoke English, I can assure you !

Mav/DTB - agree. Common sense is often sadly lacking in many with good educations. I think you often learn more when actually in a work environment than at university [even if the job you do does have something to do with the course you took].

DTB - never taken that approach with a Glaswegian as am well aware that fist in face is the likely outcome !!

I have told this story on 606 but it is worth repeating.
I used to take graduates doing a sports studies diploma for 3 months work based experience.
They started with a three week spell working on the golf courses, Pro's shop/reception and clubhouse/catering. They then discussed with me a suitable project for the rest of the time.
The work was 'real' so 6.00am starts on the golf course and 2am finishes in the clubhouse was a quick wake up call.

We had this guy who was about 22/23 years old and had never worked, not even a student job.
The head greenkeeper was not a guy to mess with and not a great fan of this system as it messed up his rotas.

On his first week the student was not doing so well and the HGK was getting p'd off with him. He had an hour left on his shift and was sitting around waiting for someone to tell him what to do. As it was the end of the day the HGK asked him to take a broom and sweep out the depot. 'But I'm a graduate' was the dismayed response.
OK says the HGK. 'This is a broom, this is the handle and that is the head, it works like this'

Degree courses in the UK generally aren't intended to be the grounding for a job. Of course there are exceptions - like medicine or vet science for example.

Degree courses are about learning how to research problems, organise ideas, present solutions and draw conclusions. These processes are what people use in every day life to overcome challenges and improve business performance.

Of course you don't need a degree to succeed - but having a degree shows that you have been able to apply yourself in a systematic way to your job.

If you don't have a degree these days, then you'd better be prepared to work harder, be challenged more often and second guessed on a regular basis.

But don't confuse degree level education with vocational training. They are different, distinct and not interchangeable.

Doon the Water wrote:I have told this story on 606 but it is worth repeating.
I used to take graduates doing a sports studies diploma for 3 months work based experience.
They started with a three week spell working on the golf courses, Pro's shop/reception and clubhouse/catering. They then discussed with me a suitable project for the rest of the time.
The work was 'real' so 6.00am starts on the golf course and 2am finishes in the clubhouse was a quick wake up call.

We had this guy who was about 22/23 years old and had never worked, not even a student job.
The head greenkeeper was not a guy to mess with and not a great fan of this system as it messed up his rotas.

On his first week the student was not doing so well and the HGK was getting p'd off with him. He had an hour left on his shift and was sitting around waiting for someone to tell him what to do. As it was the end of the day the HGK asked him to take a broom and sweep out the depot. 'But I'm a graduate' was the dismayed response.
OK says the HGK. 'This is a broom, this is the handle and that is the head, it works like this'

Apparently somebody also told Adam Scott how a broom works... Maybe Steve Williams?

sheesh, you'd think all graduate's were a waste of space. personally i spent 6 years at uni. i had a summer job in retail, and two summers working on the greens, before spending the following two on my chosen vocation before completing my degree and going into the workplace full time. i'd say some of the comments here are rather blinkered to say the least. it is certainly fair to say that universities over the last few years have been over-subscribed and manual apprenticeships undersubscribed, but your generalisations only cover the area where the two circles overlap. its far from a total eclipse in my opinion.