Know your Game -- and Play it

Unless you are a five-handicap player or better, do not take literally the notion of playing against par. Play instead against your "personal par," a scorecard that you have a reasonable chance of beating.

 

Sadly, many players try to bring a course to its knees. Match play seems to induce a euphoria that makes the 18-handicapper think he will perform like Jack Nicklaus. (The brutal truth is, on most days he won't even play to his 18.) You should stem this urge to pull off the spectacular shot.

 

Assuming you have established a plan of attack for the course you're playing -- a plan that fits your game -- stick to it. Such a plan will force you to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. If your plan calls for a 4-wood on a lengthy par three, you won't stubbornly take a 3-iron, no matter what club your opponent may select.

 

A final but important aspect of playing your game is to maintain your usual pace of play -- don't let an exceedingly slow or fast player get you out of rhythm. This can be difficult advice to heed if you're a fast player being held up by a slower player, but if you keep yourself busy and use the extra time to plan your shots, you can overcome the situation.

Read more: http://www.golf.com/instruction/10-commandments-match-play#ixzz2lTigiPzF