Napa Golf Course winter instruction starts Nov. 30

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Napa Golf Course at Kennedy Park will offer the following opportunities for winter instruction. To sign up or for more information, call the pro shop at 255-4333.   • Couples Golf Saturdays This clinic is designed for a player of any caliber who would like to learn the game of golf with th

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When in Trouble, Be Patient

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Every golfer must fight the urge to follow a bad shot with a spectacular recovery, or a bad hole with a spectacular hole. Spectacular play succeeds only in making the player foul up and lose the hole. In most instances, the smart move is to get safely and surely back in play, and then resume th

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Keep it in Play

Saturday, November 23, 2013

According to Strange, "the best way to put pressure on an opponent is to keep the ball in play." In most matches, accuracy is much more important than distance. Even when you are out-hit from the tee, you have an opportunity to be the first one on the green, thus putting the pressure back on yo

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Watch Your Opponent

Saturday, November 23, 2013

It should go without saying that you need to pay close attention to your opponent. Says GOLF Magazine Playing Editor Curtis Strange, "In match play I want to be fully aware of what my opponent is up to at all times, because it can influence whether I play a particular shot aggressively or cauti

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Watch the Course

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Since the golf course is your first opponent, you should make a point of knowing what sort of condition it's in. Some practice putting before the round will help you with the speed of the greens. As you walk through the holes of the match you should pay attention to flag positions on the upcomi

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Don't Let Up When You're Ahead

Saturday, November 23, 2013

It's human nature to ease up a bit when you hold what seems to be a comfortable lead. But the Watrous/Cruickshank match is ample proof of the danger of complacency. As Jerry Travers said, "Never prematurely announce the funeral of your opponent."    Wrote Simpson, "With five up, p

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Don't Give Up When You're

Saturday, November 23, 2013

Golf history is full of stories of players who came back from seemingly impossible deficits. The most astounding may be the match between Al Watrous and Bobby Cruickshank in the 1932 PGA Championship. Nine holes down with 12 to play, Cruickshank fought his way back and won in sudden death. Mor

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Try Hard from the Start

Saturday, November 23, 2013

The natural tendency is to be a bit lackadaisical about the first few holes of a match. "There's a lot of golf left" is the standard rationalization for a poor start. Some players even cling to the perverse belief that a victory at hole number one is a bad omen.    But the first h

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Put on Your Poker Face

Saturday, November 23, 2013

You will have some good holes and some bad holes, and so will your opponent -- this is the essence of match play. The key is to maintain your composure. Don't get too elated when you go ahead or too dejected when you lose ground.     "Absolute idiots play steadiest," said W. G

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Know your Game -- and Play it

Saturday, November 23, 2013

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 in

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Play the Course, Not the Opponent

Saturday, November 23, 2013

The game's first supreme match player was John Ball, a taciturn Englishman who won eight British Amateur Championships between 1888 and 1912. Ball was blessed with steel nerves and a smooth-flowing swing that never varied -- two undeniable assets for match play -- but he claimed his secret was

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