You always want your tee shots to be long and down the middle. But in match play, when you are first to tee off, it becomes even more important to find the fairway. A poorly hit tee shot is an opening for your opponent; a well-struck tee ball puts more pressure on your opponent.
If you are trailing in the match, however, you may have to be aggressive with your tee shot regardless - you might be forced to grip-it-and-rip-it and hope for the best.
If your opponent hits first from the tee, his shot impacts your decision. If he hits a lousy tee ball, then maybe the best thing for you to do is hit 3-wood or a long iron to better the odds of keeping your ball in the fairway. You can be more conservative when your opponent has made a mistake.
If your opponent cracks a terrific drive, then you'll feel pressure to try to match it.
The Hero Shot
You're standing in the fairway, 210 yards from the green. You can get the ball to the green, but 210 yards is right at your limit. And you must go over a creek fronting the green in order to do it. Do you go for the green? Or do you lay up?
Depends on how you stand on the hole and in the match. If you're ahead in the match, maybe it's not worth the risk. If you're 2-down and the match is on the 14th hole, maybe you have no choice but to risk it.
Then again, how does your opponent stand on the hole? If he's in a bad spot, then perhaps the hole is winnable without trying the hero shot.
How Many Holes are Left?
Always consider your options in the light of how you stand both in the match and on the particular hole. The closer you get to the 18th hole, the more aggressive you'll need to become if you're trailing.
Likewise, carrying a lead late in the match gives you the option of playing more conservatively. But that can change quickly if your opponent puts together a couple great shots.
Balancing Act
Match play is a balancing act. You must balance the need to be aggressive enough to win individual holes against the situations at hand - where do you stand in the match? How do you stand on the hole? How does your opponent stand on the hole?
And you must control your nerves. Don't get cocky when you're ahead. Always assume your opponent is going to make his putt, or put a good stroke on that approach to the green.
And don't panic if you fall behind early. You'll need to make something happen, but that doesn't mean trying every low-percentage shot that presents itself.
It's easy to see why match play is the type of golf that many prefer to play.