Who would have thunk I'd be in a scramble competition? Any strategies? We have 14,18,20,25 handicaps...from the copper tees at Legacy Club in Bradenton Fla.

I think Scrambles are all about putting. Let your "D" player always putt first. Tell her that her job is not to make the putts but to get it close enough for a tap-in or at the very least show you the speed and the break. You'll take a lot of pressure off her and you may be surprised by how many she sinks.

Every team member needs to have a job. The "D" player's job is to "show you the way." And every time one of the other three makes a putt, give full credit to your D player. "I would have never make that putt if you hadn't shown me that break!!"

For other shots the order really depends on the personalities of the players. Usually (and hopefully) your "A" player thrives on pressure. If that's the case they should always hit last. There's no pressure like having three balls before you out of play in a Scramble. If you have someone who's always in the fairway but not the longest hitter, let them hit the Tee shots first. Their job is just to put it in the fairway so everyone else can "go for it." 

And try to pick each players ball every once in a while. If your "C" player hasn't been playing well, and she gets a hold of a drive but is 10-yards short of your "A" player, choose the "C" players ball. Tell her you have a better angle from her ball or "it's the perfect distance." Remember, the longest/closest ball is not always the easiest shot. 

So, get everyone involved, give everyone a job and take the pressure off on the shots where they can't help out. The beauty of a Scramble is that you have three other players to back you up. Everyone should be relaxed and having fun.

Good luck and good golfing! 

--------------------------------------------------------------
19thHole.com - Founder

Good advice. We do have our worst putter (our lowest handicap!) go first. She often sinks it. We really don't have the luxury of choosing a poorer drive because this is a national competition, this is just the second level. When we do charity tournaments we have to use each players drive twice. Not for this competition thing though.

We have a struggle with choosing distance over lie. I would almost always choose the best lie, while the other pushy broad (yep two of us on the same team) would almost always choose a poorer lie, closer to the hole. Oy.

 Maybe what we really need is group therapy!

--------------------------------------------------------------
Work gets in the way of golf...

On the most part I agree with Jimbo, but Competitive Scrambles is somewhat of an oxymoron.  The format was really not made for heated competition.  I write in my book on how to be a hero in a Scramble which takes a balanced look at the format.  What it boils down to is the Scramble Team is as competitive as the ‘A’ player.  I have played in some of the top level scrambles and the ones I have been a part of that came close to winning had a ‘A’ & ‘B’ players that Ham & Egged all around the course leaving me and the ‘D’ player for insurance on long putts and keeping the ‘A’ & ‘B’ player’s beer cold.  On the two or three scramble teams I have been on that won I was pretty much there for keeping the beer cold since the ‘A’, ‘B’, ‘C’ were all one stroke apart in their handicap.

Now, in the case where you have to have so many different handicaps on your team, the strategy does change and it does saddle the ’A’ player to play consistently, but still all comes down to the ‘A’ player...even if the ‘A’ player on the team is a 14 handicap, they better shoot a 10 handicap to keep the team in contention.

Scrambles can be fun if you are able to build your own team, but anytime you throw in heated competition they become very frustrating.

What I find that happens if you have a real good ‘A’ player is the rest of the team steps up a little in their playing skills.  A good ‘A’ player who does not get rattled with all of the distractions of playing with lesser skills players can help the team by setting an example of what good golf skill produce.  90% of the time the tempo of a “A” players swing will slow down the ‘D’ players swing who will start experiencing they can hit the ball a little better when they slow down.  There are some benefits to having a “A” player who is a good leader.

Bottomline:  The Scramble Team is as good as its “A” player. 

--------------------------------------------------------------
Where golf and business merge

Well that can't be true, because we weren't as good as our A player. Or maybe she's not our "A" player after all. Who the heck knows?

And this wasn't a drinking thing. It was actually a competition. Not a bunch of guys boozing it up.

We did use each players drive 3 times, per the rules. I think it boils down to having all four people being smart enough to understand teamwork. And then being able to trust each other.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Work gets in the way of golf...

I would recommend your "D" player go first, but be willing to mix it up if nobody seems to be hitting it well.   Sometimes putting all your pressure on your "A" player makes them not be as effective.    I think it does all come down to making putts on the green, and putting yourself in a position to get a lucky break now and then.   Of course, I would also recommend having an ample supply of beverages available in the event they just aren't dropping for you.

--------------------------------------------------------------
When in doubt...SWING HARDER!

We tee'd off before 7am! And this is a competition not a charity event or...well I"m tired of explaining that. ANYway, good advice. We finished way before appropriate drinking hours...then we sat in the clubhouse and had some early lunch while we waited for the stroke competition flights to finish. I had a beer after lunch. OK, I had two. :) Then we all headed back to the hotel. Myself and 4 others went to the pool with our wine and the others went shopping.

There's always next year. Of course, I'm not doing the competitive scramble again. Back to stroke play for me!

--------------------------------------------------------------
Work gets in the way of golf...

Yes scrambles are about making lots of putts, but your approach shot sets up the putt, and the closer you are the more putts will fall. Good luck

Well the chapter championship is May 4th this year but I'm not going to participate on a scramble team...stroke play for me! I'm in a better flight this year so I'll have to play better and putt real well.

The sectional is close to us this year also so we don't have to make a road trip. Then the national is this fall in Oregon. I'll keep ya posted. It's the largest amateur golf tournament in the world. www.ewga.com

Steph

There'sgolf and then there's tournament golf. I like competition.

--------------------------------------------------------------
Work gets in the way of golf...