Whenever there is a computer generated or a blind draw of a team for a Scramble the first question everyone on a team asks is, “Who’s our ‘A’ Player?”    It is natural reaction because the ‘A’ Player is the person who generally leads the team to make the right decision...or at least they should be the leader.

Many times the designated ‘A’ player does not know what their role is.   So I thought I would take this opportunity to enlighten the world what the job of an ‘A’ Player is.

First, let’s go back to the definition of the term ‘‘A’ Player’.  In most scramble tournaments that use a blind draw team selection they divide the field (all of the players) equally up into four levels of player ability.  Generally, the groups are given the designations of A, B, C &D.  Each designation represents a range of handicaps the players in each designation.   A = Better Players; B = Above Average; C = Average and D = Less than average.

This does not mean the ‘A’ player is always a scratch golfer.  Nor does the ‘A’ Player have to be the male of the team.   ‘A’ players are just the best golfers of the field.  In some cases the ‘A’ Players will draw their team from selecting a players name from each bowl that represents the B, C & D players.

This drawing or selection process is where the ‘A’ Player takes their traditional first leadership role.  Naturally, the B, C & D players look up to the ‘A’ Player for his or her playing ability.   But, more importantly the team looks to the ‘A’ player for leadership.  The leadership role just gravitates to a better player primarily due to their experience and knowing how to handle most tournament situation better.

So with this definition the ‘A’ Player is the teams caption or leader.  However, as is in everything in life, sometimes the ‘A’ Player is not a leader and/or does not want to take a leadership role for the team.   This will put the team to a huge disadvantage since, as is most things in golf, tradition plays a big part in how most golfers will act.

So to help those people who find themselves in an ‘A’ Player position and not knowing their role here is the run down on some of the basics duties of an ‘A’ Player.

The ‘A’ Player usually has more experience in tournament play and should first take a look at the scorecard to make sure the handicaps for all players are correct.  If there are corrections to be made the ‘A’ player needs to represent the team to have those corrections made. 

Then once that is determined he/she should place dots on the scorecard for each hole the team gets a stroke on.  This gets the scorecard ready to keep score which traditionally is taken care of by the ‘A’ player.  It also helps with the strategies used to play each hole.

The next thing an ‘A’ Player should realize is he/she is like all of the rest of the players on the team and will make a mistake or duff a shot like anyone else, so they should not put added pressure on themselves to think they have to pull trick shots out of the hat.  The ‘A’ Player sets an example by encouraging the other players to play to their best but not under pressure.  The team will look for the ‘A’ player to play better than them, but if the ‘A’ player wants to take some pressure off them self they should letting the team know that the outing is for all of them to have fun and play to their best.  

Sure the purpose is to win, but being over competitive will cause more problems amongst the team.  If the tournament was going to be a highly competitive event they should not be using a scramble format.  So, the ‘A’ player needs to take the edge off the competition.  Everyone player better when they are relaxed and having Fun. Saying something simple like saying ‘let’s go see what we can do’ will get the message to the team that it is a team event and not a “Hey, watch me win the tournament for you” outing as some ‘A’ players will try to do.

The order of play should be suggested by the ‘A’ Player after doing a one-on-one with each player to quickly find out what their strengths and weaknesses are.  Do not take it for granted that the ‘D’ player is the best putter.  Sometime their drives are extra large and it is their short game and putting that is keeping them from improving their average score.  So asking each player their strengths should be the first thing talked about on the first tee box.  The same goes for the ‘B’ and ‘C’ players.  Fine their comfortable strengths and then select an order from there. 

The order of play can be random but if a certain order works better then stay with it.  This does not mean the ‘A’ Player has to hit first or last each time.  It is a team event so play to the team’s strength on each hole.  If the hole is a long par five...let the player who hits the straightest go first.  If they produce a good shot then that allows the rest of the team to take a chance at a longer shot.  The ‘A’ player should suggest the order depending on the hole and the player’s strengths.

During the round the ‘A’ Player needs to be conscious of the pace of play and advice the team of the need to slow down or pick up the pace.  There is no need in hurrying to each tee to just see the team in front of you standing in the fairway waiting on the next team on the green.  The ‘A’ Player should stop and tell a story or make a comment of interest to the group that takes their mind off hurrying or feel they need to hurry their shot.  Again, demonstrating pace of play is the job of the ‘A’ Player. 

The same would be the case if the pace needed to be picked up.  ‘A’ players usually have the capability of playing quickly.  If the team is falling behind the ‘A’ Player needs to show leadership and make a remark like ‘we need to pick it up a little’, then step up to the ball and show the players on the team the pace of play they need to follow.  It is surprising how each player will step it up a little after seeing how it is done.

Once the round is over the ‘A’ Player should add the score and advice the team of their score.  Maybe a word of encouragement if everyone feels the score was not good.  Then make sure the scorecard is official and turned into the scorekeepers.  Once that is over the duties of the ‘A’ player is over and all players of the team are now all equal...the A-B-C-D designation is off each person’s back until the next event.  So everyone on the team should relax and enjoy the after round activities.

So, there you have it...what every ‘A’ player is always wanting to know...’What the heck does the ‘A’ player do?

You can read more on this and other subjects at IBGSBusiness Golf Blog 

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