Is there a proper etiquette for 4 Man Scramble?

[warbirdlover]

I play scrambles for fun and to be with friends as a "team". The fact that each "team" is alone on the holes shows who is honest and who is not. You see these ultra low scores from teams totally composed of hackers and you know they're cheating and so does everyone else. That's why no one cares who wins in the ones I play in. Now if they sent an official "scorer" along with each team.....

[SCGolfer]

My home course held a scramble sometime around the end of march, it was the friday after they had aerated the greens on monday. The winning team carded a 59.....not a freakin chance......I don't think you could card that on a perfect day much less the week they punched the greens. I played later that afternoon and shot 84 with 39 putts. The second place team was like 65.

I played in one two weeks ago....we shot -8......the winning score was 15 under. What was messed up was the group behind us holed out three times from the fairway for eagle and only shot 13 under. Yes they really holed out three times someone from our group saw all three of them......it was pretty amazing.

Jason

[slickpitt]

I played in a scramble last yaer and the winning team was COMPLETELY full of sh!t. It was rediculous, they decimated the next closest team by like 8 shots. It was so obvious. I didn't care I was just having a good time.

[MustGoFast]

I hate to accuse people of being cheaters but a decently matched scramble group of even teen handicaps can put up good numbers if they have different strengths and an on day. (ie a couple good drivers, a couple good putters, etc, each one can be week in an area if someone else is strong)

I followed a group 3 years ago that I was supposed to play in but had to bow out and cart around w/ a broken ankle... noone better than maybe 15hdcp in the 4some and they shot a legit 64 or 65 not sure anymore.

So it can be done.... just to give the benefit of the doubt.... yet the cheating is a sad commentary on what people find acceptable.

[SplooGe]

The best round I've put together in a scramble was a 59. There were no minimum shot requirements and 1 mulligan per person and the handicaps were a 21, 32, 6, 14. The 6 put the ball in the middle and left us with inside of 20' on most approach shots and my buddy and I put it out long off the tee box, the 32 was 75 and only hit the ball about 120 but putter better than anyone I've played with since. Needless to say we lost by 2 stroke to a team with 2 college golfers and their dad's. I did win the long drive contest pre-Skycaddie days so I'm not sure how far it was though.

So it is possibly for everything to click but most of the time there are some shenanigans involved on scrambles.

[loftgolf]

Man am I relieved! I took up golf about 10 years ago and learned it from a good friend of mine (I still play with him), he taught me the rules of golf. I have played with many "golfers" that think nothing of cheating, ie; improving their lie, not counting strokes, etc. I have witnessed this so many times that I was convinced that we were the only honest golfers playing the game. Imagine my excitement when reading this post and see there are others that play by the rules. Congrats to all of you. I'm pleased to be apart of a site full of real golfers!

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by loftgolf

Man am I relieved! I took up golf about 10 years ago and learned it from a good friend of mine (I still play with him), he taught me the rules of golf. I have played with many "golfers" that think nothing of cheating, ie; improving their lie, not counting strokes, etc. I have witnessed this so many times that I was convinced that we were the only honest golfers playing the game. Imagine my excitement when reading this post and see there are others that play by the rules. Congrats to all of you. I'm pleased to be apart of a site full of real golfers!

Bless me Father, for I have sinned. I do try to play by the rules (I really do...) but sometimes there are situations that arise that make it, shall we say, expedient, to do otherwise. Doesn't happen often, and I don't think of myself as a "cheater" for doing it.

Of course, if I were playing in a tournament, I would follow the rules precisely.

And don't give me any crap about my 19.2 index not being "valid."

[gwlee7]

I can take 3 other golfers who have about the same handicap as mine and would be very surprised at NOT breaking 60 in most scrambles.

[mont86]

On a par 72? that would be 12 maybe 13 strokes. Thats a far cry from 25!

[gwlee7]

Originally Posted by mont86

On a par 72? that would be 12 maybe 13 strokes. Thats a far cry from 25!

Agreed. I just found it interesting that a lot of the posters were saying that scores is the 50's meant people were cheating. I have played in two scrambles recently where my team has shot legit 54s. Breaking 60 is a snap for single digit handicappers on the same team.

Now, that being said, when the teams are supposed to be "fair" with A, B, C, & D players put together, I find some of these really low scores to be questionable.

[Eracer]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

Agreed. I just found it interesting that a lot of the posters were saying that scores is the 50's meant people were cheating. I have played in two scrambles recently where my team has shot legit 54s.

You must have been cheating.

[gwlee7]

Originally Posted by Eracer

You must have been cheating.

[warbirdlover]

Not saying these scores aren't possible but you have to have a team of "aces". Most scrambles involve teams of REAL hackers with maybe one good player per team. And that good player is probably a 10 cap. Then they roll in with some unbelieveable score? No way...

[mont86]

Originally Posted by gwlee7

Agreed. I just found it interesting that a lot of the posters were saying that scores is the 50's meant people were cheating. I have played in two scrambles recently where my team has shot legit 54s. Breaking 60 is a snap for single digit handicappers on the same team.

Now, that being said, when the teams are supposed to be "fair" with A, B, C, & D players put together, I find some of these really low scores to be questionable.

I know its possible, but I know alot of people that I have golfed with that keep score that fluff the ball up and use foot wedges and never count them.
The best part is that when asked if their score is legit, they really believe
they've played by the rules.
Is it common for your team to score in the low 50s?

[gwlee7]

All I am saying is that a team of very good golfers can do this without much difficulty. I know that a team of mid handicappers would be strectching it a bit to come in shooting a low 50's score.


One of the recent scrambles I played in had these four members:
me (5 handicap)
the pro from my home course
a woman who plays on the Duramed Futures Tour
my favorite golf buddy who is also a 5 handicap.

We easily shot a 54.

When every one is a pretty good golfer, you will always have a long drive in the middle. The key to scoring this low in a scramble is having strong iron players. Having wedge in your hand from the fairway on most par fours and having 4 really good wedge players means that you are going to not only be on the green in regulation, but one of the four will have knocked it really close. On top of that, all four of us can putt.