- Jan 8, 2009
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Australia
I thought I'd share an anecdote following a 4-person scramble I played in last Friday.
Let me say that normally I like scrambles. The main reason being that I use them as practise. I try shots that I normally wouldn't try, so it's good fun for me.
Now, I know that traditionally there's lots of moaning about scrambles. Shouts of "sandbaggers" are common.
The Scramble had an "anti-sandbagger" measure whereby the person who's shot is taken from the tee, doesn't hit the next shot. So only 3 hit the next shot. The procedure continues to the green, whereupon all 4 players can put.
So, I was grouped with people I didn't know. Two middle aged women, [16] and [19] handicaps. Then an elderly gent with a [15] handicap. They weren't "guns." They had home-made swings which got them around the course. But nice people and good company.
On the day, the wind howled. It was just like the worst of the Open Championship but without the rain. I'm not kidding, at times it was a 3 club wind; most times it was a two club wind.
Knowing how scrambles sometimes bring the "big d!cks" out who like to hit driver off any tee, I thought, "there's gonna be some high scores today" due to the crazy wind.
Anyhoo, our motley crew played above themselves. The two women had a nice headstart with their forward tee positions and usually put their tee shot straight down the middle.
Basically, we played out of our skin. We finished at 69 gross (par 70) and 60.625 nett. One birdie, no bogies. We only blew one birdie chance. Other than that there were no real birdie chances due to the crazy wind.
Prizes started at 10th place. I thought that we might be a good chance of picking up a prize.
Err ... no such luck. We came 15th. 10th place scored 58.25. First place scored 52.125. Yes, that's right; 52.125 in crazy weather.
When the results were announced at the presentation post-round, the people in my team mumbled sandbagger comments and threatened not to play in a scramble again. Me? I sorta shrugged my shoulders and laughed it off but at the same time can't believe some of the scores in crazy weather.
Let me say that normally I like scrambles. The main reason being that I use them as practise. I try shots that I normally wouldn't try, so it's good fun for me.
Now, I know that traditionally there's lots of moaning about scrambles. Shouts of "sandbaggers" are common.
The Scramble had an "anti-sandbagger" measure whereby the person who's shot is taken from the tee, doesn't hit the next shot. So only 3 hit the next shot. The procedure continues to the green, whereupon all 4 players can put.
So, I was grouped with people I didn't know. Two middle aged women, [16] and [19] handicaps. Then an elderly gent with a [15] handicap. They weren't "guns." They had home-made swings which got them around the course. But nice people and good company.
On the day, the wind howled. It was just like the worst of the Open Championship but without the rain. I'm not kidding, at times it was a 3 club wind; most times it was a two club wind.
Knowing how scrambles sometimes bring the "big d!cks" out who like to hit driver off any tee, I thought, "there's gonna be some high scores today" due to the crazy wind.
Anyhoo, our motley crew played above themselves. The two women had a nice headstart with their forward tee positions and usually put their tee shot straight down the middle.
Basically, we played out of our skin. We finished at 69 gross (par 70) and 60.625 nett. One birdie, no bogies. We only blew one birdie chance. Other than that there were no real birdie chances due to the crazy wind.
Prizes started at 10th place. I thought that we might be a good chance of picking up a prize.
Err ... no such luck. We came 15th. 10th place scored 58.25. First place scored 52.125. Yes, that's right; 52.125 in crazy weather.
When the results were announced at the presentation post-round, the people in my team mumbled sandbagger comments and threatened not to play in a scramble again. Me? I sorta shrugged my shoulders and laughed it off but at the same time can't believe some of the scores in crazy weather.
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