A lot of golfers I know hate playing in scrambles. They poo-poo any event where you get four tries at every putt and a couple of mulligans for ten bucks.
They’d rather play in a nerve-wracking Chapman where you’re guaranteed to succumb to the pressure at some point and infuriate your partner by missing a simple little downhill, double-breaking fifteen footer.
These so called “serious” golfers are missing the point.
If they’d just lighten up a bit, they could actually learn a lot from an afternoon charity scramble or corporate couples event.
First of all, in a scramble, it’s much easier to forget your wayward shots. Say you blast a drive over the tree line and into a neighboring fairway, no worries. You don’t even have to endure the embarrassment of walking over there and picking up the guilty little Titlest.
Last time I played in a scramble I didn’t look for a single golf ball the entire round. On the first hole, I suggested to my teammates that we shouldn’t waste time searching. If it’s gone, it’s gone. Forget About It! Besides, it was a desert course that I play frequently, with lots of sand, rock, sage and bitterbrush. And I was sick of picking cheatgrass burrs outta my socks.
That’s the scramble mentality that you need to take to your normal, Saturday morning game. Hit a bad shot? Just let it go and start over.
A scramble is also a great format for building teamwork and camaraderie. You’re rooting for all three of your partners, and they’re rooting for you. Rather than that half-hearted “good shot” you normally get, they’re all genuinely happy when you make a miraculous par from nowhere. Maybe Paul Azinger should use the format for some pre-Ryder Cup practice rounds.
Another thing you can learn in a Scramble is the limits of your power. It’s very tempting to swing outta your shoes when you already have the short ball safely in the fairway. It takes discipline to throttle it back, but what you’ll find is that less effort, with good contact right in the middle of the clubface, works better than swinging for the fences. And it’s always nice to have four good drives in the fairway to choose from.
Most of all, a good scramble will remind you of why you play golf in the first place… To have fun! To relax. To enjoy the golf course and the people you’re with. That’s what it’s all about.
