MGS VCT - SOLO SCRAMBLE CHALLENGE

[GolfSpy_BEN]

SOLO SCRAMBLE CHALLENGE

NOW OPEN FOR SCORING!!!

Season 2 has come to a close, and while we await the beginning of the Tournament, this week we are throwing a fun challenge at all of our competitors. Inspiration for this came from the "can a 16 handicap shoot even par with 2 balls" thread. Also, credit to @Tom the Golf Nut for suggesting we should make it an event. Here is how it will work: You will play a scramble round with yourself. On each shot, if needed, take 2 shots. Example, 2 tee shots, 2 approaches, 2 putts. Use the better outcome in each instance. Keep score and post the results. There will be a solo scramble option in the type of round drop down box, if you are participating, be sure to indicate such. The only other stipulation, if you are participating in the solo scramble, then do not use a course handicap. You will put "0" in that box. 

Also, there is a SIM option for the solo scramble, as most SIM systems allow for mulligans. Same as above, indicate the round in solo scramble - SIM in the type of round and put "0" in for your course handicap. Have fun and let's see some low scores. 

The Low gross for actual and SIM rounds of Solo Scramble will earn a special badge for your trophy room. 

photo courtesy of @vandyland

 

[Josh Parker]

This should be a lot of fun.  Will be interesting to see how everyone approaches it.

Will you play a "safety" ball first and then fire away like you see so often with scrambles or what strategy will there be?

[CB Lobo 4 Life]

This sounds like so much fun!

[Shapotomous]

Very cool idea.  I hope i can get out for a full 18.

[jbern]

@GolfSpy_BEN - can anyone post a score or is the solo scramble only open to VCT competitors?

Edited March 4 by jbern

[Mr. Mushball]

Not sure I'll be close to par, but I'm pretty sure I can get close to 90, which is kinda like shooting par for me.  Let's see how many "what ifs" I can take out of my game with a second chance (or 90).

[RoverRick]

I may try this tomorrow. Sadly, I have participated in 1-man 2-ball scrambles and often do not hit the second shot remarkably better. Last tournament I played I used my second ball only once. However, I should point out that at the time, the second shot was equally bad verses not as good. Much better ball striking now. 

[GolfSpy_BEN]

59 minutes ago, jbern said:

@GolfSpy_BEN - can anyone post a score or is the solo scramble only open to VCT competitors?

Like the VCT itself, this is open to anyone that is willing to play a round and post their score. That is essentially the requirement for joining the VCT, post a round, as frequently or infrequently as you choose. That’s it.

[jbern]

23 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BEN said:

Like the VCT itself, this is open to anyone that is willing to play a round and post their score. That is essentially the requirement for joining the VCT, post a round, as frequently or infrequently as you choose. That’s it.

Thanks!

I've said "2nd shot jbern could be a PGA tour pro" too many times to not give this a try! As long as the weather stays decent, I should be able to get out later this week to post a score!

[MGoBlue100]

Some of my buddies and I play a version of this called “Greed”. You may replay ANY shot, but if you hit a second, you must play that ball. Amazing how greed can come and bite you. We usually play skins and b/c of the second shot option, only par or better wins a skin. Fun variation to knock it around with friends. 

[ZJeb67]

Date	03/04/2024
Course Name	Aviara
Gross Score	79
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	7
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	1
Longest Drive	244
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE - SIM

This seems like a lot of fun and something I should have scored better on 

[Javs]

I am in

[Mr. Mushball]

1 hour ago, ZJeb67 said:

Date	03/04/2024
Course Name	Aviara
Gross Score	79
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	7
Net Score to Par	7
Net Score	79
Net Birdies or better	1
Longest Drive	244
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE - SIM

This seems like a lot of fun and something I should have scored better on 

Ambitious for you to get a round posted within hours of the event being announced!  

I've got a round booked Thursday on a relatively challenging course for the purpose of this trial.  Hopefully the weather holds!  I'll play anyway, but more fun in the sun.

[ZJeb67]

44 minutes ago, Mr. Mushball said:

Ambitious for you to get a round posted within hours of the event being announced!  

I've got a round booked Thursday on a relatively challenging course for the purpose of this trial.  Hopefully the weather holds!  I'll play anyway, but more fun in the sun.

The backyard sim is almost always available after work (depending on snow accumulations)
I have realized that some equipment doesn't seem to like the sub zero temps from some of my winter rounds

[fredsharky]

Date	03/04/2024
Course Name	Fort Walton Beach - The Oaks
Gross Score	71
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	-1
Net Score	71
Net Birdies or better	3
Longest Drive	0
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE

My 10-12 ft lagging was on tonight - man these greens were super slow - several missed birdie opportunities, but still an under par round..

[Alf. S]

If only I had read this before my round yesterday. Did play a couple of Mulligans on the way round to a 76  but no Scramble.  Weather quite settled this week and trying to get out later today. 

Edited March 5 by Alf. S

[ILMgolfnut]

Interesting. I may be able to get out tomorrow afternoon, weather permitting. A lot of my rounds are pretty much solo scrambles anyway. What makes me mad is when I screw up a shot, drop another ball and then make exactly the same mistake...

That picture from Pinehurst is of the croquet lawn, by the way. Very nice, but not golf.

[Alf. S]

Date	03/05/2024
Course Name	West Lothian Golf Club (kinglass)
Gross Score	63
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	-1
Net Score	63
Net Birdies or better	8
Longest Drive	290
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE

Well I found my forte. If only I could putt. GIR is a bit distorted since 3 of the 4 misses were on the fringe and within 20' and the fairway misses were all shots where I had just run off the short grass.

[RoverRick]

My plan to play this today was upended by a storm at 4 am. It’s cart path only so I’ll pass on walking to 2 balls. 

[ILMgolfnut]

10 minutes ago, Alf. S said:

Date	03/05/2024
Course Name	West Lothian Golf Club (kinglass)
Gross Score	63
Course Handicap	8
Gross Strokes over/under par	-1
Net Score to Par	-9
Net Score	55
Net Birdies or better	8
Longest Drive	290
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE

Well I found my forte. If only I could putt. GIR is a bit distorted since 3 of the 4 misses were on the fringe and within 20' and the fairway misses were all shots where I had just run off the short grass.

Is this the course you posted the pic above? Very nice. I like quirky courses with par 64, or par 42 like Shiskine. Just realized that four months from today I'll be landing at Inverness for my 9 days in the Highlands.

[Tom the Golf Nut]

Remember guys and gals.

If you are participating in the solo scramble, then do not use a course handicap. You will put "0" in that box. 

 

[Alf. S]

Just now, ILMgolfnut said:

Is this the course you posted the pic above? Very nice. I like quirky courses with par 64, or par 42 like Shiskine. Just realized that four months from today I'll be landing at Inverness for my 9 days in the Highlands.

The photo is the 3rd green.

We have a Winter and a Summer layout for the course, mainly due to 6 of the low lying holes getting too soft. At the moment we are playing Winter. A lot of par 3s but they are all card wreckers. 

In the summer it goes up to a par 71 and 6200 yds. 

I would offer you a round when you were over but Inverness is 3 hours away, what courses are you playing?

[Alf. S]

5 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Remember guys and gals.

If you are participating in the solo scramble, then do not use a course handicap. You will put "0" in that box. 

 

Oops too late for me! I'm sure @GolfSpy_BEN will sort my score out. Me bad!

[ILMgolfnut]

10 minutes ago, Alf. S said:

what courses are you playing

I've actually joined Fortrose and Rosemarkie as an overseas member, so that will be my base. Royal Dornoch has two tournaments during the time I'm there (one on each course) and I'm planning to enter both when they open next month. Already signed up for a tournament at Brora and looking at others at Golspie and Boat of Garten. May also look at Tain, Nairn and Moray, depending on my luck in getting into the Dornoch tournaments. But planning to play 3-4 rounds at F&R, including a member-only tournament.

I was there last year and played, in order, Eden Course, Old Course, Cruden Bay, Dornoch, Brora, Fortrose, Machrihanish and Shiskine in 15 days.

Edited March 5 by ILMgolfnut

[Alf. S]

2 minutes ago, ILMgolfnut said:

I was there last year and played, in order, Eden Course, Old Course, Cruden Bay, Dornoch, Brora, Fortrose, Machrihanish and Shiskine in 15 days.

That's quite a bit of travelling, especially on the country roads down to Campbelltown, did you go there via Shiskine. Last time at Shiskine, we liked it so much we kept going and played it twice (24 holes) 

Know the Inverness area well, we have friends who have a cottage in Nairn and have played a few of the courses around there. I'm sure you'll have a great time

[ILMgolfnut]

16 minutes ago, Alf. S said:

especially on the country roads down to Campbelltown, did you go there via Shiskine.

No, I took the ferry from Kintyre to Arran, played Shiskine the next morning, then ferried over to Ardrossan to return to EDI for my flight home.

Getting to Campbeltown was an adventure. So was getting from Ardrossan to EDI, for the same reason: Weird GPS from Arnold Clark. Heading south, it sent me down a C road which was closed for construction,  but by the time I realized it, it was 25 miles back to an alternate route. I wound up over at Oban, which is right on the A816 south to Kintyre, but GPS STILL wanted me to go back down that closed road. What should have been a 3.5 hour drive wound up taking 6 hours. Then after I got off the ferry at Ardrossan, I was trying to get to the M8, when GPS suddenly commanded me to take an immediate left. Unfortunately, I complied The road it put me on was a single-lane cattle path, completely mud after Storm Ciaran, which near its end was blocked by a cattle gate. If I had gotten stuck in the mud, or if that gate had been locked, I would have been screwed. Fortunately, neither one happened, I got back on an actual road and finally got to Edinburgh.

I loved Shiskine, probably could have played it twice that day, but I was trying to make the ferry to get me to the mainland before sundown. Didn't quite make it on the boat and had to take the last ferry of the evening, which led to my adventures on the cattle path after dark.

Edited March 5 by ILMgolfnut

[GolfSpy_BEN]

Date	03/05/2024
Course Name	Gleneagles, The King’s Course
Gross Score	67
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-4
Net Score to Par	-4
Net Score	67
Net Birdies or better	6
Longest Drive	285
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE - SIM

A neat feature of the Top Tracer Range is that you can play a 2 man scramble by yourself. Very handy for this particular challenge. Not too shabby.

[Preeway]

3 minutes ago, GolfSpy_BEN said:

Date	03/05/2024
Course Name	Gleneagles, The King’s Course
Gross Score	67
Course Handicap	0
Gross Strokes over/under par	-4
Net Score to Par	-4
Net Score	67
Net Birdies or better	6
Longest Drive	285
TYPE OF ROUND	SOLO SCRAMBLE - SIM

A neat feature of the Top Tracer Range is that you can play a 2 man scramble by yourself. Very handy for this particular challenge. Not too shabby.

I might have to give that a try!

 

[Alf. S]

24 minutes ago, Preeway said:

I might have to give that a try!

 

I'm told it is the best of the 3 course there. Better than the PGA which was used for the Ryder Cup 2014.

[Javs]

3 hours ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

Remember guys and gals.

If you are participating in the solo scramble, then do not use a course handicap. You will put "0" in that box. 

 

I Love that since I will gain a shot or two by putting in zero! Ha ha