4 Man Scramble Strategy

[PrayingForPar]

Tomorrow I am playing in my first 4 man scramble tournament. I know these are generally structured so even people who don't play often can enjoy the tournament and feel competitive....BUT...What is your scramble strategy? Have you ever tried to be strategic with your team or hitting order? Feel free to share any insight you have on winning a scramble format tournament.

[Shankster]

I’m usually the biggest hitter, best iron (overall), and best putter.  My playing partners have been making up for my crappy wedge play.  My biggest advice is to make sure you have a look at the green.  Whoever can get a ball in the fairway with a look take it, even if there is a drive 25 yards closer in a marginal lie area.  We usually make this mistake and the the closest to the green.  Not always the best choice.  Make sure everyone gets a read on the putt.  And don’t get too sauced up before the 17th hole.  

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I play in a lot of charity scrambles. First assess your teams strengths. If you have a shorter hitter but is always in the fairway. Let them go first. That frees up the longer hitters.  For your second shots have the less efficient second shot person hit first. Same with approaches and chipping if needed. You always want your better person to see all the breaks. Same goes with putting. Most of all just have fun. The cheaters always win. 

[The TXBexar]

14 minutes ago, Tom the Golf Nut said:

If you have a shorter hitter but is always in the fairway. Let them go first. That frees up the longer hitters.  For your second shots l, have the less efficient second shot person hit first. 

Tom really hit the best strategy here; Always allow the best hitter for the shot to go last. This will allow them to see if they need to make a shot because no one else had a good shot, or if they can possibly try and go after it and make some magic happen.

29 minutes ago, Shankster said:

My biggest advice is to make sure you have a look at the green.  Whoever can get a ball in the fairway with a look take it, even if there is a drive 25 yards closer in a marginal lie area. 

And like Shankster said here, the best lie is almost always the best shot. With 4 different chances at making the shot, playing from a better lie gives you a way better chance at making the green then going for it from the rough.

A fairway wood or a good 2Hy/3hy can make up any distance lost on long holes by playing a lie in the Fairway. Approach shots have a better chance of getting too, and staying on, the green from the fairway, then trying to club down to cut through the rough the ball is laying in but swinging for the fences to try & still get it there.

Last thing I'd add, is to make sure to watch where each others balls go. Never fails someone hits a good shot, but the only person that saw it lost it in the sun, and now y'all can't find it in the Fairway even though the ball was piped dead center down the hole. Sucks to know you're missing a good shot & have to settle for 2nd best lie now, and you lost a ball on top of that too. 

[Josh Parker]

7 hours ago, PrayingForPar said:

Tomorrow I am playing in my first 4 man scramble tournament. I know these are generally structured so even people who don't play often can enjoy the tournament and feel competitive....BUT...What is your scramble strategy? Have you ever tried to be strategic with your team or hitting order? Feel free to share any insight you have on winning a scramble format tournament.

My strategy with these has always been the following.

Tee: most consistent even if shorter hitter goes first so that once it's in play and in the fw everyone is free to hit.  Also, play the strongest off the tee last.

Irons: depending on the hole, same order

Green: I want a decent putter to go first and the strongest putter to go last.  

Last: Have fun..... these are typically charity events and remember..... someone is going to shoot a 46 no matter how poorly they typically play golf.  

[PrayingForPar]

Thanks for the input!

We made the mistake on quite a few holes of playing the closer ball but from the rough...

I should have asked this question a few days sooner HA

[Shankster]

7 minutes ago, PrayingForPar said:

Thanks for the input!

We made the mistake on quite a few holes of playing the closer ball but from the rough...

I should have asked this question a few days sooner HA

I am playing in one on Thursday.  It isn’t my favorite kind of event, but it’s better than going to work.  We were -1 last time and used a lot of my shots.  It was one of my few rounds without any real golf played in a while.  I’m tuned in now.  Should be a lot better, but you can buy mulligans and a few other things to assist with score. So, I plan on seeing a -20 showing up but it will be all BS.  Just going to get some practice in.

[PrayingForPar]

2 minutes ago, Shankster said:

I am playing in one on Thursday.  It isn’t my favorite kind of event, but it’s better than going to work.  We were -1 last time and used a lot of my shots.  It was one of my few rounds without any real golf played in a while.  I’m tuned in now.  Should be a lot better, but you can buy mulligans and a few other things to assist with score. So, I plan on seeing a -20 showing up but it will be all BS.  Just going to get some practice in.

I hadn't played in a week, spent the last 5 days on vacation, came back jet lagged and played today...Pretty sure we used about 5 of my shots today which was pretty embarrassing. At one point they began referring to me as the caddie and my main contribution was shooting the pin on every-shot... Came in 3rd with a -4 round. Only silver lining was that one of those 5 shots was a par 4 I drove the green on. If it wasn't for that you would have been shocked to think I could ever break 100 on my own

[The TXBexar]

3 minutes ago, PrayingForPar said:

I hadn't played in a week, spent the last 5 days on vacation, came back jet lagged and played today...Pretty sure we used about 5 of my shots today which was pretty embarrassing. At one point they began referring to me as the caddie and my main contribution was shooting the pin on every-shot... Came in 3rd with a -4 round. Only silver lining was that one of those 5 shots was a par 4 I drove the green on. If it wasn't for that you would have been shocked to think I could ever break 100 on my own

Don't beat yourself up about it, because you don't play a scramble to play the best golf you can; you play a scramble to have the best time you can. 

You're hanging with, hopefully, some of your best friends, or at least people you can enjoy being around. You're drinking some cold ones, giving each other crap about your shots, and laughing it up the whole time while you're doing it. So as long as you enjoyed the day and had a good time, then it sounds like you had a damn fine day on the course, and that's nothing to feel down about.

[Josh Parker]

2 hours ago, PrayingForPar said:

Thanks for the input!

We made the mistake on quite a few holes of playing the closer ball but from the rough...

I should have asked this question a few days sooner HA

Did everyone have fun though? 

What ended up winning?

[Hook DeLoft]

Scrambles are notorious for cheating.  If you want to keep your self respect, just resolve to have fun and forget about the score.

[JDHolmes]

Our scrambles always include a required number of drives per player. This requires a certain level of strategy. Our team plays all four man games together. Player 1 is a 10 (from mens tees) player 2 a 12 (from senior tees), player 3 a 4 from men's tees, I'm a 3 from men's tees.

We shot -21 two weeks ago to win the latest played. We had two strokes. We are playing one tomorrow as part of a customer/member appreciation event.

Our "strategy" is that I always hit last as lowest cap golfer. Second lowest, 1 stroke higher than me always hits 3rd. We do thus because the aggressiveness/speed of my swing negatively impacts teammates (they rry and swing too hard). We do the same order on second and third shots also.

If there is no usable shot on drive, I hit something usable. If there's a good drive, I try and hit as far as possible unless we are trying to use a person required drive.

Same holds true for approach. If there's a usable approach shot, I hit to the flag. If no good approach shot, I have to hit something playable into the green.

Putting we always follow the same order. Our best line putter is first to provide a quality line and read on the putt. Next putter tries to make it, is probably our worst putter but can hit the line. He makes some occasionally. Third putter is good putter once line is known. I putt last. I'm not the best putter in our group, but again, can hit the line and make putts frequently.

The ultimate strategy is you must be putting for eagle or birdie every hole. You need to make those putts to score. Consequently, you must have a playable drive, a good shot at the flag, and make putts. Sounds simple enough, but as always in golf, execution is the kicker. If your chipping for birdie, you lose. Pars cant win scrambles.

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[Blueberry_Squishie]

Winning scramble strategy seems to be removing one shot from your score before you write it on your card.

[Warrior42111]

For hitting order, we mix it up slightly. my natural ball flight is a fade, my buddies is a draw. So pending hole shape we'll flip flop to let them really cut a dog leg if possible. Also, around the green I tend to go first or second since I texas wedge a lot. That way the guys who chip see the whole line.

One 'different' thing the team I'm on does, is to have the 2nd best putter go first. This way they can give a proper line to everyone.

Seems to work we won our company scrmable (straight up scramble, no mulligans, string, gimmicks etc.) 2 years running. 

[Shankster]

The wind is supposed to be 21mph at tee time tomorrow for our scramble… wowzers.  The course is right on the ocean, so I imagine it will be even more gusty there.  The winning score will end up being somewhere around -20, and like I said BS…

Playing with a guy that shots in the high 90’s, and two others that shoot in the 110-120 range… I’m in for a long day.

my approach will be to play it low and slow.  Drivers only on downwind holes, and a lot of bump and runs when I can.  It’s probably going to be more like 30mph, so we are going to be playing in a 3-5 club headwind on quite a few holes… 

Middle of the green will be a premium.  And fairway is a must.  Lots of 2 irons off the tees.  Too bad it isn’t in Scotland on some nice links.  I’ll also have to deal with Bermuda grass, and marginal bunkers.