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An Honest Scramble?

We got royally screwed in a scramble last year. Our team put up a very low score and figured there was no way we were not going to win. Well another team tied us and every other time I've played in anything, you start at the Number 1 handicap hole and do a back count. We eagled the number 1, 2 and 3 handicap holes so we thought it was a sure thing we were winning. Well, we came in 2nd. The team that won just so happened had one of the bigger sponsors on it who LOVES to have his ego stroked. The scorers just arbitrarly started a count back on hole 10, which just so happened was the hole this team birdied and we pared.

It was so bush league that we won't be playing in it again. First, there is no way this team legitimately went as low as us and second the count back rule was established after the fact
 
Wait, 13 par 4’s we’re reachable and -12 won?
 
Scrambles are for cheaters....Prove me wrong....I don't know how many times I have played in one and the winners were either...A] Very close to sponsor in business....B] Just out and out cheaters....Once I played with some buds as a last minute replacement team....We posted a good score. They announced the 3rd and 2nd place and we shot lower so we thought hey we won...Then they announce the winners and it wasn't us....So I went up to the spokesman for event and asked, What Up? He says straight to my face, we gave the prize to our biggest business partner......You know what, I respect that....But, We won't be back and next time don't play this charade game...He just laughed. The guy who was our sponsor for the day went nuts on the guy as he worked for the firm who was the sponsor.
 
Every scramble I’ve played in was for fun. I don’t go in looking to win because I know some players have no qualms with bending rules or out right cheating. I join teams who are also out to have a laugh, swing some clubs, and enjoy a cold beverage or two.

Played a scramble this weekend and a guy won longest drive with a 385 yard shot - into a decent headwind. He doesn’t play but twice a year, and the course was soaked so there was zero roll-out.
 
In a work scramble , on the longest drive hole, I watched one fellow move the longest drive stake over to his ball which was about five yards behind where the stake was that another golfer drove it to. Just flat-out cheating. Our foursome was playing the parallel fairway going the opposite direction and witnessed the whole thing. We told the people who were running the scramble and they said it was too late to do anything, after the fact.
 
I do like to play with friends/coworkers in a scramble from time to time. But once the meal is over and the awards start getting passed around I tend to get pissed at all the cheats. I was 6” away and still missed the closest to the pin hole, saw a team post a 50 on a par 72, watched a team of cops drunk off their butts claim a 63 and then drive home. Long story short, love playing with friends, hate the cheats.
 
I wish more scrambles around here would do something like this. I try not to let it bother me much since the purpose of most of these is to raise money. I have seen the teams turn in -20 or something to win and I have played with all of them and none can break 95 regularly. Makes you give them a little sideways look.
 
I've played in many scrambles over the years and have never had anyone in any group ever suggest cheating. I would assume that it's pretty rare.
 
NEhomer said:
I've played in many scrambles over the years and have never had anyone in any group ever suggest cheating. I would assume that it's pretty rare.
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Yea, right, I believe you!
 
We do a lot of 3 man scrambles at our course. We always play 2 teams per group, and in the event there is an odd number we'll either send out 3 3's or send one team with a marker. Each player gets 1 mulligan. We placed 5th shooting -15. I know all of the teams ahead of us were legit, so while it's disappointing they just shot better than we did. No big deal. We started at 8 and were finished by 12:30 with 38 teams on the course.
 
I like the idea of putting groups together, should help keep people more honest
 
Don't think I have ever heard of anything remotely close to -12 as a winning score for a 4-person scramble. Good for the organizers as it sounds like it worked as designed. I avoid these things also due to the reasons stated in the OP.
 
TCB2010 said:
Wait, 13 par 4’s we’re reachable and -12 won?
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No, only 9 were potentially reachable for us and we were probably one of the longer groups out there. It’s a par 71 with 2 5’s, 3 3’s, and 13 par 4’s. It’s very short too.

Yeah I thought it was going to go much lower than -12 too. They also haven’t changed the pin locations all year (cheap course and/or Covid) so its hard to make a putt at this point there.

I thought going in we were probably going to go 10-15 under, but we couldn’t get anything to fall.
 
While I like playing scrambles except when they are full of purchased cheats like string, kicks, throws, mulligans, playing from forward tees, etc....
 
These threads always crack me up.

Back in the 90's and early/mid-2000's a group of six or seven buddies and I would play in a couple/few scrambles a year. Always for fun and to help out whatever charity it was we were playing for. Still, though, we were in our 30's and 40's and still full of testosterone and competitive juices. We would win (virtually) every one we played in.

Most scrambles are played from the white tees (6,000 to 6400 yards), and we were all 2 at the worst, +4 at the best. And our 2-capper buddy was a regional masters/senior long-drive guy. Could get it out there 330 in the 90's/2000's. I think the worst score we ever shot in one of those was 15-under. Shot 20 under a couple times. 23 under in a tournament where we got mulligans, etc.

We played once at a course in the Temecula Valley in Southern California and came in at 18 or 19-under or something. There was another team a couple strokes back. One of the guys on our team (a smallish guy who was a +2 and hit driver 300+ in firm conditions) got yelled at in the bathroom by one of the guys on the other team:

"There's no f-ing way you guys shot 19-under. You don't even look like golfers! Let's go play right now for $100 a man!!"

My little buddy walks up to him, looks (up!) at him says, "Let's make it $1000 a man."

And that was the end of that. I will never forget that.

People just don't understand how easy it is for four scratch/below golfers to shoot 14 - 20 under from the white tees in a 4-man scramble. A scratch, a 3-capper and two 8's (a typical "good" scramble team) don't stand a chance against two zero's and two +3's.

So the next time you play a scramble and some team shoots the "impossible" score of 18 or 19-under just ... calm down. ;)
 
Obee said:
...So the next time you play a scramble and some team shoots the "impossible" score of 18 or 19-under just ... calm down. ;)
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There's a difference between a team of scratch/plus golfers doing it and a team of guys you know, and have golfed with or seen golf, that you know darn well aren't capable of shooting anywhere near that score.
 
Obee said:
These threads always crack me up.

Back in the 90's and early/mid-2000's a group of six or seven buddies and I would play in a couple/few scrambles a year. Always for fun and to help out whatever charity it was we were playing for. Still, though, we were in our 30's and 40's and still full of testosterone and competitive juices. We would win (virtually) every one we played in.

Most scrambles are played from the white tees (6,000 to 6400 yards), and we were all 2 at the worst, +4 at the best. And our 2-capper buddy was a regional masters/senior long-drive guy. Could get it out there 330 in the 90's/2000's. I think the worst score we ever shot in one of those was 15-under. Shot 20 under a couple times. 23 under in a tournament where we got mulligans, etc.

We played once at a course in the Temecula Valley in Southern California and came in at 18 or 19-under or something. There was another team a couple strokes back. One of the guys on our team (a smallish guy who was a +2 and hit driver 300+ in firm conditions) got yelled at in the bathroom by one of the guys on the other team:

"There's no f-ing way you guys shot 19-under. You don't even look like golfers! Let's go play right now for $100 a man!!"

My little buddy walks up to him, looks (up!) at him says, "Let's make it $1000 a man."

And that was the end of that. I will never forget that.

People just don't understand how easy it is for four scratch/below golfers to shoot 14 - 20 under from the white tees in a 4-man scramble. A scratch, a 3-capper and two 8's (a typical "good" scramble team) don't stand a chance against two zero's and two +3's.

So the next time you play a scramble and some team shoots the "impossible" score of 18 or 19-under just ... calm down. ;)
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No, I know there are good golfers out there. I’ve been on teams that have shot 20 under (legitimately) and lost to the team in front of us at -25 and we watched them duff their way across the entire course. That’s my beef. If I called someone out, ever, it would be because of good reason.

Only time I ever did some elderly feeble looking fellow beat me on the long drive hole. At the time I competed in long drive and I just happened to find the FW this time, lol. But I was in the 3rd to last group on that hole and beat the prior mark by 60+ yards.

When I said something to him he said something back that put scrambles into perspective for me: “son, it doesn’t matter how far you hit it, it matters when you play the hole”. I challenged him to one hit drive off and he laughed at me (whilst having my 1/4 season tickets to the Indians).

So yeah I just expect it and why I avoid. It’s no biggie anymore now that I’m older but as a 22ish year old he’s lucky I didn’t choke him out right then and there, lol.

The team that won at -12 consisted of a +3, and three scratch to 5HC’s. They said the same thing I said, “man, we just couldn’t make a putt”. The course didn’t make it easier by having the same pin locations since March. They were a trodden and crowned mess.

Our team consisted of a 5.7HC, a 12ish, a 20ish, and a max guy, what is it 36.4? but plays to a 60 or so, lol. But he’ll make you one putt a round.

Ive been lower than that there playing a two man with the 5.7. Like I said, nothing was falling unless you were under the pin and inside 10ft when you could just ram it home.
 
Smiter said:
No, I know there are good golfers out there. I’ve been on teams that have shot 20 under (legitimately) and lost to the team in front of us at -25 and we watched them duff their way across the entire course. That’s my beef. If I called someone out, ever, it would be because of good reason.

Only time I ever did some elderly feeble looking fellow beat me on the long drive hole. At the time I competed in long drive and I just happened to find the FW this time, lol. But I was in the 3rd to last group on that hole and beat the prior mark by 60+ yards.

When I said something to him he said something back that put scrambles into perspective for me: “son, it doesn’t matter how far you hit it, it matters when you play the hole”. I challenged him to one hit drive off and he laughed at me (whilst having my 1/4 season tickets to the Indians).

So yeah I just expect it and why I avoid. It’s no biggie anymore now that I’m older but as a 22ish year old he’s lucky I didn’t choke him out right then and there, lol.

The team that won at -12 consisted of a +3, and three scratch to 5HC’s. They said the same thing I said, “man, we just couldn’t make a putt”. The course didn’t make it easier by having the same pin locations since March. They were a trodden and crowned mess.

Our team consisted of a 5.7HC, a 12ish, a 20ish, and a max guy, what is it 36.4? but plays to a 60 or so, lol. But he’ll make you one putt a round.

Ive been lower than that there playing a two man with the 5.7. Like I said, nothing was falling unless you were under the pin and inside 10ft when you could just ram it home.
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Understood. Makes sense on the "watching them actually play" thing.
 
Its been a while but I have played a few best ball scrambles years ago. None of us were that good in the last one I played. Mid to high handicappers. I was the long hitter at the time. Our strategy was to let me hit last. The guy who wasn't long but very straight when first. If anyone was in the fairway I would just grip and rip it as far as I could. Had a few nice ones close to 300. But we were honest in our scoring and ended up with even par 72. One birdie and one bogey. The rest pars. Not even close to winning. Winning score was minus 12. In fact, only 3 out of the 30 plus teams were worse.

Then I find out the team that won was not much better but cheated like crazy. How did I know? One of their players admitted it a couple weeks later. He played with two brothers who were notorious cheaters. He was amazed how true it was. Makes me wonder how many teams did cheat? And how close would we be if everyone played fair?
 
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