Optimum scramble tactics

[turkish]

So have a texas scramble this weekend and yes I am taking it serious (albeit I'll be incredibly hungover from Saturday night )

But are there optimum tactics? I usually think weakest to strongest order is best off the tee but best keeping same order throughout?

We all need to have 3 drives + a par 3 each.

handicaps: 15, 16, 17 and 4.

Also someone told me this was a rule you can use but not sure of true as I've never heard it before......….if you are on the last hole or par 3 where it has to be one players drive/shot at par 3 if they hit it into trees/OB/Hazard etc everyone else can also take a drive and play it as 3 off the tee? In extreme cases this could be better than the original shot?

 

[Kellfire]

Whoever is the least confident putter could putt first - you don't want someone with the yips having to take a final attempt at a putt!

 

[chor808]

Love this format but it does not get played at our club. I would say strongest off the tee first to relax the weaker ones, perhaps if you have a weaker big hitter save them for last so they can have a blast at it?

 

[jimjoachim]

Weakest to strongest off the tee. Gives the better guys more room to open the shoulders if there are safe drives out there.

Also focus on getting weaker drives used early if possible. Don't want to be running out of holes as it heaps the pressure on them. And on this I remember we got a dodgy driver of ours all used pretty early. Rest of the round the pressure was off him and he began ripping drives like he never has before

With longer putts first guy focus on pace to give the other 3 a free putt.

 

[GB72]

Not something I have played much but have always tended to have the big hitter last off the tee once there is at least one safe drive in play to allow them to open their shoulders.
Also always tried to get the compulsory drives out the way as soon as possible. It relieves pressure on the later holes if everyone has got their 3 in. Sometimes means not choosing the best drive but it pays off when you have a full set of drives to chose from later on rather than having to take the one that was sliced into the cabbage.

 

[AmandaJR]

Weakest to strongest off the tee. Gives the better guys more room to open the shoulders if there are safe drives out there.

Also focus on getting weaker drives used early if possible. Don't want to be running out of holes as it heaps the pressure on them. And on this I remember we got a dodgy driver of ours all used pretty early. Rest of the round the pressure was off him and he began ripping drives like he never has before

With longer putts first guy focus on pace to give the other 3 a free putt.

This. Plus if you are happy with one of the weaker player's drives and need to use them up don't everyone else have a bash and just make them feel worse that the team is taking their compromised effort! If they get a decent one out there just a big well done and all move on. At our place the chosen shot is only played by the remaining team members and not the one whose shot it is - makes the tactics much more interesting as it's also about who's left to take the next shot.

 

[NorwichBanana]

This. Plus if you are happy with one of the weaker player's drives and need to use them up don't everyone else have a bash and just make them feel worse that the team is taking their compromised effort! If they get a decent one out there just a big well done and all move on. At our place the chosen shot is only played by the remaining team members and not the one whose shot it is - makes the tactics much more interesting as it's also about who's left to take the next shot.

Isn't that a Florida Scramble?

 

[AmandaJR]

Isn't that a Florida Scramble?

I don't know. I've always played it where you all take each shot but much prefer this format as everyone is involved and the tactics much trickier.

 

[USER1999]

I played one last year with 3 ladies, one of whom was absolutely terrible. We had to take 3 of her drives. I was wondering how to be diplomatic about this when one of the other ladies just said ' if you hit a good drive, say so, as we probably wont realise otherwise'. How true that proved.

 

[Lord Tyrion]

I played one last year with 3 ladies, one of whom was absolutely terrible. We had to take 3 of her drives. I was wondering how to be diplomatic about this when one of the other ladies just said ' if you hit a good drive, say so, as we probably wont realise otherwise'. How true that proved.

Ha ha, funny and catty at the same time. Did you manage to keep a straight face when she said that?

Good advice already. I would say, be fluid in your tactics. Start off with a plan but if one player is having a mare then you may need to alter them to suit. Don't be rigid. I love the format, it is fun first and foremost.

 

[Orikoru]

I would have thought you have your worst driver up first, to avoid the scenario that the other three have already hit bad ones and the pressure is on him to find the fairway.

I would then have the biggest hitter driving last, because that way if one of the other three has found the fairway safely, he is free to give it the full beans, rather than having to reign it in and keep it safe. But you also probably want to try and save his drives that you use for the longer holes. Ideal scenario for the poorest driver mentioned above is that he finds fairway on the shorter par 4s, so you can use his drives on those holes where everyone can hopefully still reach the green.

Not having played a 4 man team event, that's just what I would have logically thought you go with. It's tough without knowing what each player's driving is like though. If you have a guy who hits every fairway but isn't very long then maybe he should go first, then the poorest driver second (knowing that player 1 has already hit the fairway takes some of the pressure off perhaps?).

 

[Lump]

Don’t have plans beyond making sure you get the drives in early. (We don’t always take the best drive as well to make sure that happens)
Don’t make the low guys go last every time too, we feel pressure too! Then you feel doubly bad when you can’t hit a good one to make up for 3 poor shots.
You also got to remember people see the line of putt differently too. Don’t lambast people for not doing things your way.

 

[duncan mackie]

Best strategy is to get the ball in the hole in the least strokes....anything else is doomed.

 

[pokerjoke]

Attack everything pars win nothing.
When you have a 2nd shot on the green get others to attack the flag.
We always let the best putter go last if needed

 

[TreeSeeker]

Played one a little while back where we had one player who didnt hit it far, but was bullet straight everytime, she drove last on most of the holed. I think the point of best player last makes sense but would alter it to best under pressure.

 

[ArnoldArmChewer]

Weakest to strongest off the tee. Gives the better guys more room to open the shoulders if there are safe drives out there.

Also focus on getting weaker drives used early if possible. Don't want to be running out of holes as it heaps the pressure on them. And on this I remember we got a dodgy driver of ours all used pretty early. Rest of the round the pressure was off him and he began ripping drives like he never has before

With longer putts first guy focus on pace to give the other 3 a free putt.

That's pretty much how we approach it too, sadly only one club organised scramble in the year, its a format I quite enjoy playing.

 

[3offTheTee]

How you have your handicaps is not ideal as the 15/16/17 SHOULD be similar. The 4 handicapper with his expected short game.

Have the 4 take the last par 3 unless it is a ‘certain birdie’. Watch and ensure you have an equal number of drives if possible, e.g after 9 holes 3x 2 and 1 x3. After 16 try to ensure ALL 4 drives are in unles 17 and 18 are par 3. This should ensure the 4 h/c will take the last 2 drives.

Look for team members who are not confident in driving and try to take the pressure off them by not necessary taking the longest drive. Little difference between 100 and 125 yards to the flag.

Enjoy and let us know how it goes, well I hope!

 

[need_my_wedge]

Whoever is the least confident putter could putt first - you don't want someone with the yips having to take a final attempt at a putt!

Off the tee it doesn’t matter which order, but we’ll try and put one in play before taking on any gung-ho shots. We have a couple of par 4 holes reachable in one, if one puts the ball on the fairway, the rest can go for the green. In ours, the player whose ball is picked for the next shot has to play their ball first. After that we play as we’re ready. As has been said, we don’t always use the longest or best drive if it means getting a drive out of the way for someone having an off day, or for one of the girls driving slightly shorter. When putting, if the first putt is in gimme distance, make sure you don’t tap it in, and that no one else misses short.

 

[User101]

We came second in our club scramble this year, tactic off the tee was shortest driver first, then the rest of us rotated so that no one player was under pressure all the time. As said, get your weakest drivers drives in asap, it worked out for us.

Ultimately, it's a low mans game as it heaped in their favour, we had a hole in one and also 5 3's to start the back nine, two of which were par 5's, the bottom line is, it's all about putting, not driving.

 

[MadAdey]

I play in 4 of these during the summer with work. Won 3 of 4 last year, so these are the tactics we use.

Let the steady driver hit the opening ball to get one in play. Let the worst driver go next and get him out of the way. 3rd person then has the choice, he is either taking mr reliable club from the tee to put one in play or letting rip cause it doesn’t matter, big hitter always goes last so he can swing away.

Best iron player always hits last, so make sure you have something else on the green to take the pressure of his shot.

Always let your best putter go last as he has seen it 3 times already so has a very good chance of makin it.