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Scrambling liars?


jhawker23
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A recent thread on creating fun things to do in a tournament brought up a thought on scrambles...

How many of you believe these teams are turning in perfect scores? Do you find that happening in the scrambles you play? A majority of the charity tournaments I play always have at least one team that turn in scores birdying every par 3 and 4 hole and eagling every par 5. Come on, out of 4 guys on each hole someone is getting a shot into the statistical 5 ft range? EVERY HOLE? Not one mistake?

I don't want to be cynical, but come on, I think these scorecards are determined before they hit the first tee. They can't make a 10 ft putt on the practice green with no pressure but can be perfect on the course? Who lies in a charity tournament? Man, that is messed up.

Finally, I'm a firm believer in developing revenue streams for charity tournaments but can we reign it back in just a tad? I played in one at the end of the year, 5 mulligans PER PERSON, a yard of string PER PERSON. Come on, its not even enjoyable knowing you're playing an actual "game". Its not golf, it has clubs involved but its a circus at that point.

Please, earn your revenue from from things that take place before and after, even during the tournament but cut back on the impact to the golf game. The string is the one thing that drives me mad!! Taking away the need to make big putts completely destroys the tournament for me. Take a couple of mulligans trying to make a 20 footer, but don't turn it into a 8 footer.
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Driver --- G15 9* Aldila Serrano
3 Wood - Sumo2 15* Aldila NV
5 Wood - Versus 19* Mitsubishi Bassara 83Irons ---- X-Forged 4 - PWWedges - Vokey S.M. 52.08, 56.08 & 60.08Putter --- Futura PhantomBall ------ Tour i(s)
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It's pretty common to see a legitimate scramble score in the mid 50's, but it's equally common to have cheating in any tournament where the teams are self organized and where the prizes ore worth the effort. By the nature of the event there is no oversight, as each team is unsupervised while on the course. You always find the group that is willing to cheat and they don't seem to care that everyone knows... just as long as there is no way to prove it they don't seem to be bothered by it. As a rule, they are not known to anyone else in the field, so they just feel that they can take the money (or more likely merchandise in this case) and run. It's too bad that there have to be a few jerks to spoil a fun event for the majority of honest participants.

I take refuge in the hope that eventually the bad karma they create will eventually take its due on them. Someday they will pick the wrong group to cheat and find an angry mob awaiting them in the parking lot. As far as I'm concerned, they get what's coming in that case. I wouldn't participate, but I also wouldn't interfere.

Rick

"He who has the fastest cart will never have a bad lie."

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The only time where I don't think anyone has cheated was in the 2-man scramble tournament I played for my dad's company yesterday. It was me and my dad of course, and he plays MAYBE 2 times a year so he's not that great but he helped me out a little bit. We shot a +1, 73, which is ok I guess since we were -2 at one point. We ended up tieing for first place. I thought someone was going to cheat and beat us but I'm proud to say that the people my dad work with are trustworthy.

Highlights: I won the closest to the pin with 19''. And the longest drive with 280 yards. I didn't let daddy down!

But yes, almost any other scramble tournament I play in, there's cheating involved. Not always as extensive as putting down eagle for every par 5, and birdieing every other hole, but it's still noticeable as those guys were shanking everything on the driving range and putting with 1 hand while they navigate a beer with the other towards their mouths.

Driver: Callaway Big Bertha Diablo 9º
2 Hybrid: Callaway Big Bertha Heavenwood
Irons: Nike Slingshot OSS 6-3 iron
          Taylormade Tour Preferred PW-7 iron
Wedges: Cleveland CG14 50º, 54º
              Taylormade RAC 58º
Putter: Ping Darby 32" shaft


 

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You forgot to mention my personal favorite scrambling weapon... tosses. Always enjoyable to watch people that think they can throw a golf ball 75+ yards and it gets halfway if they're lucky... or they throw out their shoulder and can't lift their arm for the rest of the round.

Oh, and everyone cheats in charity scrambles... that's one of the rules.

Kidding... well... "provisional mulligans" are okay, right? Oh, and having a "designated driver" when you have that 3-drive minimum rule and there is one guy who is short a drive and he's wasted and it's the last hole and he sucks anyways. That's fine, too, right?
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I never used to care, because my team was put together based on having the most fun as possible. My last scramble I put together a team of my buddies who are all pretty good. We turned in a legit -11 60. We were the leaders by 4 strokes until the last group came in an also shot a 60....but they had 5 mulligans. We ended up losing because they donated more money. Oh well.

Kyle Paulhus

If you really want to get better, check out Evolvr

:callaway: Rogue ST 10.5* | :callaway: Epic Sub Zero 15* | :tmade: P790 3 Driving Iron |:titleist: 716 AP2 |  :edel: Wedges 50/54/68 | :edel: Deschutes 36"

Career Low Round: 67 (18 holes), 32 (9 holes)

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I been in scrambles were we went 8 under before. Thats pretty good... I have scene -14 before, but the next year the team was split up. They were a set of scratch golfers who are brothers, they stacked there team. But yeah, depending on the team, you can get a good score.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
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What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
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Well, consider this. 4 man team is more like 4 attempts at the same shot. I don't think the scores should be perfect, there's definitely something fishy, but it should be pretty close. I don't expect 4 attempts to land a decent shot onto a par 5 in 2 for eagle opportunities, but I do expect a lot of birdies. All you got to do is get one of 4 shots in the fairway, 1 of 4 on the green, and 1 of 4 into the hole which you also get free reads on. I took a phys ed golf class in college and we played a 3 person scramble. No one could actually put the club cleanly on the ball, BUT, get this, my team ended up -7 for 9 holes (a short 9 :). The game gets a lot easier when you get do overs for every shot.
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I played in a work scramble last year and honestly, when I saw some of the top scores I honestly thought most of them were lying about their scores. I felt like there was no way that a bunch of office nerds who play golf a few times a year would be able to turn in a score card with all birdies and pars (winning score was in the low 80s).
They also had individual hole prizes and these people were claiming to be hitting 300 yard drives, approach shots that were within a foot or 2 of the pin and were sinking 30' putts. I play golf every day, and like most of the rest of you, I know how hard it is to hit shots like this (and how its even harder to do them consistently over the course of a round).
Not sure if its like that everyone, but the people I work with are a bunch of liars.

Whats in my :sunmountain: C-130 cart bag?

Woods: :mizuno: JPX 850 9.5*, :mizuno: JPX 850 15*, :mizuno: JPX-850 19*, :mizuno: JPX Fli-Hi #4, :mizuno: JPX 800 Pro 5-PW, :mizuno: MP T-4 50-06, 54-09 58-10, :cleveland: Smart Square Blade and :bridgestone: B330-S

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I've seen these mid-50s scores too and always question them. Guess I've never happened to be on a team that "gets hot" on the greens and birdies most every hole, with an eagle or two thrown in. In fact, it's more typical that a team foursome walks off the course saying, Man, if we had just made those 5 putts we missed inside 15 feet.

Just because you've got four looks at a putt does not guarantee someone will make it, even if it's fairly close.

Cheers,
DoctorK

Competitive golf is played mainly on a five-and-a-half-inch course... the space between your ears.
~~Bobby Jones~~

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There is one local scramble that I will never play in again. The 3 times I've played the event, there have been several teams around the 7 to 9 under range. My team turned in 8 under last year with me, a 3 handicap, a scratch and a +1 handicap. (The greens on this course are abosolutely killer) Anyways, there are a group of guys that always manage to turn in 14 or 15 under. Thing is, the guys on the team are all 10-12 handicaps from the whites and we play the event from the blues!

Driver: taylormade.gif Tour Burner 9.5*
4 Wood: taylormade.gif200 Steel 16*
Irons: taylormade.gif Burner '09
Wedges: taylormade.gif RAC TP Satin 54*, 58*
Putter: odyssey.gif White Hot Tour #9  Ball: bridgestone.gif B330

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You are taking a charity scramble as a serious tournament? Just go out there and have fun and feel good about yourself for helping out a good cause. You can't take any "tournament" where you can buy mulligans and string seriously. Did you know the format going into it?
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I have never played in a scramble where more than two teams cared how they placed. Those two teams always seem to know what each other are doing so I doubt they cheat. The rest of us don't cheat we just don't have anyone counting so we have to figure it out at the next tee. Scrambles are for raising money, not playing golf with a capital G.

Current Bag
Ogio Synchro cart
'07 Burner Driver, 3 Fairway, and Rescue 5
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200 56, Spin milled 60 , Rossa  Suzuka

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i've played in a tourney where the team that won was to deemed cheating...we were second with a score of -2, with third place being even...the 'winners' score? -13. LITTLE disparity there? the heads of the scramble said based on others viewing shots taken that they were indeed cheating on their scorecards and we won due to their lies. (pardon the pun)

In my Titleist 2014 9.5" Staff bag:

Cobra Bio+ 9* Matrix White Tie X  - Taylormade SLDR 15* ATTAS 80X - Titleist 910H 19* ATTAS 100X - Taylormade '13 TP MC 4-PW PX 6.5 - Vokey TVD M 50* DG TI X100 - Vokey SM4 55 / Vokey SM5 60* DG TI S400 - Piretti Potenza II 365g

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I played in a two-man scramble last year with a guy I know through my work (probably around an 8 or 9 handicap). Each player had one mulligan during each round, and counting all our strokes over the two-day tournament we shot 67-61 (par 72). We finished third. The second place group shot 66-61; we were paired with them the second day and they shot a legitamate 61 as well counting every stroke. The group that won the tournament shot 59-56. Both guys looked more like night-club bouncers than they did golfers, and after the first day most people we complaining that they were cheating. They played behind us on the second day and I knew they two guys that were paired with them, and from what we all saw their scores were completely honest and legit. They were both just amazing golfers and always had one of their shots close to the hole.
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So, if somebody posts a score that is unobtainable for you then they must be cheating?

I play in 1 scramble every year and 1 scramble only. The others I play with are all fantastic players and we've posted -20 on several occasions. No "mulligans" and no cheating.

Callaway X-Hot Tour GD Tour AD DI-7 Sonartec SS-3.5 16* FTP-X Adams Idea Super S 19* Matrix Kujoh
Bridgestone J33B DG X100 Mizuno MP 53*6 Mizuno MP 56*10 WRX Sq. Gr. GTO Ported
Mizuno MP 60*6 WRX Sq. Gr. GTO Ported Odyssey White Hot Tour #5 Callaway Tourix

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Believe me, i played in scrambles were we ended up 3 to 4 under.. but we missed like 8 birdie chances. So if the putters cold... When my team won, i made two back to back birdie putts that were at least big banana break putts from 25 feet. So you get a hot putter and you can shoot up a low score. Then we missed a 8 foot birdie putt on the hardest hole on the course, good chance for skins. Its golf..

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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LMAO, scrambles

I'm typically asked a few times a year to play with friends in their office scrambles......usually, they ask me to be there as the anchor, so going in, I know we have zero chance of winning since I'm simply not that good.....we just have fun, drink a few beers, relax, and enjoy the day.....we never even get close to winning, but we post an honest score, and usually they are for charity, which is a good thing....

Funny thing is, regardless of the people or the event, the same 3 teams are up at the top every year......I only know this because my buddies will comment about how "those guys are just as bad as we are, I just don't understand how we shoot 68 and they always shoot in the 50's".......I don't want to get into their office politics and explain that not only are these guys likely cheating at golf, but they might also be a little creative in their numbers at work

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I love scrambles, good times. I know my role in a scramble hit last off the tee, pull out driver if we have one in the fairway already, pull out 3-wood if not. I am usually the hired gun of the tee... But mostly i like it because its totally different form of golf than normal stroke play.

Matt Dougherty, P.E.
 fasdfa dfdsaf 

What's in My Bag
Driver; :pxg: 0311 Gen 5,  3-Wood: 
:titleist: 917h3 ,  Hybrid:  :titleist: 915 2-Hybrid,  Irons: Sub 70 TAIII Fordged
Wedges: :edel: (52, 56, 60),  Putter: :edel:,  Ball: :snell: MTB,  Shoe: :true_linkswear:,  Rangfinder: :leupold:
Bag: :ping:

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Note: This thread is 4559 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

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