I've played a few scrambles with family and friends in addition to two scramble tournaments. Without a doubt I lose more golf balls in a scramble than I do in regular stroke play on my own or with strangers I've been paired with. For me this boils down to two factors.
1. I'm very focused on keeping up the pace of play so as not to negatively impact my partners or the groups behind us.
2. Someone in the group almost always hits a better shot than I do, even if I find do manage to hit the fairway off the tee.
A little info about me. I'm a double bogey golfer who in the past has played at most 10 full rounds per year. Only recently have I begun to focus on improving the basic skills and it's starting to show, just a little anyways. I rarely lose a ball from followup shots; my shot from the tee box often goes astray, though.
What is your experience with this? Do you lose more balls in scramble or stroke play? Do you focus more on pace of play during tournaments?