What do you hate most about Scrambles?

[bigwave916]

Originally Posted by Golfingdad

Thanks for the idea!

You're welcome. Just seems like the right thing to do.

@ Stewie007: To the point about incentives to play in the outing, well for $60 you get the golf, the dinner, all the free beer you can drink, and a lot of nice door prizes are donated to the charity. They make sure that their are enough door prizes so that everyone gets at least one. They also have the usual "goody bag" with tees, divot tools, snacks, and other triinkets. The proceeds, other than the prize money is turned over to the charity and I don't fault anyone for taking the prize money along with everything else, I'm just surprised that more people don't just give it to the charity.

Since most of us agree that people will cheat to win the prize, it does seem silly of me to think that they would have the moral impetus to donate the prize back to the charity.

In other words, whats the point of screwing somebody over to get something that your just going to give back?

[Jimbo Slice]

The thing I hate most about scrambles is that I have not been involved in one yet. Sounds fun to me and I cant wait to play in one. It gives me a good reason to crank my drive power up to 95% lol.

[bigwave916]

Originally Posted by Jimbo Slice

The thing I hate most about scrambles is that I have not been involved in one yet. Sounds fun to me and I cant wait to play in one. It gives me a good reason to crank my drive power up to 95% lol.

They are fun, especially when you get with a team of guys trying to use a little strategy and shoot the best score possible.

I like to let the straight hitter put one safely in the fairway so the long hitters can bomb away or take shortcuts. Or have someone layup to trouble while the others try to hit over or around it.

Putting, we normally have a good putter lead off to either make the putt or get a good look at the line followed by the too weakest putters who might benefit from somebody showing them the line, then the anchor man, also a good putter, who should be able to hole the putt after having three looks at it.

I don't remember winning anything, but it's a good time and its for a good cause.

[Shaggie13]

I voted disorganized scrambles as what I don't like.  I mostly play in charity scrambles, and I'm on the board for a local charity and always help organize and run the golf tournament each year, so these scrambles are more fun than serious.  I always thinking the better organized the event the better time the players are going to have.

It looks like most of the negativity comes from the non-charity run scrambles.  I can see this, since it probably lack organization and allows more cheating to occur.

[Stewie007]

Originally Posted by bigwave916

@ Stewie007: To the point about incentives to play in the outing, well for $60 you get the golf, the dinner, all the free beer you can drink, and a lot of nice door prizes are donated to the charity. They make sure that their are enough door prizes so that everyone gets at least one. They also have the usual "goody bag" with tees, divot tools, snacks, and other triinkets. The proceeds, other than the prize money is turned over to the charity and I don't fault anyone for taking the prize money along with everything else, I'm just surprised that more people don't just give it to the charity.

Since most of us agree that people will cheat to win the prize, it does seem silly of me to think that they would have the moral impetus to donate the prize back to the charity.

In other words, whats the point of screwing somebody over to get something that your just going to give back?

I agree. When I said "proceeds" I mistyped... I really meant that I would think that my purpose for playing for charity would be to raise as much money as possible, and any money that I won I would hand over. Not to say that those who walked with it are horrible people. :)

As far as incentives, they do actually work pretty well to draw people out. Even the cheaters had to contribute to the charity pool, so its still more money. I may have paid out for them, but that's their problem. They only got money and guilt.... ;)

[Dave2512]

Originally Posted by AmazingWhacker Maybe there should be another choice in the poll -  for people who get too competitive when it's just a scramble.

I agree. Nothing takes the fun out of a scramble more than landing a group where someone approaches it like they're playing in the US Open.

[Stewie007]

As do I.... The idea of a scramble is to get people together to have some fun. Its picked because its the easiest format for such an exhibition tournament. Its the least frustrating, since hitting a bad shot simply means you take one of the better shots anyways. Its not really designed to be taken seriously.

I'll notice the cheaters, but I think its rather funny that THEY felt that they had to "win".... What did they accomplish, really? :p

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

As do I.... The idea of a scramble is to get people together to have some fun. Its picked because its the easiest format for such an exhibition tournament. Its the least frustrating, since hitting a bad shot simply means you take one of the better shots anyways. Its not really designed to be taken seriously.

I'll notice the cheaters, but I think its rather funny that THEY felt that they had to "win".... What did they accomplish, really? :p

They won?

[Dave2512]

Actually getting ready to head out to use the comped golf that I won at the last scramble I attended. We got a prize for last place. Funny thing the $100 gift certs they gave each of us was better than the winning prizes. At least to me it was. The winners got logo clothing from the host course. I've got a closet full of golf duds. Treating the folks some free golf. I'm out...

[Stewie007]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

They won?

If you could call a friendly tournament high score a "win."

Although, strictly by the rules, they took away the greater of the spoils. Long drive (which I know these guys aren't 300+ consistent hitters, getting that best shot of the game on the exact hole needed was a bit unreasonable. The aforementioned ridiculous score of -22 with merely average golfers...

When it came to the prize tent, this wasn't a community organized event, so my team won nothing... Someone, somehow pitched within the 8 inches that I put up personally on the closest to the pin hole.... None of the prizes were all that great, anyways. :p My group had lots of fun... and laughs... Duck hook into a pool.... for example.... :p

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

Quote:

Originally Posted by sean_miller

They won?

If you could call a friendly tournament high score a "win."

Although, strictly by the rules, they took away the greater of the spoils. Long drive (which I know these guys aren't 300+ consistent hitters, getting that best shot of the game on the exact hole needed was a bit unreasonable. The aforementioned ridiculous score of -22 with merely average golfers...

When it came to the prize tent, this wasn't a community organized event, so my team won nothing... Someone, somehow pitched within the 8 inches that I put up personally on the closest to the pin hole.... None of the prizes were all that great, anyways. :p My group had lots of fun... and laughs... Duck hook into a pool.... for example.... :p

I missed your other posts. I was commenting that the guys who won the tournament . . . won the tournament. Your sour grapes probably make them laugh in their beer, and laugh hard.

I've had my doubts for years about the way 4 16-25 cappers can come together and shatter course records, but it is what it is. To complain about it reminds me of how every new thread about sandbaggers begins. "I shot the best round of my life but I didn't even come close to winning . . . ". So what if he had? Then he'd be the one being called a sandbagger.

[Stewie007]

Originally Posted by sean_miller

I missed your other posts. I was commenting that the guys who won the tournament . . . won the tournament. Your sour grapes probably make them laugh in their beer, and laugh hard.

I've had my doubts for years about the way 4 16-25 cappers can come together and shatter course records, but it is what it is. To complain about it reminds me of how every new thread about sandbaggers begins. "I shot the best round of my life but I didn't even come close to winning . . . ". So what if he had? Then he'd be the one being called a sandbagger.

I think that lat sentence up in my last post sums up the fact that I really couldn't have cared less. I was merely restating the things I stated in my original post that you didn't read. I also said in that same post "If they want to cheat, so be it."
i.e. I wasn't there to win prizes, I was there to have fun.

Although I suppose my assumption that people who were going to directly comment with a more personal type of criticism would browse to read my previous post(s) was unfounded. I also should have known better than to fall into your trap, Mr. Miller.

[Stewie007]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

As do I.... The idea of a scramble is to get people together to have some fun. Its picked because its the easiest format for such an exhibition tournament. Its the least frustrating, since hitting a bad shot simply means you take one of the better shots anyways. Its not really designed to be taken seriously.

I'll notice the cheaters, but I think its rather funny that THEY felt that they had to "win".... What did they accomplish, really? :p

Disappointing that you failed to read the post directly above yours, Sean...

[Goonsidious]

If I had a Scramble team consisting of myself... I would be incredible.

Give me 4 tries on any shot and I'll shoot 10 under with ease.

[sean_miller]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stewie007

As do I.... The idea of a scramble is to get people together to have some fun. Its picked because its the easiest format for such an exhibition tournament. Its the least frustrating, since hitting a bad shot simply means you take one of the better shots anyways. Its not really designed to be taken seriously.

I'll notice the cheaters, but I think its rather funny that THEY felt that they had to "win".... What did they accomplish, really? :p

Disappointing that you failed to read the post directly above yours, Sean...

Not sure I'm following, since that post was yours and it's the one you and I both quoted, but I've heard the players in the top few groups trash talking about winning in pretty much every scramble I've ever been in in the past 25 years. Maybe the "winner" doesn't win more prizes and they certainly don't turn into a better person for having won, but they still won, and in their little world that means something. If there's something in your posts in this thread that makes that thread mean something different than the way I interpreted it, I aplogize. For the record, one of my first posts on this forum was condemning scrambles due to rampant cheating and I received a boatload of negative rep points that that comment. I've come to accept them for what they are.

[Shaggie13]

Originally Posted by Stewie007

I agree. When I said "proceeds" I mistyped... I really meant that I would think that my purpose for playing for charity would be to raise as much money as possible, and any money that I won I would hand over. Not to say that those who walked with it are horrible people. :)

As far as incentives, they do actually work pretty well to draw people out. Even the cheaters had to contribute to the charity pool, so its still more money. I may have paid out for them, but that's their problem. They only got money and guilt.... ;)

The golf tournament I help organize tries to alleviate this sense of giving back by not giving cash prizes but visa cards or something non-cash.

[zipazoid]

Originally Posted by Goonsidious

If I had a Scramble team consisting of myself... I would be incredible.

Give me 4 tries on any shot and I'll shoot 10 under with ease.

Funny you mention that. About 15 years ago (when I was still in my 30s & could play a little), I was in a scramble & two of our guys didn't show (another reason I don't like scrambles). So me & the other guy just played two shots - he was similar to me in ability, about a 5 hc. We shot 9 under & won.

Amazing how easy the game is when you have a mulligan on every shot.

[jamo]

When your team is so bad they need to use 90% of your shots. Kidding, though that did happen to me last month. [S]We shot [/S] I shot -1. :-D