How would a scramble team fare in the US Open?

[HawkNballs]

Not a scramble. I meant ME playing from the tips.

[Gunther]

Not a scramble. I meant ME playing from the tips.

Ah, yes. Me too, alone.

[Aguirre]

Four 6-8 handicaps are going to average further than 230-40 off the tee, particularly in a US Open setup, where the fairways are firm and fast.  My group would have no trouble reaching any of the Par 4s.  Hitting the green, of course, is a different matter.

[HawkNballs]

There is a par 3 that plays from 120-247. There is a good chance nobody in the scramble reaches the green from 247.

[rkim291968]

Four 6-8 handicaps are going to average further than 230-40 off the tee, particularly in a US Open setup, where the fairways are firm and fast.  My group would have no trouble reaching any of the Par 4s.  Hitting the green, of course, is a different matter.

Yeah, ~500 yard par 4s are going to be hard to hit into green.   All four can badly miss it.  I think the team will likely average 4.5 strokes on long par 4s.   4 on par 5s.  3.5 on par 3s.   My guesses.

[Aguirre]

Remember that courses rarely play to their scorecard length from the tips.  The scorecard length is the max yardage.  The USGA wants flexibility.  But it rarely plays to the max yardage.

Also, is this Par 3 uphill?  Because if it's flat or downhill than everyone can make the green at 247 in my group with a solid swing.

[onkey]

I play in enough scramble type events with guys in the 9-12 handicap range to know that the length of the course will take its toll.  Approaches longer than 170 yds will be common and will be a hard test to overcome consistently.  The up and downs that would be required will really tough from Open rough and Open greens.

This would be a very humbling event for those 6-9 handicaps and would demonstrate just how amazing the tour pros are.

[rkim291968]

Remember that courses rarely play to their scorecard length from the tips.  The scorecard length is the max yardage.  The USGA wants flexibility.  But it rarely plays to the max yardage.

Also, is this Par 3 uphill?  Because if it's flat or downhill than everyone can make the green at 247 in my group with a solid swing.

Day to day, they will move the tees around.   But overall, the course will be long, something very few of us are used to.  Also, depending on what transpires from day to day, they have option to convert a par 5 into 4.   That par 4 would be a long, difficult one.  Anyone can reach flat/downhill 247 par 3 but with which club?   Pros will likely go with 6i whereas the 6-8 team may have to grab 3i.   The team's chance is on par 5s and short par 3 & 4s.   The more I think about it, I just don't see the team making the cut.

[HawkNballs]

The par 3 is downhill. The yardage is reachable with my 3 wood, but accuacy with my 3 wood might be iffy. I might not hit it if I took 4 shots. Maybe 1 out of 4.

[Aguirre]

Again, forget the rough around the green.  It's a scramble.

[HawkNballs]

We would miss the cut for a few slow play penalties. ;)

[Aguirre]

The par 3 is downhill. The yardage is reachable with my 3 wood, but accuacy with my 3 wood might be iffy. I might not hit it if I took 4 shots. Maybe 1 out of 4.

Sure.  So what?  You shouldn't be looking at this as whether or not the four man scramble could replicate the average pro shot , but whether or not they can replicate or beat the score .

If one of four of you hit the green, you're going to average par at worst .  I guarantee you that the average score from a 247 Par 3 for the pros for the week is well over par.

The second shot is where the 6-8 handicappers will struggle on the Par 4s, particularly the long ones.  Still, you get to pick the best miss.  You get four putts.  Any puttable ball will always be an advantage for the 6-8 handicappers over a pro from any distance and any speed/break combination.

I'm just not sure that the 6-8 handicappers can make enough birdies to win.

[rkim291968]

We would miss the cut for a few slow play penalties. ;)

LOL.  A few of us may be asking for autographs while playing.  We may even DQ not knowing all the intricacies of golf rules.

[Aguirre]

How much fun would it be, though?  You with three of your buddies, trying to win the US Open.  Think of all the strategizing, too.  Normally with this group, we don't need a lot of strategizing, but at a US Open setup, you'd have lots of fun talks.

Half our group is normally high, and three of us drinking beer.  Probably would refrain from that, though.

[HawkNballs]

It would be a blast! It would be cool to let some locals play a scramble in a practice round. ;)

[Aguirre]

BTW, I know why this question was posed about the US Open (generally the most difficult setup), but another good question might be which Major would be the toughest to win/make cut as a scramble.

You can win a US Open with an even par score.  But could a group of 6-8 handicappers get to -12 at Augusta?  I'm thinking that might be more difficult.

[rkim291968]

You can win a US Open with an even par score.  But could a group of 6-8 handicappers get to -12 at Augusta?  I'm thinking that might be more difficult.

I would think it's easier at Masters.  The harder the course, more disadvantageous to amateur golfer  who are not used to such challenge.

[Aguirre]

I would think it's easier at Masters.  The harder the course, more disadvantageous to amateur golfer  who are not used to such challenge.

But for us scramble players, who can place the ball, the rough gets marginalized severely at a US Open.  No hacking out 100 yards for us.  At Augusta, the pros won't have that disadvantage.

Also, on long Par 4s (something you'd face at both courses), a group of 6-8 handicappers will struggle to make Par less than an average pro, but also will be less likely to make birdie.  The scores get flattened.  Less birdies and less bogies.  And you'd have to get a LOT of birdies to win/make the cut at Augusta.