Calculating Scrambling Percentage

[MilPhickelson]

Not sure where the best place is to put this thread, but needed some help on this stat.

When playing I always keep track of my putts per green, FIR, and GIR. However I wanted to start keeping track of scrambling percentage, as that's not a strength of my game and want to track improvement.

By definition Scrambling Percentage is "The percent of time a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better."

My question on this is whether or not this should only be calculated inside of a certain yardage, or only when missing approaches into the green? For example, if you were to hit your tee shot into water off the tee on a longer par 4, you'd be hitting 3 off the tee with no chance at making par (unless you holed an approach). Would this still count against your scrambling percentage?

Scrambling percentage is supposed to give you an idea of how you are with your short game, but this situation along with some others are irrelevant in that regard.

I can't find an answer to this anywhere online. Hopefully this makes some sense, thanks.

[iacas]

If you're only using it to track improvement… you get to decide how you will define "scrambling."

If I were you I might just call it any time - whether for par or not - you have a shot inside of about 40 yards and you get up and down. Doesn't matter if it's your second shot on a short par four or your fifth on the same short par four.

[sjduffers]

I track 2 different stats:

* Scrambling is as you say the percentage of time you miss the GIR and still get par or better. If you hit the water on a par 3, your only hope is hole out from the drop zone!

* Up-and-down, from anywhere within 75 yards of the hole and off the green, at any point during the hole (could be for a 3, 4 or a 5 on a par 4, a even a 6 or worse), you only make 2 strokes or less to get into the hole.

Of course, my scrambling percentage is worse than my up-and-down percentage (25% vs 30%) since the latter includes the former for the most part: there are a few odd cases where I will make par when I am not on the green in regulation, but from further than 75 yds.  You can pick your distance to be less (or more) than 75 yds: it's all about what you consider to be your short game range.

[MilPhickelson]

Thanks guys

[tefunk]

  sjduffers said:

* Up-and-down, from anywhere within 75 yards of the hole and off the green, at any point during the hole (could be for a 3, 4 or a 5 on a par 4, a even a 6 or worse), you only make 2 strokes or less to get into the hole.

I like this idea. Thanks for sharing

[dkolo]

  sjduffers said:

I track 2 different stats:

* Scrambling is as you say the percentage of time you miss the GIR and still get par or better. If you hit the water on a par 3, your only hope is hole out from the drop zone!

* Up-and-down, from anywhere within 75 yards of the hole and off the green, at any point during the hole (could be for a 3, 4 or a 5 on a par 4, a even a 6 or worse), you only make 2 strokes or less to get into the hole.

Of course, my scrambling percentage is worse than my up-and-down percentage (25% vs 30%) since the latter includes the former for the most part: there are a few odd cases where I will make par when I am not on the green in regulation, but from further than 75 yds.  You can pick your distance to be less (or more) than 75 yds: it's all about what you consider to be your short game range.

75 yards is kinda far. I'm not saying that it's unrealistic to get down in two from that distance, but I don't think a stat like that would tell you enough about your short game, which is what you want out of a scrambling stat (or up and down). I like Erik's suggestion of 40 yards.

[sjduffers]

  dkolo said:

75 yards is kinda far. I'm not saying that it's unrealistic to get down in two from that distance, but I don't think a stat like that would tell you enough about your short game, which is what you want out of a scrambling stat (or up and down). I like Erik's suggestion of 40 yards.

Sure.  It is whatever you want it to be. 75 yards is a full sand wedge for me, and I will only use it if I have to go over a bunker or a pond or some such. Otherwise, I'll use a partial swing of a longer club.  Also, there aren't too many holes I play where I am within 75 yards without having done something bad before (e.g. top one, punch out from under trees, etc...).  Even then, I may end up closer than 75 yards anyway...

So, in my mind, that 75 number is my short game threshold.  But feel free to use 40, 50, 30, 25, etc... Whatever works for you.  I think the PGA Tour pros use 125 as the threshold for short game.  Obviously, none of us here are them, so...

[saevel25]

  iacas said:

If I were you I might just call it any time - whether for par or not - you have a shot inside of about 40 yards and you get up and down. Doesn't matter if it's your second shot on a short par four or your fifth on the same short par four.

I kinda like this idea. If you blast a ball OB, then miss the green from the fairway after your 2nd tee shot. I think it make sense to write down you got up and down in one. I guess scrambling could just be instances you did for par. Those might hold a bit more significance in terms of added pressure for some.

  dkolo said:

75 yards is kinda far. I'm not saying that it's unrealistic to get down in two from that distance, but I don't think a stat like that would tell you enough about your short game, which is what you want out of a scrambling stat (or up and down). I like Erik's suggestion of 40 yards.

I agree. Though I can hit a pitchy type shot up to 75 yards. I wouldn't consider that a short game shot. For me, I kinda limit it to my half wedge distance and closer. Really most of the time I just pitch the ball from that distance and in. It gives me a clear difference between short game shots and distance wedge shots.

  sjduffers said:

So, in my mind, that 75 number is my short game threshold.  But feel free to use 40, 50, 30, 25, etc... Whatever works for you.  I think the PGA Tour pros use 125 as the threshold for short game.  Obviously, none of us here are them, so...

PGA Tour use scrambling as any time a player misses a GIR. Really if they are 200 yards out and duff one to 175. If they get up and down for par they would have considered that a scrambling stat.

PGA Tour players only scramble outside of 30 yards about 10% of the time. Not really a significant stat. I think inside of 40 yards is a good number. 75 yards seems to long for me to be considered a short game shot. I might mark it down as a scramble, but it would be considered distance wedge shot. I would probably consider it an approach shot.