4 man scramble in PGA tour event.

Saw an interesting question the other day on Twitter. What would an average 4 man scramble team do in a PGA tour event? They would play the same tees.

I think my standard 4-some playing a scramble would win any event on the PGA tour.

My foursome includes the following:

Player A. 0.2 handicap. 300 yard driver, avg iron/wedge, avg putter

Player B +1 handicap. very accurate driver, very good iron/wedge. very good putter

Player C 4.5 handicap. wild but 280 yard driver. below avg iron, very good short wedge, decent putter

Player D 3 handicap. steady driver 275, steady iron wedge and putter

That's an "average" team? lol

Most average teams can't break 90 on their own.

With your team, what's the cut line? I think you'd break par.

Good Christ. Your standard scramble team has 4 "A" players. Your scramble team could probably win given a few starts. I don't think you win first try out of the gate, but you guys would figure it out. The average scramble team of an ABCD type of roster from most clubs wouldn't finish a round on tour. The slow play penalties alone would be astounding.

Yeah, your team is very far from average. Even so, you'd be lucky to make the cut. If you had rules in place like three drives/three second shots per teammate, you miss the cut. Throw in a couple of 10 to 20 hcp golfers, and you miss it by a mile. In other words, while your team is certainly capable of shooting -17 on a 6000 yard muni course, on a US open course they'd be lucky to be even par. Yes, I think the difference in top level PGA tour golf is that much better than scratch golf at your local muni...

Your cap averages about 2 and you play a scramble taking the best each go around? You make the cut easy.

I'm thinking that team can get in the 60s each day...

4 attempts at birdie putts, 4 cracks at drives, 4 up and downs when you do miss a green? Cake walk IMO with that good team.

You rated none of the players as being an excellent putter. Without that, I don't think you could win, especially since you did not mention any as being a short game wizard.

An above average team makes the cut more often than not but probably not going to win. Depending on the course I say middle to back of the pack.

Good Christ. Your standard scramble team has 4 "A" players. Your scramble team could probably win given a few starts. I don't think you win first try out of the gate, but you guys would figure it out. The average scramble team of an ABCD type of roster from most clubs wouldn't finish a round on tour. The slow play penalties alone would be astounding.

definately agree. with true ABCD group, no chance of making the cut. I feel like my team (very strong) would shoot 6-8 under every day pretty easily. I also feel like it would be pretty tough to make a bogey.

That's not a average scramble team, lol. but with that team, easy make cuts, will definitely win some. you're never shooting over 70 even at the toughest set ups, especially if you play it smart (get a ball in play to start, etc). if anything, tough set ups probably are an advantage compared to the field, because you rarely miss a FIR or GIR and almost never have a penalty stroke. and the times you do you have 4 competent chances to get get it up and down.

having 3 attempts from decent putters and one very good putter easily > excellent putter. even just giving a very good putter 3 good reads before he putts gets him towards that excellent putter range.

With some of the scramble scores I've seen, they'd not only win but, have enough strokes to win the next 5 tournaments.

If its the average scramble team i play with, i would have to play the back nine down 2 guys, who at that point can barely stand up. so guessing finishing DFL.

That's not a average scramble team, lol. but with that team, easy make cuts, will definitely win some. you're never shooting over 70 even at the toughest set ups, especially if you play it smart (get a ball in play to start, etc). if anything, tough set ups probably are an advantage compared to the field, because you rarely miss a FIR or GIR and almost never have a penalty stroke. and the times you do you have 4 competent chances to get get it up and down.

 

having 3 attempts from decent putters and one very good putter easily > excellent putter. even just giving a very good putter 3 good reads before he putts gets him towards that excellent putter range.

I'm a 3 and my three scramble buddies are in the 8-12 range...we would not make more than a cut all season LOL. Only if someone got hit with the putter and driver.

Your team is not an average scramble team though, lol.

That scramble team will win every single PGA tournament, winning the Fedex Cup and Grand Slam. Enjoy your millions. :-)

4 man scramble teams consisting of four A players will shoot in high 50's easily or low 60's at worst.

i would say they would have a good shot.

That's not a average scramble team, lol. but with that team, easy make cuts, will definitely win some. you're never shooting over 70 even at the toughest set ups, especially if you play it smart (get a ball in play to start, etc). if anything, tough set ups probably are an advantage compared to the field, because you rarely miss a FIR or GIR and almost never have a penalty stroke. and the times you do you have 4 competent chances to get get it up and down.

 

having 3 attempts from decent putters and one very good putter easily > excellent putter. even just giving a very good putter 3 good reads before he putts gets him towards that excellent putter range.

It would be interesting to see wouldn't it? I see a team very loaded, but without anyone on the team with the potential to hit the ball/shot as well as an average tour player. So how do four folks without that potential truly keep up? They don't. We have two competent chances at most, the 4.5 and the 3 will look like a couple of 10 HCPs on the Tour course. And if forced to use a few of their drives and second shots, yikes!

a +1 and a scratch (one that hits 300 drive so 112+ ss), even the 3 and 4 definitely have the potential to hit the ball as well as a tour player, they just don't do it nearly as often but with 4 chances every shot i give them the advantage over anyone. Now they're not hitting it like DJ but plenty of guys win on tour not hitting it like that. I think they do worse on courses that allow guys to just bomb it and probably do better on tighter course with lots of hazards that they would rarely if ever be in.

One of the biggest factors between a pro and good amateur is short game, and given 4 chances to chip it close and then 4 chances to make the put would make a group of that caliber excellent tour caliber short game and putting IMO.

But lol who knows could be out to lunch, would love to see it .

That's not a average scramble team, lol. but with that team, easy make cuts, will definitely win some. you're never shooting over 70 even at the toughest set ups, especially if you play it smart (get a ball in play to start, etc). if anything, tough set ups probably are an advantage compared to the field, because you rarely miss a FIR or GIR and almost never have a penalty stroke. and the times you do you have 4 competent chances to get get it up and down.

 

having 3 attempts from decent putters and one very good putter easily > excellent putter. even just giving a very good putter 3 good reads before he putts gets him towards that excellent putter range.

It would be interesting to see wouldn't it? I see a team very loaded, but without anyone on the team with the potential to hit the ball/shot as well as an average tour player. So how do four folks without that potential truly keep up? They don't. We have two competent chances at most, the 4.5 and the 3 will look like a couple of 10 HCPs on the Tour course. And if forced to use a few of their drives and second shots, yikes!

 

a +1 and a scratch (one that hits 300 drive so 112+ ss), even the 3 and 4 definitely have the potential to hit the ball as well as a tour player, they just don't do it nearly as often but with 4 chances every shot i give them the advantage over anyone. Now they're not hitting it like DJ but plenty of guys win on tour not hitting it like that. I think they do worse on courses that allow guys to just bomb it and probably do better on tighter course with lots of hazards that they would rarely if ever be in.

 

One of the biggest factors between a pro and good amateur is short game, and given 4 chances to chip it close and then 4 chances to make the put would make a group of that caliber excellent tour caliber short game and putting IMO.

 

But lol who knows could be out to lunch, would love to see it .

I've seen low handicap/scratch golfer 4-man scrambles shoot in the 50s before on courses that weren't that easy. 4 goes on everything, can't see how they wouldn't shoot well under par.

Professionals make mistakes, they're human, they're not 4 humans. 4-man scramble of good golfers would never go out of bounds, rarely miss GIR and while they wouldn't hole everything, with 4 bites of the cherry where they can see the line one after the other, they could hole their fair share.

I think for most average4 mans just the conditions would be enough to slow them down and cost them strokes.

-playing in front of a tourney crowd-

-pga course set up-

-having to walk 7000 yards-

-unreachable par fives-

-long par threes-

-not having lift clean and place as 99% of every scramble I played has been-

I'm sure there are a few more we could mention

Most folks have never played a course that is set up for a Sunday on the PGA Tour. The pin placements alone would give many of us mere mortals heart failure.

does this scramble team have a pencil with eraser like 99% of the scramble teams out there?

I'd be more interested in a PGA tour scramble tournament. See how low they could go.

That's not a average scramble team, lol. but with that team, easy make cuts, will definitely win some. you're never shooting over 70 even at the toughest set ups, especially if you play it smart (get a ball in play to start, etc). if anything, tough set ups probably are an advantage compared to the field, because you rarely miss a FIR or GIR and almost never have a penalty stroke. and the times you do you have 4 competent chances to get get it up and down.

 

having 3 attempts from decent putters and one very good putter easily > excellent putter. even just giving a very good putter 3 good reads before he putts gets him towards that excellent putter range.

It would be interesting to see wouldn't it? I see a team very loaded, but without anyone on the team with the potential to hit the ball/shot as well as an average tour player. So how do four folks without that potential truly keep up? They don't. We have two competent chances at most, the 4.5 and the 3 will look like a couple of 10 HCPs on the Tour course. And if forced to use a few of their drives and second shots, yikes!

 

a +1 and a scratch (one that hits 300 drive so 112+ ss), even the 3 and 4 definitely have the potential to hit the ball as well as a tour player, they just don't do it nearly as often but with 4 chances every shot i give them the advantage over anyone. Now they're not hitting it like DJ but plenty of guys win on tour not hitting it like that. I think they do worse on courses that allow guys to just bomb it and probably do better on tighter course with lots of hazards that they would rarely if ever be in.

 

One of the biggest factors between a pro and good amateur is short game, and given 4 chances to chip it close and then 4 chances to make the put would make a group of that caliber excellent tour caliber short game and putting IMO.

 

But lol who knows could be out to lunch, would love to see it .

This is a fun discussion. You and I may be similar in talent, but the difference is: You think you're not really too far off from a tour player, and I know my play today is a mile and a half away from a tour player. To win a tour event, you're probably playing to like a +10 that week, or something sick like that. If this scramble team had one of those magical fun days, maybe, but a regular day, no way. Anyhow, thanks for the conversation. We will simply never know...

Lol i have 0 delusions about how ridiculously far off i am, I have a couple buddies that are + HC who played college golf and can see how much better they are then me and have no delusions on how far they are from even mini tour pro. but i also see how well they CAN hit and know how well i can hit shots on occasion and with 4 chances on everyshot. combined were not missing many FIRs or GIRs,and when we do were getting it up and down most of the time, and when we do hit the green we have a great shot at draining it with 4 putts. combined with essentially 0 penalty strokes. I like our chances.

again i'm only using OPs scramble team, any average team has no chance.

PGA/LPGA/SR.PGA 3 Person scramble. I'd watch it. Let's make this happen

was just thinking, what do people think, a scratch's HC (who plays 7000 + yards with 110+ SS) would be if they had 4 attempts at eveyshot?

even me at ~ a 4 my missed strokes are; damn should of layed up, jez that putt was way more down hill then i thought, uhg chunked it, F*$# think thats OB, I didn't know there was water there, Yikes FORE, etc, etc. all those are gone if you have 4 shots everytime.

was just thinking, what do people think, a scratch's HC (who plays 7000 + yards with 110+ SS) would be if they had 4 attempts at eveyshot?

They would probably be pretty good, but then again you are probably talking about a player that makes up less than 2% of the golfing population.

I think for most average4 mans just the conditions would be enough to slow them down and cost them strokes.

-playing in front of a tourney crowd-

-pga course set up-

-having to walk 7000 yards-

-unreachable par fives-

-long par threes-

-not having lift clean and place as 99% of every scramble I played has been-

I'm sure there are a few more we could mention

As stated, your team is far from average. A true ABCD team would finish dead last in a PGA tour event.

Your team, however, would fair quite well after a bit of an adjustment period, I would imagine. You would have the ability to go after every par 5 with long clubs regardless of if you could actually get there because the next guy can always lay up if needed. You would be able to go pin hunting more often as well. Basically, your team would have a ton of 12 - 15 foot birdie putts. 4 shots at those by low single digit guys and you are going to shoot under par quite a bit. A bogey here or there is going to happen, but I would see 5 or 6 birdies a day and one or two bogeys. You guys would win a lot of John Deere's and the like.

I don't think you would win many (any?) majors though.

You rated none of the players as being an excellent putter. Without that, I don't think you could win, especially since you did not mention any as being a short game wizard.

Not necessary imo. 4 chances at every putt is an enormous advantage. Even 4 mediocre putters (for their handicaps) combined would still be the best putter on tour.

Just the ability to have one good player put a fairway ball and layup out there so the other 3 can have a go would be huge.

4 reads at a putt? I wish! I anchored one scramble last year and with 3 reads I made damn near everything.

4 chances to get up and down the odd time you miss a green with 4 good golfers? Easy as pie.

Bogeys would be rare and the tougher the course the higher they place IMO. 4 chances to hit fairways when pros are hitting hazards.

This team is shooting 4/5 under at worst at any track. That's making cuts and contending every week.