Could a Scratch Golfer break 85 at Augusta?

[jim rockford]

i think augusta is a very easy PGA tour golf course if the greens aren't very fast.

so i think it just becomes the greens.. yes, i think a legit scratch can easily break 85

[FromDeepInTheTrees]

It's doable. The key is not short siding yourself and trying not to crap your pants.

[gioguy21]

i guarantee it -- someone send me and i'll prove it

[Barfolomew]

How many practice rounds have you played there?

 

Par golfer here and a few rounds there would knock a bunch of strokes off... knowing where to land drives is key cause those greens demand that

[Haters]

Vert late to the party here but having the same conversation at the clubhouse last night. 

 

I'm confident a scratch golfer could shoot under 80 around there. Off course they could have a shocking day but happens to everyone. My theory is that some of the pros that you can see there handicaps are around +5. Those guys are shooting around an average of 71 through the field at August (1 under par) Do the maths, as long as he has a decent day simple. ??‍♂️. 

[evolvingwildes]

Depends on the "type" of scratch golfer. If they're predominantly a grip-it-and-rip-it type where they nuke drives and rely on their wedge game a lot, I don't think so. I think Augusta caters to golfers who have excellent short games and putting.

[jdl]

Happy to see this thread survived the pandemic.

[dakpery]

85 yes and 80 maybe. Just depends on how well he can read the greens

[CJ17]

He might break 85, but no shot on breaking 80. People really aren't factoring in never playing the course and not having a caddie, which at a place like Augusta where placement is everything around the greens is very important. Some greens it's better to miss off the correct side than hit the green in the wrong place. Add in that it's from the tourney tees and conditions? Good luck.

 

Good lord some people overestimate their games here.

[bscinstnct]

On 8/20/2020 at 9:38 AM, Haters said:

Vert late to the party here but having the same conversation at the clubhouse last night. 

 

I'm confident a scratch golfer could shoot under 80 around there. Off course they could have a shocking day but happens to everyone. My theory is that some of the pros that you can see there handicaps are around +5. Those guys are shooting around an average of 71 through the field at August (1 under par) Do the maths, as long as he has a decent day simple. ??‍♂️. 

 

I think the issue would be with Augusta in Masters conditions, from the actual tournament tees.

 

Playing from the tournament tees would rule out a lot of “scratch” golfers out, I would think.

 

But let’s say we are talking scratch golfer who can “travel” and shoot par from the tips at most courses.

 

Then, sure they could break 85. They should break 85. The issue with that course is the greens and how you see a lot of pros even 3 or 4 putt. And you hear nightmare  stories of how finished you can be if you are positioned poorly on the fairway or on the green. Seems like you could be playing bogey golf if you just make the same mistakes that may not be as penalizing on other tournament courses. 
 

 

Edited August 25, 2020 by bscinstnct

[smashdn]

If you are scratch from the golds at your course I doubt it.  If you routinely play at ~7400 yards and your course is pretty difficult and you are scratch you have a good chance.  My next questions would be can you work the ball both ways and hit high, soft-landing iron shots?

[North Texas]

7 hours ago, smashdn said:

If you are scratch from the golds at your course I doubt it.  If you routinely play at ~7400 yards and your course is pretty difficult and you are scratch you have a good chance.  My next questions would be can you work the ball both ways and hit high, soft-landing iron shots?

 

Just want to clarify something regarding your question about whether you can work the ball both ways. Do you mean on purpose ?  

[alphabits12]

Yeah I think so, but breaking 80 would be difficult though but could probably do it on a good day.

[QuigleyDU]

yep for sure. Maybe not first time out. but for sure after a round or two.. 

[EMA1]

I don't think so, maybe if they were having a good day. 

 

Pros struggle to 2-putt on those greens with course knowledge and a caddie. I think a scratch golfer would come across a 4-putt more than a few times.

[smashdn]

On 8/26/2020 at 5:41 PM, North Texas said:

 

Just want to clarify something regarding your question about whether you can work the ball both ways. Do you mean on purpose ?  

 

It'd help to be able to do it on command.  Especially off the tee at Augusta.  I have heard it called a "second shot golf course" several times.  Then explained that in order to score well there you need not only be in the fairway but in a specific spot or side of the fairway to attack the green due to the greens.  The greens dictate off the tee play.

[BMC]

As a point of reference - In 2019 Kevin O'Connell, the mid am champ, and member of our club at the time, +4 handicap, shot 77-71 first time playing Augusta.

[dlygrisse]

  I  cant remember if I ever replied to this thread not..but yes, not every time but probably 1/2 the time, especially if they could hit it long enough to reach the par 4’s. 

[nsxguy]

On 8/26/2020 at 11:12 AM, smashdn said:

If you are scratch from the golds at your course I doubt it.  If you routinely play at ~7400 yards and your course is pretty difficult and you are scratch you have a good chance.  My next questions would be can you work the ball both ways and hit high, soft-landing iron shots?

 

The "golds" ? Which tee set is that ?

[Shilgy]

16 minutes ago, nsxguy said:

 

The "golds" ? Which tee set is that ?

lol. The ones the old fogies play I guess. 
 

A couple comments about the “scratch” definitions being thrown out. One guy...Bsc(?) mentioned the guy that shoots even par from the tips on a traveling basis. That guy is a +3 or so. Maybe better.  If we are discussing a scratch being defined as a 0.0 handicap  he shoots the course rating, nothing to do with par, about 20% of the time.  And the 0.0 from the gold tees is as good as the 0.0 from the tips. At least on a course like Augusta with no forced carries off the tee or long hazard carries.

[nsxguy]

24 minutes ago, Shilgy said:

lol. The ones the old fogies play I guess. 
 

A couple comments about the “scratch” definitions being thrown out. One guy...Bsc(?) mentioned the guy that shoots even par from the tips on a traveling basis. That guy is a +3 or so. Maybe better.  If we are discussing a scratch being defined as a 0.0 handicap  he shoots the course rating, nothing to do with par, about 20% of the time.  And the 0.0 from the gold tees is as good as the 0.0 from the tips. At least on a course like Augusta with no forced carries off the tee or long hazard carries.

 

Well, @smashdn mentioned "scratch from the golds". Most, but not all courses, the golds are the senior tees. That said I have seen gold tees behind the blue ones. On those courses the golds are the tips. That's why i asked.

 

I don't think there's any such thing as a scratch from the senior tees. I've certainly never seen it.

[cdnglf]

Could Marc Leishman break 85 at Augusta?

[MUNIGRIT]

I saw Jeff Knox name mentioned well not specifically just that he isnthe member that is the marker for odd groups. Someone said he is scratch but he was actually a good golfer at Georgia and is a legit +2.2 and beat Rory when they were paired together. Kis says he plays in a bunchbof money games with other former UGA players. He is not one of these Instagram scratch players who are really 6 handicaps whose pinnacle of career is shotmakers.

Edited August 30, 2020 by MUNIGRIT

[Obee]

14 hours ago, MUNIGRIT said:

I saw Jeff Knox name mentioned well not specifically just that he isnthe member that is the marker for odd groups. Someone said he is scratch but he was actually a good golfer at Georgia and is a legit +2.2 and beat Rory when they were paired together. Kis says he plays in a bunchbof money games with other former UGA players. He is not one of these Instagram scratch players who are really 6 handicaps whose pinnacle of career is shotmakers.

Yes, Jeff is a very, very good golfer. I haven't played with him, but I play and compete with many players  who compete against him in Mid-Am and Senior regional and national stuff.

[bladehunter]

Havent followed this topic much.  So don’t shoot me if it’s been said. But.  Every year many college kids get invites as a team to play Augusta. Most aren’t better than a traveling scratch.  The best being +4 ish.  And I assured you loads will break 85.  Theres one on this board who I bet did. I’ll ask him And see.  

[bladehunter]

On 8/29/2020 at 8:39 PM, nsxguy said:

 

Well, @smashdn mentioned "scratch from the golds". Most, but not all courses, the golds are the senior tees. That said I have seen gold tees behind the blue ones. On those courses the golds are the tips. That's why i asked.

 

I don't think there's any such thing as a scratch from the senior tees. I've certainly never seen it.

I play with a guy who’s +.08 right now that is 60 and plays the senior tees.  Don’t bet with him if he’s putting is all I’m going to say.  And he carries driver 265 with a little fade.  So they exist.  

[nsxguy]

2 minutes ago, bladehunter said:

I play with a guy who’s +.08 right now that is 60 and plays the senior tees.  Don’t bet with him if he’s putting is all I’m going to say.  And he carries driver 265 with a little fade.  So they exist.  

 

That's very interesting but here's the thing.

 

Guys that hit it 265 off the tee certainly have a chance to be scratch from the senior tees. But personally I've never seen anybody with that length play the senior tees. Rightly or wrongly his opponents, from any set of tees, would be "horrified", course handicap adjustment or not.

 

And how good does one feel about their game when they're hitting 4 iron + SW to most every par 4 ? And I certainly wouldn't want to feel badly shooting a 1 under round,,,,,,,,,,,, not playing very well.

 

I mean seriously, where's the challenge ?

 

But the vast majority of players PLAYING from the senior tees are doing so because they can't hit it 200, never mind 265. And the senior tees course rating and slope is often so much less than even par that the players needs to shoot of 5 or 6 under "just" to be scratch. Now a guy with that length who's reasonably straight and can putt probably won't miss many greens and will certainly have more than his share of birdie putts but,,,,,,,,,,,

 

Players with that length and more, like yourself, generally play tees rated at a couple OVER par and a high slope so for YOU to be scratch you "only" have to shoot 3 or 4 over to get a diff of 0.

 

So I guess I'm not all that surprised that there are a few around but that guy really shouldn't be playing the senior tees,,,,,,,,, IMO,,,,,,,

 

 

BTW, welcome back !!!

 

 

[smashdn]

On 8/29/2020 at 6:50 PM, nsxguy said:

 

The "golds" ? Which tee set is that ?

 

Most courses around me the golds are the second shortest tees.  Typically the "senior" tees if you want to think of them that way.

[smashdn]

On 8/29/2020 at 7:39 PM, nsxguy said:

 

Well, @smashdn mentioned "scratch from the golds". Most, but not all courses, the golds are the senior tees. That said I have seen gold tees behind the blue ones. On those courses the golds are the tips. That's why i asked.

 

I don't think there's any such thing as a scratch from the senior tees. I've certainly never seen it.

 

You can be scratch from any tees.  That was the overall point.  As long as you aren't scratch from a very far forward set of tees I suspect you could break 85.  Distance becomes a factor at some point.

[nsxguy]

Just now, smashdn said:

 

You can be scratch from any tees.  That was the overall point.  As long as you aren't scratch from a very far forward set of tees I suspect you could break 85.  Distance becomes a factor at some point.

 

Of course you can, blade gave an example. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯