6 Hour Scramble Round?????/

[amerza18]

are you kidding me.......

Sorry, had to vent today. Just played in a scramble today and it took 6 freaking hours. :russian_roulette: I know that there are people that mean well by letting the fairway clear, but you should know your abilities and realize that you probably won't reach the guys in the fairway 300+ our even with your freaking second shot!!!!!!!!!

Keep in front of the group in front of you and keep the game going.

I'm sure that most everyone here on wrx keeps the round going, but I just was so frustrated that I didn't even care to finish or even want to know who won. Just packed my bags and took off.

Sorry to vent!

[nvr stsfd]

It all depends on how many groups there are. I've played in some that double up on everything except par 3's. Six hours was standard. But if there is only a few doubled up holes then it shouldn't be too bad. I do feel your pain with the groups who wait until the group hits the green on a 450 yd par 4 before teeing off though.

[TM_HOYER]

I feel it. After six hours I would also be frustrated and ready to leave the course. You cannot get a rhythm going and you end up shooting a lousy round. But usually rounds that long are because the course puts to many groups on the course. I recently played a round where the front nine took 3 hours. The course has their tee times seven minutes apart and there was just too many people. Fortunately a couple groups dropped out after nine holes so the back nine was completed much faster.

[golfpunk59]

Honestly thats not that long for a scramble. You can get into a rythm if you try. It will be slower than normal but you just need to chang it up and enjoy a fun round. Scrambles are always slow because there are always new players and everyone has to find their ball and then move to another spot to hit the ball. You should just try to have a good time in situations like this. Did you excpect to get around in 4:15?

[Smooth spin scott]

I hear ya, feel free to rant. Few years ago played in a Scramble at a course which hosted the Canadian Open, did I mention this was 2 weeks before they held the Open. Rough was brutal (they actually had spotters down some of the fairways). Cart path only!

Hit 16 (right next to clubhouse, started on 1 so had 2 holes left)and we had been out there for just over 7 hours! I grabbed my clubs off the cart, apologized to my group and made up an excuse that I had to go get my kid. I have not returned to that event even though it's a cool course.

[amerza18]

I didn't expect a 4 hour round, but I did think we'd be done in 5hrs. I think if we'd been putting better, I don't think it would have been bad, but becuase I wasn't hitting my irons well, I just felt out of sorts.

To add salt to a wound, I think I tweaked something in my knee. Not sure when I will be back out on the track swing my sticks.

[DoctorPal]

This is why usually when I see the word "scramble", I pay attention to the first four letters of that word and do just that.

[ScooterMcTavish]

I HATE slow golf! With a passion!

However, I've learned to accept the things I cannot change, including the times scrambles take.

Amerza, my thought when going for a scramble is that I am going to enjoy a nice day out with co-workers or business partners. We'll drink beer, rag on each other, and have a fun time. We're not there to golf. And before starting, I know that it will take ~6 hours. Since I don't expect it to take 4.5 hours, I'm already cool with it, and don't feel rushed or frustrated.

This works for me, because I've mentally pulled my brain out of the hyper-competitive mode it falls into when golfing, especially as I am a fast golfer (local 9 in 1:30 on a slow day).

At the beginning of last season, I actually told my wife that I wasn't going to play in scrambles any more because the 6+ hours made me crazy. She's the one who reminded me about the other benefits (like having fun, networking, better than being in the office, supporting a charity, prizes, loot bags, free meal) and she was right.

I know its tough for us golfers to focus on anything other than the game, but it is beneficial to remind ourselvs of the other benefits before we go to one of these events. And gosh darn, it actually works, and you'll enjoy the scramble 100% more!

Forgot to add, scrambles are also fun for trying things you don't normally try on a course, like hitting power fades around trees, or trying to drive the green on some Par 4s. If your partner hits a good shot, it gives you the luxury of trying things out you normally wouldn't.

[highergr0und]

6 hours sounds about right for a scramble to me with some holes doubled up..... It sucks, but I don't view a scramble as anything really related to golf. I play in several a year which usually entail a free round on a course I wouldn't usually get to play, free food and alcohol, and almost always a free day off of work to golf. Half of the groups are usually terrible golfers who spend forever gathering up their wild shots, and the other half tend to need to wait for greens to clear on all the par 5s to go for it in two. Almost every group takes forever on the green discussing the putt at hand.

I've also pretty much gathered from a lot of slow play posts here that I'm in a very small minority of people who are not really bothered by it. Of course, I'd rather play in 3 hours and get on with my day, but my game is not thrown off during a 5 hour round.

[doof_dizzler]

Scrambles are slow. I'm used to it by now, so I play in the ones I want to support and accept that it's not really "golf", like I normally play. It just goes with the territory having groups doubled up, and the more groups there are, the more cash is usually raised for whatever the cause is, so I try to look at it as a positive. Otherwise, I'd go nuts.... (or more nuts)

[Bonneville85308]

That's why I don't play in those scrambles. I've had several experiences like yours. I have no idea why it is so slow, perhaps because they tend to attract the "once a year" golfers who have no idea what they are doing.

[larrybud]

[quote name='DoctorPal' date='18 March 2010 - 09:35 AM' timestamp='1268919352' post='2324744']
This is why usually when I see the word "scramble", I pay attention to the first four letters of that word and do just that.
[/quote]
So you "scra"???

What the hell? ;-)

[larrybud]

I've played in 4 hour scrambles and I've played in 6 hour scrambles. THE major factor is how much they pack the course.

[SNIPERBBB]

Also depends on the course your playing as well. The course we play it at has 4 driveable par 4's(10,11,12,18) and one two par 3's that play to 200+ yards so the groups stack up on these holes and once your past them, things go smoother. Also helps that they give you a 3-ft string you can use to extend a putt or close-approach to claim a hole-out without taking another stroke. Gotta shoot under 60 to place. With 30 teams, play time is not too long.

On the other hand, coming back to my home course for a similar number of teams, -6 is a respectable score and 5-6 hour rounds are possible as the front 9 is a nightmare to the 1-3 time a year players.