nt to carry a handicap anymore? Doesn't anyone want to know if they have improved or not? How is anyone going to determine their own skill level if they do not play their own ball often enough? How in the world are they going to have an accurate handicap if they don't know how to play by the rules? A "thumbs up" for the ladies in general, who no matter what their skill level is, they all turn in their INDIVIDUAL scores for handicap posting!
A "thumbs down" for most men, here is how it usually goes:
Q: How did you play Johnny?, A: Oh well, Peter, Brian and I gave a licking to Dennis, Ernie and Mel in a scramble... Peter hit it on the green on #13 and I made the putt for eagle, we won 6 carry overs... we ended up shooting a 67 and 17 dots ahead (note: each "dot" has a monetary value of their choosing). Q: OK buddy, what do you think you would have shot if you played your own ball?, A: I played really well, easily a 74, they used many of my shots (in other words, Peter and Brian only helped Johnny in 7 shots for the whole round).
So, the next day, we have a "Blind Draw" Scramble. Johnny, still on a high after their one day old match, signs up. I put him as an "A" player (after all, he just told me that he would have shot a 74 on his ball, didn't he?). Before the tee time, Johnny comes to confront me: "Alex, this is unfair. I am not an 'A' player, how did you figure this out? I usually play as a "B" or "C".... "Johnny, according to your own account, yesterday you self promoted yourslef to A status!" I've done this many times, and the reaction is the same, time after time... but I like it better when, instead of a tournament, I have the opportunity to have a "game" with Johnny, I'll give him "2 up" per nine, and give him a licking myself.
Men's Golf Association membership is at its all time low. Many men nowadays, think themselves as "A", "B", "C" or "D" players anymore. Except, this is going backwards!! Why? Because "B" in Gallup may be an "A" or a "C" elsewhere, depending on the skill level of the field you are visiting! It is not unusua for somebody to call me and say, "they are going to call you from Laughlin, NV. We are playing a 'tournament' there, can you tell them I am a 20 handicap please?" ... Sure, as soon as I see your last 3 individual scores... you may be a 30!!
Yes, we do have a group of people who play their own ball more often than not, and there is another group yet, who "mix it up", sometimes they play their own ball, sometimes a scramble, depending I guess, of who they are playing with. Most "games" though (those that are born out of competitiveness among friends), have become a form of a scramble. You know the game is changing when for the last 4-5 years, I get on #1 tee with some of the locals, and the usual question is "are we scrambling?" For the last 2 years or so, I've had a question of my own to many of these golfers, "are we playing by the rules of golf or are we playing by your perception of the rules?" They look at me dumbfounded.
No wonder why the participation in our local championship or other events in which you must keep an individual score has been reduced... but, let's organize a scramble, and the participation increases. Here are two facts that I have found: 1) 4-Man Scrambles draw more people than a 3-Man Scramble and in turn a 3-Man Scramble draws more than a 2-Man Scramble and 2) Everyone wants to play in groups of two teams.
With all this information, I believe that in part 2 of "Gallup, the Land of Scrambles", I can get to the bottom of this trend... maybe, in the end, even if you are a "scrambler", you can all help us promote golf, as the game was intended to be played!
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
GALLUP, THE LAND OF SCRMABLES!! PART 1 of 2
Just look at our tournament calendar and you will see that "Scrambles" have become "the game" in Gallup. Forget individual and/or best ball competitions, it's always a form of a scramble... nowadays, even during regular play.
Doesn't anyone wa
nt to carry a handicap anymore? Doesn't anyone want to know if they have improved or not? How is anyone going to determine their own skill level if they do not play their own ball often enough? How in the world are they going to have an accurate handicap if they don't know how to play by the rules? A "thumbs up" for the ladies in general, who no matter what their skill level is, they all turn in their INDIVIDUAL scores for handicap posting!
A "thumbs down" for most men, here is how it usually goes:
Q: How did you play Johnny?, A: Oh well, Peter, Brian and I gave a licking to Dennis, Ernie and Mel in a scramble... Peter hit it on the green on #13 and I made the putt for eagle, we won 6 carry overs... we ended up shooting a 67 and 17 dots ahead (note: each "dot" has a monetary value of their choosing). Q: OK buddy, what do you think you would have shot if you played your own ball?, A: I played really well, easily a 74, they used many of my shots (in other words, Peter and Brian only helped Johnny in 7 shots for the whole round).
So, the next day, we have a "Blind Draw" Scramble. Johnny, still on a high after their one day old match, signs up. I put him as an "A" player (after all, he just told me that he would have shot a 74 on his ball, didn't he?). Before the tee time, Johnny comes to confront me: "Alex, this is unfair. I am not an 'A' player, how did you figure this out? I usually play as a "B" or "C".... "Johnny, according to your own account, yesterday you self promoted yourslef to A status!" I've done this many times, and the reaction is the same, time after time... but I like it better when, instead of a tournament, I have the opportunity to have a "game" with Johnny, I'll give him "2 up" per nine, and give him a licking myself.
Men's Golf Association membership is at its all time low. Many men nowadays, think themselves as "A", "B", "C" or "D" players anymore. Except, this is going backwards!! Why? Because "B" in Gallup may be an "A" or a "C" elsewhere, depending on the skill level of the field you are visiting! It is not unusua for somebody to call me and say, "they are going to call you from Laughlin, NV. We are playing a 'tournament' there, can you tell them I am a 20 handicap please?" ... Sure, as soon as I see your last 3 individual scores... you may be a 30!!
Yes, we do have a group of people who play their own ball more often than not, and there is another group yet, who "mix it up", sometimes they play their own ball, sometimes a scramble, depending I guess, of who they are playing with. Most "games" though (those that are born out of competitiveness among friends), have become a form of a scramble. You know the game is changing when for the last 4-5 years, I get on #1 tee with some of the locals, and the usual question is "are we scrambling?" For the last 2 years or so, I've had a question of my own to many of these golfers, "are we playing by the rules of golf or are we playing by your perception of the rules?" They look at me dumbfounded.
No wonder why the participation in our local championship or other events in which you must keep an individual score has been reduced... but, let's organize a scramble, and the participation increases. Here are two facts that I have found: 1) 4-Man Scrambles draw more people than a 3-Man Scramble and in turn a 3-Man Scramble draws more than a 2-Man Scramble and 2) Everyone wants to play in groups of two teams.
With all this information, I believe that in part 2 of "Gallup, the Land of Scrambles", I can get to the bottom of this trend... maybe, in the end, even if you are a "scrambler", you can all help us promote golf, as the game was intended to be played!
nt to carry a handicap anymore? Doesn't anyone want to know if they have improved or not? How is anyone going to determine their own skill level if they do not play their own ball often enough? How in the world are they going to have an accurate handicap if they don't know how to play by the rules? A "thumbs up" for the ladies in general, who no matter what their skill level is, they all turn in their INDIVIDUAL scores for handicap posting!
A "thumbs down" for most men, here is how it usually goes:
Q: How did you play Johnny?, A: Oh well, Peter, Brian and I gave a licking to Dennis, Ernie and Mel in a scramble... Peter hit it on the green on #13 and I made the putt for eagle, we won 6 carry overs... we ended up shooting a 67 and 17 dots ahead (note: each "dot" has a monetary value of their choosing). Q: OK buddy, what do you think you would have shot if you played your own ball?, A: I played really well, easily a 74, they used many of my shots (in other words, Peter and Brian only helped Johnny in 7 shots for the whole round).
So, the next day, we have a "Blind Draw" Scramble. Johnny, still on a high after their one day old match, signs up. I put him as an "A" player (after all, he just told me that he would have shot a 74 on his ball, didn't he?). Before the tee time, Johnny comes to confront me: "Alex, this is unfair. I am not an 'A' player, how did you figure this out? I usually play as a "B" or "C".... "Johnny, according to your own account, yesterday you self promoted yourslef to A status!" I've done this many times, and the reaction is the same, time after time... but I like it better when, instead of a tournament, I have the opportunity to have a "game" with Johnny, I'll give him "2 up" per nine, and give him a licking myself.
Men's Golf Association membership is at its all time low. Many men nowadays, think themselves as "A", "B", "C" or "D" players anymore. Except, this is going backwards!! Why? Because "B" in Gallup may be an "A" or a "C" elsewhere, depending on the skill level of the field you are visiting! It is not unusua for somebody to call me and say, "they are going to call you from Laughlin, NV. We are playing a 'tournament' there, can you tell them I am a 20 handicap please?" ... Sure, as soon as I see your last 3 individual scores... you may be a 30!!
Yes, we do have a group of people who play their own ball more often than not, and there is another group yet, who "mix it up", sometimes they play their own ball, sometimes a scramble, depending I guess, of who they are playing with. Most "games" though (those that are born out of competitiveness among friends), have become a form of a scramble. You know the game is changing when for the last 4-5 years, I get on #1 tee with some of the locals, and the usual question is "are we scrambling?" For the last 2 years or so, I've had a question of my own to many of these golfers, "are we playing by the rules of golf or are we playing by your perception of the rules?" They look at me dumbfounded.
No wonder why the participation in our local championship or other events in which you must keep an individual score has been reduced... but, let's organize a scramble, and the participation increases. Here are two facts that I have found: 1) 4-Man Scrambles draw more people than a 3-Man Scramble and in turn a 3-Man Scramble draws more than a 2-Man Scramble and 2) Everyone wants to play in groups of two teams.
With all this information, I believe that in part 2 of "Gallup, the Land of Scrambles", I can get to the bottom of this trend... maybe, in the end, even if you are a "scrambler", you can all help us promote golf, as the game was intended to be played!
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I HAVE BEEN PLAYING GOLF SINCE 1994 AND FOR ALL THAT TIME I HAVE ENJOYED INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION MORE THAN THE TEAM CONCEPT. I PRIDE MYSELF ON BEING A SOLID 12 / 13 HANDICAP AND A FEW YEARS AGO I WAS A SIGLE DIGIT HANDICAPPER. LATELY, IT SEEMS, ALL I DO IS PLAY SCRAMBLES WITH FREINDS AND FOR CHARITY EVENTS. I DO, HOWEVER, MAKE IT A POINT TO PLAY BEST BALL TOURNAMENTS WITH CERTAIN FREINDS, WHENEVER POSSIBLE. I ESPECIALLY ENJOYED PLAYING "THE HILTON OPEN" AND "THE SAN JUAN OPEN" ON OCCASION. THE HILTON OPEN IS NOW THE SOCORRO SPRINGS OPEN AND IS PLAYED AT THE NEW MEXICO TECH UNIVERSITY GOLF COURSE IN SOCORRO, NEW MEXICO. I ALSO PLAY FREQUENTLY IN THE "NEW MEXICO SENIOR GOLF ASSOCIATION'S" TOURNAMENTS ALL OVER THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO. I LOVE TO PLAY PRO AM EVENTS, BUT SOMETIMES THEY ARE NOT INDIVIDUAL PLAY TOURNAMENTS EITHER.
ReplyDeleteRECENTLY I WAS INVOLVED IN A GAME OF "WOLF" THE DESCRIPTION OF THE GAME AS IT APPEARS IN IN MOST GOLF LITURATURE IS - A FIVE MAN GAME PLAYED BY ESTABLISHING AN ORDER OF PLAY USUALLY ALPHABETICAL AND THEN THE FIRST GUY TO HIT THE BALL BECOMES THE WOLF. HE MAY PICK ONE OF THE OTHER PARTICIPANTS AS A PARTNER OR HE MAY DECIDE TO PLAY THE HOLE INDIVIDUALLY, IN WHICH CASE HE WOULD BE IN A BEST BALL MATCH AGAINST THE OTHER 4 PLAYERS AND THAT IS CALLED "WOLFING IT". BUT ALL 5 PLAYERS PLAY THEIR OWN BALL TEE TO GREEN. A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO A GAME OF "WOLF" WAS DESCRIBED TO ME IN A WAY THAT I HAD NEVER HEARD OF. IT WENT SOMETHING LIKE THIS...... WE ALL THROW BALLS ON THE FIRST TEE BOX TO ESTABLISH THE ORDER OF PLAY THEN WE ALL HIT AND THE FIRST GUY IN THE ORDER PICKS A PARTNER. WE THEN ALL GO TO THE BEST SHOT AND SCRAMBLE FOR THE REST OF THE HOLE PLAYING FOR DOTS "GREENIE, BIRDIE, HOLE". THIS GAME WAS INVENTED BY A BUNCH OF GUYS WHO HARDLY EVER PLAY THEIR OWN BALL. FURTHERMORE IT IS A PROSTITUTION OF THE TRADITIONAL GAMES WITHIN THE GAME OF GOLF. ALL TO AVOID, AT ALL COSTS, PLAYING YOUR OWN BALL. THESE SCRAMBLERS HAVE ALL CREATED GAMES TO SUIT THEIR LACK OF REAL GAMESMANSHIP AND INDIVIDUAL TALENT. SOME CAN HIT THE BALL 300 YARDS AND THEN LOOK AT THEIR PARTNERS AND SAY "O K GET IT IN THE HOLE". OTHERS CAN BARELY HIT THE BALL 100 YARDS OFF THE TEE BOA AND SAY "BUT I REALLY PUTT GOOD". THEY READ GREENS AS A GROUP, WHICH DIMINISHES THEIR ABILITY TO REALLY DEVELOP A TALENT FOR IT. AND UNLESS THEIR IS A LOT OF MONEY INVOLVED THERE IS NO PRESSURE TO PLAY WELL BECAUSE "SURELY SOMEONE ON THE TEAM WILL MAKE THAT SAVING SHOT FOR ME". MOREOVER, THESE GUYS ARE ALWAYS PLAYING IN SCRAMBLES AND HAVE NO CLUE WHAT THEIR HANDICAP MIGHT BE. THEIR DEFINITION OF AN "A" PLAYER IS THE GUY WHO CAN HIT IT THE FARTHEST. NEVERMIND THAT HE MAY OR MAY NOT HAVE ANY SHORT GAME AT ALL. MOST SCRAMBLES ARE PLAYED AS MONEY GAMES AN THUS ARE SCORED BY DOTS OR BETS RATHER THAN STROKES. IN ALMOST ALL OF THESE GAMES THE DOTS ARE GIVEN A VALUE AND THEN THERE IS A CRITERIA BY WHICH THE DOTS ARE EARNED.
FOR INSTANCE "GREENIE - BIRDIE - HOLE". IT'S A GREAT GAME, BUT SOMETIMES THE GAME OF GOLF IS BETTER PLAYED BY NOT HITTING THE GREEN. IN OTHER WORDS WITH A VERY SHORT PIN AND A VERY HARD GREEN, A PLAYER MAY CHOOSE TO BE BELOW THE HOLE 6 FEET AWAY FROM THE PIN AND JUST OFF THE GREEN RATHER THAN HITTING THE GREEN AND BEING 40 FEET AWAY AND ON THE GREEN. IN THE "GREENIE - BIRDIE - HOLE ' GAME, THE GUY 40 FEET AWAY, BUT ON THE GREEN WOULD GET THE GREENIE AND WIN MONEY. NOT THE GUY JUST BELOW THE PIN. GAMES SUCH AS THESE, IN REALITY DO NOT MAKE THE PLAYER A BETTER PLAYER. ONE SHOULD ALSO REALIZE THAT IN MOST OF THESE GAMES THERE IS A IMENSE AMOUNT OF CHEATING GOING ON, WHETHER INTENTIONAL OR NOT. OF COURSE WHEN THERE ARE NO RULES, AS IN MOST SCRAMBLES, THEN NO-ONE REALLY LEARNS THE "RULES OF GOLF" SO HOW COULD THEY EXPECTED TO PLAY BY THEM.
IN SHORT, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE MANY MORE 2 MAN BEST BALL / AGREGATE OR ALTERNATING SHOT COMPETITONS IN THE FUTURE WHICH WOULD BETTER PROMOTE THE GAME OF "GOLF" AND SPEED UP PLAY IF PLAYED IN 4 MAN GROUPS RATHER THAN 6 OR 8 MAN GROUPS AS IN MOST SCRAMBLES. THERE ARE SEVERAL OF THESE TOURNAMENTS PLAYED AT GOLF COURSES THROUGHOUT THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO
AND THEY ARE QUITE SUCCESSFUL AND ALWAYS FULL. THEY ALSO BRING OUT THE BEST IN THE PLAYERS AND CREATE A DESIRE TO IMPROVE ONE'S GAME. ALEX, PLEASE LET'S WORK TO HAVE MORE "GOLF" TOURNAMENTS............ I'LL HELP PROMOTE THEM AND I'M SURE WE CAN FIND OTHERS WHO WILL HWLP AS WELL.