Playing Last In A 4 Person Scramble – Is it Important?
The scramble format is a fun. It helps erase poor shots and accentuates good shots by players. Last night, I played in a 9 hole scramble format for Men’s Night. It was our usual team of Mike, Barry, Charlie and I. We normally shoot six under or less, but last night we shot better. As I look back at he match, I wondered what the difference was that allowed us to record a lower than normal score. It was not anything out of the norm, we seemed to make more putts than normal……but why?
To add some fun to the scramble format last night, Mike (who organizes Men’s Night) added a minor wrinkle. The tee box we played was determined by our age. 64 and under played from the blues, 65 to 69 played from the whites, and 70 and over played from the reds. With our group, we had two players hitting from the blues and one from each of the other tee boxes. Hence, we had everything covered. After it was all said and done, we used 7 of the 9 shots from the tee boxes from the forward hitting players, which is different than our normal game.
The next difference was our two pars were from missing the green. Hitting up and down was no problem, but it prevented us from scoring a birdie like the other holes. Yes, if you are doing the math, we shot 7 under for the round. Another slight difference is that we were closer on our approach shots allowing for easier putts to sink. Our approach game was a little sharper last night and everyone contributed. What was happening is that the first player would set the bar and the rest of us (with me playing last) inevitably would hit closer. It was how we were able to shoot a lower score.
The biggest difference was our putting. We sank all birdie opportunities (7). Interestingly, I only putted 3 times last night and made all. The longest was 18 feet. After much discussion, the person that plays first must hit the ball to the hole to allow the rest of us to read the break. That worked very well last night and everyone sank a putt or two. Overall, our putting was really the difference in our score. Whether we win anything is yet to be determined, but we have a good chance.
So, what does all of this have to do with playing last in a four person scramble. Well, I think it is important that the last player be the most consistent hitter. The anchor needs to have a greater chance than not to putting the ball in play. In the case of our team, I am always the anchor. It does not mean I outperform my playing partners, but it allows them to swing away knowing that I will play safe if required and will swing away if they have a good ball in play. The last player is relied upon to make things happen in the clutch and help the team where they can. It really is an important position and I love playing last. The anchor can help most teams if the right person is playing that position.
Last night was hot and sticky while we were on the course. Our team responded with a great round where everyone contributed to our low score. Fortunately, our team composition is very complimentary because we all have different strengths. It allows us to rely on each other during every shot. As the anchor, I know my role and that is to never putt during a round if possible.
I am a grateful golfer! See you on the links!
