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I play in about 5 or 6 charity tournaments every year. I've never been on a team that has been in the top three and those guys probably don't want me on their team anyway! Well, if you've ever played one of these tournaments then you understand the basic strategies in four person best ball.
Generally, we get the higest handicapper to play first with the best handicapper playing last with the hopes of having a good ball in play before we get to the fourth golfer so the "best golfer" can "go for it" or really let one loose. There may be other strategies used.
Yesterday I was invited to play in a tournament and for the first time ever I, yes me, the 15 handicapper, was the best player on the team. What a nightmare! It is a totally different feeling when the other 3 are looking at YOU as the "go to guy". I've never felt pressure like that before. This wasn't like playing against your weekly buddies... I'm comfortable with that pressure but this was different.
Not fun when about 75% of the shots played were yours. Not fun when over and over, 3 tee shots don't hit the fairway and they are looking at you to put one in the middle. Not fun when 3 approach shots go errant and they want you to put it on the green. I learned a little bit about myself in that I was actually able to perform under that pressure for the most part - I had my share of mishits also.
Well we ended up with a 66, 6 under (53 won it). Thank God we were able to buy mulligans! We did have fun, after all, we were playing golf and raising money for a good cause but I think next time I'm going to ask some questions before accepting the next invite!
| Comments (19) | |
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HIGH_LANDER
7/2/2010 8:05:26 AM great win.53 won it.glad to hear that you had fun,and also you handle the pressure very well,to make the some shots.i played on several tournaments,but have never come in 1st place,just come in 2nd or 3rd.but i had lots of fun.and i enjoy playing with this kind of pressure,making the putt or making the shot.nice read. |
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aumurray
12/2/2009 8:45:15 AM Stacked teams and unlimited buying of mulligans with string for putts makes it different. They are still fun. But like you say when you get put with a blind foursome it can be a test. |
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JoeGrass
10/16/2009 10:09:42 AM I'm playing a scramble Oct 21 for the Breast Cancer Foundation, and I think I will be "you". Two of the guys I haven't even met yet and the third, is a friend of mine I play with often. My average drives are 50 yds past his and the ones I step on can be 100 yds past. But at the same time I am already beginning to feel the pressure of haveing to hit monster drives all day in order to be competitive. I played the course yesterday with 3 guys who can't drive a golf ball 200 yds, so I gave myself a little warm-up. |
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Bill Martin
10/11/2009 2:01:13 PM Now you know why I hate scrambles... |
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bear827
10/10/2009 9:37:24 AM I play in 3 or 4 scrambles a year and my favorite one is the one that has turned into the neighborhood scramble. It is a charity event, NOT played at one of the upscale courses...instead of a sleeve of ProV's, a sleeve of whatever can be purchased for $8/dozen is provided...the complimentary jersey is 100% cotton as opposed to an Antigua moisture wicking jersey, and this is the one scramble that I never miss and the only one that I want to win. There are three or four teams from the neighborhood that enter and there is something about bragging rights for a year that transcend all the other "stuff" that goes with a scramble. |
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Spiko
10/9/2009 1:41:58 PM I know the feeling, being the low handicap on my group sometimes it places a lot of pressure on my game, but I welcome the pressure, and let me tell you, the guys I play with are no 15 handicappers, they are somewhere between 28 and 36. |
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mickchild
10/8/2009 7:55:18 AM Sounds like a good time. It's pretty cool to find out how you react to pressure, even when there's so little on the line. I usually fall apart when I'm going for a personal best score so I can imagine how I'd fare in that situation! |
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Kaliman
10/6/2009 3:06:45 PM So were you playing best ball or scramble format? (I don't mean to be ignorant nor a stickler to semantics. Just trying to be sure I fully understand your stituation.) Best ball - Each player on the team plays his or her own golf ball throughout the round, and on each hole the low score - or "best ball" - of the group serves as the team score. Scramble - Each player tees off on each hole. The best of the tee shots is selected and all players play their second shots from that spot. The best of the second shots is determined, then all play their third shots from that spot, and so on until the ball is holed. |
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Billy70
10/6/2009 10:19:08 AM I played in the national Cadillac tournament at TPC Sawgrass, Sawgrass CC and the other TPC course. I was our 4th player. Our first day there were several shots I had to come up with and I was plensently surprised how i performed. The one shot i remember was a long par 3, over 200 yards into a 20 mph wind with lake in front and right. All three of my so called buddies :) were in the junk. I had to step up and hit a 3wd to this green, knocked it on the green, we didn't make birdie, but it could have been ugly. We finished up 15th out of 180 teams after the 4 days of golf. I play in scrambles a lot, love the format except when there are mulligans and other gimiks involved. |
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Duckhunter
10/6/2009 10:04:31 AM I have played under pressure like this, not the same game but still a lot of pressure to hit good shots. 66 is a very nice score for a group of 15+ handicaps. I see 59s and better most of this kind of turnaments. Best group is 2 big hitters and 2 guys very good on and near the green. I'm not good at both of these so that is why my phone never rings. If you had a good time then you were a winner. |
