I write infrequently about golf, and I come today to praise the scramble as the ideal format for an outing among friends.
On Sunday, I played in the annual nine-hole tournament that good friends host at a course in the Princeton area. The last few years we’ve played at the Hopewell Valley Golf and Country Club, which is now owned and administered by Mercer County.
We were out there again this year, and the course was in remarkably good shape late in the afternoon after an overnight and morning drenching of rain.
For those unfamiliar with a scramble, all players are divided into teams, typically foursomes as we did.
Each player hits a drive and each hits a second shot from the spot of the drive deemed the best. Shot by shot, play continues in that manner until someone sinks the putt.
The rules we follow require each player to contribute two drives off the tee chosen as the spot from which to play the second shot. In a nine-hole tournament, one player’s drives are chosen on three holes.
The great thing about a scramble is that it enables players of various skill levels to contribute. In every round, pretty much every player will hit a few good shots or sink a putt or two to help the team.
After a flub from the first tee, I managed a couple of decent drives. I also surprised myself (if not my teammates) with a couple of good fairway and approach shots.
My biggest contribution came on the green of our final hole, where I sank a 12-foot putt for birdie.
Our group finished at 3-over-par 39, which turned out to be the winning score. All scores were higher this year than in previous years, when one or two groups managed to make par or be a stroke or two under.
After the round, the group picked up prizes and had dinner at the club’s tavern, a convivial way to end the day. 🧢
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