A popular statistic in disc golf is scrambling. You’ve probably hear it used by a commentator at one point or another if you’ve ever watched or listened to a professional disc golf tournament.
For a while I thought I understood what a scramble meant in disc golf just from the context clues of watching a round. But there were certain situations that would come up that didn’t makes sense to me where a scramble would be referenced. There were also times where I thought there was a successful scramble, but it wasn’t counted. I started looking into it a little deeper to get a better understanding of what the term actually meant.
What’s a scramble in disc golf? A scramble occurs when a player is still 66 feet or more away from the basket within 2 strokes from par, but still scores a par or better on the hole.
It can sometimes help to understand these terms with solid examples and pictures. Let’s take a closer look at when a scramble can occur and how it is different from another similar term used in disc golf.
Disc Golf Scramble Further Explained
A scramble is measured by where your disc comes to rest relative to the basket. Specifically within 66 feet. What’s significant about 66 feet?
Let’s break this down a little further. When you’re playing a hole in disc golf, there are two circles around the basket. Circle 1 and circle 2.
Circle 1 is a circle around the basket that is 10 meters or 33 feet in diameter. Circle 2 is a circle around the basket that is 20 meters or 66 feet in diameter. Sometimes these are painted on the ground, but mostly on a recreational course you have to step off the distance or eyeball it.
If your disc lands within the inner circle, it is said to be a ‘circle 1 hit‘. If your disc lands outside the inner circle, but within the outer circle, it is said to be a ‘circle 2 hit‘. If you are familiar with ball golf, circle 2 can be analogous to the putting green.
Typically, players are striving to get a circle 1 or circle 2 hit ‘in regulation‘. In regulation simply means being in a position of 2 throws from par. Being within circle 1 or circle 2 in regulation is a very significant statistic in disc golf because it indicates a player has a high likelihood of carding a birdie on the hole. It can be said that you are within the ‘circle in regulation‘.
Anything outside of circle 2 or 66 feet really reduces the chances of scoring a birdie. However, if a player lands outside of circle 2 in regulation (2 throws from par) they are now in scramble territory.
Think of it like this. If you are on a par 3 and you do not land within circle 1 or 2 after your first throw, you’re going to have to really struggle and scramble to still get a par or better on the hole to save yourself from a bogey.
If you are outside of circle 2 after your first throw on a par 3, no one expects you to get a birdie. You have a better chance at a par in this circumstance, but if you have the opportunity at a scramble stat, it is likely because you are in a horrible position off the fairway. In which case, a par could also be unlikely.
Examples of Scrambling in Disc Golf
Let’s review a few examples to better understand scrambling:
Example #1
On a par 3 you throw first shot off the tee pad. Your disc comes up short of circle 2 and is still 100 feet away from the basket. You throw your second shot 100 feet away and make it in the basket for birdie.
This is a successful scramble since you finished the hole at par or better.
Example #2
On a par 3 you throw first shot off the tee pad. Your disc comes up short of circle 2 and is still 100 feet away from the basket. You throw your second shot 100 feet away and miss the basket landing within circle 1. You throw your third shot and successfully putt your disc into the basket.
This is a successful scramble since you finished the hole at par or better.
Example #3
On a par 3 you throw first shot off the tee pad. Your disc comes up short of circle 2 and is still 100 feet away from the basket. You throw your second shot 100 feet away and miss the basket landing within circle 1. You throw your third shot and once your disc misses the basket.
This is an unsuccessful scramble since you finished the hole over par for a bogey.
Is a Scramble the Same as an Up and Down?
There is another phrase used in disc golf that is very similar to a scramble. An up and down.
At times, these two terms can be used to describe the same event. They are not mutually exclusive. However, there is one clear distinction that separates a scramble from an up and down: scoring a par or better. Let’s take a closer look.
It is said that you got up and down on a hole if it took you only two more throws to get your disc in the basket after landing outside of circle 2. Wait, isn’t that pretty much the same definition as a scramble…?
Yes, it is. However, an up and down does not come with the requirement of par or better. A scramble does. An up and down only has the requirement of finishing a hole in 2 throws after landing outside of circle 2.
Let’s look at some examples to illustrate the difference.
Example #1
On a par 3 you throw your first shot off the tee pad. Your disc comes up short of circle 2 and is still 100 feet away from the basket. You throw your second shot 100 feet away and miss the basket landing within circle 1. You throw your third shot and successfully putt your disc into the basket.
This is a successful scramble since you finished the hole at par or better. This is also a successful up and down since you finished the hole within 2 throws after landing outside of circle 2.
Example #2
On a par 3 you throw your first shot off the tee pad. Your disc goes out of bounds and you take a penalty stroke. You throw your second shot from 100 feet away and make it to circle 1. You throw your third shot and make it in the basket for a bogey.
This is an unsuccessful scramble because you finished over par. However, this is a successful up and down since you finished the hole in two throws after landing outside of circle 2. The difference is the penalty stroke.
Example #3
On a par 3 you throw first shot off the tee pad. Your disc goes out of bounds and you take a penalty stroke. You throw your second shot from 100 feet away and make it to circle 1. You throw your third shot and miss the basket.
This is an unsuccessful scramble because you finished over par. This is also an unsuccessful up and down since you finished the hole in 3 throws instead of 2 throws after landing outside of circle 2.
Example #4
On a par 3 you throw first shot off the tee pad. Your disc goes out of bounds and you take a penalty stroke. You throw your second shot from 100 feet away and make it in the basket for par.
This is a successful scramble because you finished at par or better. This is not considered an up and down since it took you only 1 throw to finish the hole after landing outside of circle 2.
How Is the Scrambling Statistic Calculated?
By the end of a round, a player is given a scrambling stat as a percentage. The percentage is calculated as how many times a player had a successful scramble during that round out of all of the scramble opportunities.
If your disc lands within circle 1 or circle 2 in regulation (2 strokes from par), the scrambling stat can no longer be tracked on that hole. If all of your drives and upshots land within circle 1 or circle 2 in regulation, you would end the round without a scrambling stat. This is fairly uncommon.
As soon as you have a disc that lands outside circle 1 or circle 2, you will end up with a scrambling stat.
For example, imagine you are playing a round of 18 holes. Out of those 18, you have 10 holes where your disc came to rest inside circle 1 or 2 within regulation and 8 holes where you disc landed outside of circle 2. Of those 8, you finished 5 holes under par and 3 holes over par.
Your stat would be calculated as follows: 18 holes less 10 holes in the circle equals 8 scramble opportunities. 5 successful scrambles divided by your 8 scramble opportunities equals a scramble stat of 62.5%.
Why is The Scramble Stat Important?
As with all statistics in disc golf, the scramble stat can tell a story. Especially when combined with other statistics.
In particular, the scramble stat tells the story of how well a player was able to salvage a hole. When compared to their circle 1 and 2 hits in regulation and average scores during the round, it can be a good indicator for how well their drives, upshots, and putts were landing.
From that, a player can use that information in their practice rounds to work on the areas where their game may be deficient.
Scrambling is a Mental Game
Its called scrambling for a reason. You’ve put yourself is a bad spot and you need to make something special happen so you don’t rack up a large number on the hole.
You may get upset. Perhaps the rest of your card all makes it to circle 2 or better in regulation, all poised to putt out for birdie. Your mind starts to race and reflect on what you could have done differently to be in a better position to make birdie like everyone else.
In short, you’re scrambling. You’re moving with urgency and panic. You’re likely in a position you’ve never practiced from, so you have no game plan of how to get to the basket effectively.
It is going to be difficult and you’re probably going to have to use some unconventional tactics to get to the green to save par. You hastily piece together a course of action and throw.
It is in these moments that separates a good player from a great player. You have to find a way out. You need to find a way to not get down on yourself when you’re in a poor position and all hope of a birdie or par seem lost.
Pick yourself up and make something great happen.