If it weren’t for my ability to scramble I would never have gotten near a single-figure handicap. I knew my long game was horrendous, so I relied on creative shots to rescue me and give me a fighting chance of saving par. 

In this guide, I explain what scrambling golf is, contrary to the numerous incorrect descriptions on the internet.

What is Scrambling in Golf?

Simply put, scrambling explains your ability to save par after missing a green in regulation (GIR). Golf Magazine explains that many are under the impression that scrambling only involves your wedges, but it refers to your whole game.

Let me give you an example of my finest scramble ever. I duck hooked my drive into the woods on a par 4 and punched out for two to 170-yards. My third shot kicked off the green and into the bunker and held the best shot of my life to save par. At no point on that hole was I in a position to make par, but I did.

In addition, if you miss the green on a par 3, chip it close and get up and down. That is a scramble. 

Let me also provide samples of unsuccessful scrambles. If you hit your tee shot into the drink on a par 4, then play three from the drop zone, and end up making bogey, that is a failed scramble.

In layman’s terms, scrambling refers to the percentage a player misses the green in regulation and still manages to make par or better.

Example of How to Calculate a Scramble

Let’s look at the 2022 PGA Tour scrambling averages to learn how to calculate a scramble percentage. Daniel Berger leads the charge this season with 78%. It is calculated by dividing the total number of missed greens in regulation by the times a player scored par or better.

In Berger’s case, he has missed fifty GIRs this year but made par or better on thirty-nine occasions. As a result, he has a scrambling average of 78%.

The next time you play, calculate how many GIRs you miss and the number of pars or birdies you make from that position. Let me offer a more realistic example for the average golfer. If you miss 14 greens during your round and make par three times, your scrambling average is 21.4%.

What Is Scrambling Percentage In Golf?

The scrambling percentage in a game of golf highlights how many times the player has scored par or better after missing a green in regulation. For example, if you miss fifty GIRs, and make par or better on twenty-five of those holes, your scrambling percentage would be 50%.

Pros and Cons of This Measurement

Pros

Measures Resilience

A scrambling average more than anything measures a golfer’s resilience to recover after missing a green in regulation. The more pars you record when missing the GIR, the better it is for your confidence and overall mental strength on an 18-hole course.

Short Game Performance

Because this stat focuses on missed GIRs, a high record tends to demonstrate solid iron and wedge play. The ability to recover from a missed green shows that you have your distance control and accuracy dialed.

With that in mind, it doesn’t provide insight into your performance on the greens when you hit a GIR. Therefore, it is not a complete representation of your short game.

Highlights Inaccuracy

Because this stat revolves around missed greens in regulation, it does highlight your long game and approach inaccuracies. If you find yourself scrambling on most holes on the course, your long game is letting you down. 

It could be caused by an incorrect swing path or aim that sends your ball off your intended line. While the stats don’t specifically identify where it is going wrong, it highlights where you need to improve.

From my personal experience, my outside-in swing path with my irons and woods sprayed balls all over the course. That meant I needed to up my scrambling to reduce my scores.

Cons

Says Little About Your Score

Even if you possess a high scrambling average, it says nothing about your overall score. That is why it is not a great representation of the overall picture. 

It Disregards The Position Of A Tee Shot

If you hook your ball into the woods, and you chip out and are left 220-yards to the flag, most mid to high handicappers will miss the green from that range. Therefore, your scrambling record will show that you missed a GIR and did not make a par or better, but your tee shot never gave you a chance of getting there.

Verdict: Should You Use This Measurement to Improve Your Game?

I believe scrambling is a vital component to consistency on the golf course. However, it is more about your creativity and escaping trouble than the stats. Learn to get creative to escape difficulty and master the art of a pitch, chip, and putt. If you can scramble, it will save you numerous shots on a bad day.

A scrambling average can tell you that your long game is inaccurate and causing you to miss greens. Plus, it also looks at how consistent you are at recovering and making par or better when you miss a green in regulation.

Overall, scrambling will not improve your golf game, but it will help you save shots when you struggle to attack the flag.

Matt Stevens

Matt Callcott-Stevens started playing golf at the age of 4 when Rory Sabattini’s father put a 7-iron and putter in his hand. He has experienced all the highs and lows the game can throw at you and has now settled down as a professional golf writer. He holds a Postgraduate in Sports Marketing and has played golf for 28 years.

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Spine angle, posture, and stance are some of the most important elements of any golfer’s swing. Whether you are new to the game or have been playing your whole life, spine angle is going to make a difference.

Several years ago, I struggled with spine angle, especially at impact and what I learned from it made me a better player and teacher. Let’s take a look at whether or not spine angle matters in your golf swing.

How Your Spine Angle Affects Your Golf Swing

Spine angle affects the golf swing in two major ways. The first is the consistency of the shot, and the second is the length and power of your swing. Without a proper spine angle and spinal stabilization, your golf game will suffer.

Golf Shot Consistency

When spine angle changes in the swing and there is excessive upper body movement, the results are typically thin shots, fat shots left and right golf shots, and even a topped shot. There is no consistent miss for a golfer struggling with the proper spin angle.

As your angle changes, the clubface is delivered to the ball in a different way each time. The spine angle creates path problems and will need to be fixed using drills and mental imagery.

Rotation and Power In The Swing

A spine angle that is incorrect from the start or starts to change throughout the golf swing will, without a doubt, cause a lack of power. Typically the body rotation is not nearly as good, and without this full rotation, power is compromised.

The good news is that focusing on body rotation can be a great way to fix your golf swing spine angle.

The Correct Spine Angle for a Golf Swing

The correct spine angle for a golf swing is typically around 35 to 45 degrees. The spine angle can change based on your height, posture, and the physical characteristics of your body and golf swing.

As good as it is to know what this proper spine angle is, the fact I would like you to focus on more is the ability to maintain your spine angle throughout your golf swing. The more you can keep your tilt in your golf swing until after impact, the better your chances of solid golf shots.

How to Keep Your Spine Angle in Your Swing

Keeping your spine angle in your golf swing typically takes a combination of mental drills and physical drills. Let’s look at some of the best ways to maintain your spine angle in your swing. I’ve personally used each of these drills, and they helped me cover the ball better at impact.

Create The Mental Picture

One of the most important ways to keep your spine angle in your swing is to start putting together the proper mental imagery. Do you know what the correct spin angle looks like?

So many golfers try to fix things like tempo, body rotation, and club path without looking for the root cause of the issue. As a golf professional, I always tried to find the cause of the problems in the swing before offering the proper solutions.

Take a look at what proper spine angle looks like in a golf swing and how those players keep the tilt on a fixed point throughout the entire motion.

Get Your Head Straight

When I struggled with spine-angle issues in my swing, it felt like I was dipping my head. The head should stay relatively still throughout the golf swing, and if it doesn’t, this could be a sign of spine angle issues.

My issue with head movement was on the backswing. As I tried to gain more power, my head would dip down a bit, and then the spin angle would have to change from being too low in order for me to make a solid impact with the ball.

The best way for me to fix this was to focus on keeping my chin on an imaginary shelf as I swung the golf club. My body rotation improved; I had less lateral sway and more consistency at impact.

Start this with some small swings and then increase to full swings when you get the concept down.

Use Alignment Sticks

Alignment sticks can be a great help when working on spine angle in your golf swing. Plenty of drills will help you try and maintain the angle, but my favorite is the backside drill. With the backside drill, you will set up an alignment stick so that it is sticking straight up out of the ground.

When you are set up and ready to hit, ensure your backside is pushed up against this stick. As you swing back, you should also feel the pressure of the stick on your backside. If your lower body moves because of a spine angle change, the connection with the alignment stick is gone, and your spine angle has cost you another center strike.

Of course, after you make an impact with the ball, it’s entirely acceptable to rotate forward and remove your backside from the alignment stick.

Head On The Wall Drill

Another great drill to practice keeping that lower spin in place throughout the swing is to set up without a club as if you are going to hit a golf ball. Stand close enough to a wall that your head is on the wall as you take imaginary golf swings.

You will know the position of your head on the wall, and if you can ensure that this position does not change and your upper back simply rotates instead of slides, your spine angle has likely been maintained throughout the entire swing.

Avoid Excessive Forward Bend

How can your spine angle be maintained throughout the swing if it doesn’t start correctly? One of the more common issues golfers have with spine angle is an incorrect bend from the start of the swing. Many amateur players confuse an athletic stance with one that is bent over.

The forward bend in the setup does not allow for enough room at impact. Therefore as a player moves into the impact position, they have to increase their spin angle. This feels like “standing up” through impact. You have likely seen golfers do this or done it yourself at times.

It can take time to find the perfect posture and setup, but one thing to watch out for is an excessive forward bend; get on the right track from the start of the swing.

Focus On Weight

Weight should be centered over your feet in your golf swing; if your weight is moving from heel to toe or toe to heel, the spine angle is likely to change as well. The great thing about this is that you can focus on maintaining weight in the center of your feet even without a club in your hand.

Setup with your arms across your chest and take golf swings that allow you to feel your weight centered. The more control you feel here, the better your chance of a powerful shot with great ball flight.

Less Can Be More

Excessive movement throughout the entire swing is always a source of issues. When you watch professional golfers play the game, it’s easy to see how efficient their golf swings are. Most amateur golfers over complicate the golf swing. With all the information out there combined with the desire to play well, this is no surprise.

Take some small swings on the range; feel as though you only allow the club to go back ¾ of the way. Do a few slow swing drills to ensure that you are in control of your golf club. Remember that hitting the ball far is a good thing, but hitting it accurately is better.

If you have the proper sequence, are a strong person, and have good balance, there is no reason to overcomplicate the swing and change your spine angle.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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When you first learn to hit the golf ball straight, it can feel like you are really getting somewhere with the game of golf.

Unfortunately, after some time, you realize that it also helps to be able to shape your golf shots. For golfers that want to cross into that low handicap range, shaping the golf ball is essential.

We will look at 9 types of shot shapes in golf and whether or not you need to learn how to hit them before your next round.

The 9 Types of Shot Shapes in Golf

Shot shaping involves not just the left to right turn in your golf shots but also the height of the ball. Low and high shots will open the doors to many more possibilities for you on the golf course.

Straight Shot

The basic shot in golf, with a clubface square and a mid trajectory, the straight shot will likely always remain your go to ball flight. When a pin is tucked in the corner of a green or a hole has a dogleg, the straight shot can sometimes get you in trouble.

Low Straight

I’ve always called the low straight shot my wind cheater. If you are playing rough conditions and want to keep something bumping along, the low straight is a perfect option to consider.

High Straight

A high straight shot allows you to get over trouble or even take advantage of a downwind situation. High golf shots land on the green considerably softer.

Fade

A fade is a golf shot that starts at your target and then fades to the right of your target. Most golfers learn to hit a fade by changing their address position, but it can be done with swing path and club face as well.

Low Fade

Most fade shots are pretty high, as the fade spin can also increase trajectory. However, if you are good at hitting different shots, you can also learn the low fade, which is an excellent option for control, and a soft landing on the green.

High Fade

High fade shots can be the easiest fade shot to learn. With a slightly open stance and the clubface traveling on the right line, the high fade will land softly on the green and impress your playing partners.

Draw

The draw is my go-to ball flight. My natural swing tendency is to hit a draw, so other shots like fade and straight are where I need to be when I work the ball. The draw starts to the right of the target and then turns left of the target.

Low Draw

A low draw is a great shot when you need a bit of extra distance. Draw shots tend to have more topspin on them, so you can get one of these running down a fairway and then have it take a turn for the green.

High Draw

Since a draw doesn’t always have the same spin as a fade, adding a bit of height back into the shot will help you stop it on the green.

Why Advanced Golfers Shape Their Shots

When you stand on the tee box, each hole will look a bit different.

Some have trees down the left and water down the right, others are wide open off the tee, but in order to hit the green, you must be on the left side of the fairway. Amateur golfers start to learn more and more about golf course setup and course management.

When you analyze each hole and see the way it should ideally be played, the ball flights come back into mind and make you think about how important it is to shape your shots to score on the hole.

The bottom line is, that if you don’t know how to shape your shots, you will miss out on opportunities on the golf course.

Which Shot Shapes The Average Golfer Should Focus On

It’s a lot for amateur players to head to the range and try and systematically learn 9 different golf shots. I think this will happen over time and with experience. However, there is something that all amateur players should start working on, which is being able to control trajectory.

Even if you can’t hide a fade or a draw, see if you can learn to hit the golf ball high and low. Typically speaking, your natural shot shape will be the mid trajectory. If this is the case, there are only a few quick adjustments you will have to make in order to control overall distance and ball flight.

Once you have learned how to control ball flight, I also find it much easier to learn to hit a draw or a fade. If you have ever heard of a punch shot, that is probably the best place to start. This type of shot can help you advance the ball when you are stuck in a bad situation on the course.

Tips to Shape Your Golf Shots

Depending on the golf professional you talk to, there are quite a few ways to shape your golf shots.

After you play around with your natural shot shaping and your shot shaping abilities, you may find that you are better at one type of ball flight or shot shape than another. Here are some of the best tips I use in my own game and when teaching the game of golf.

1. Use Golf Alignment Sticks

Golf alignment sticks can be your best friend when learning how to shape shots. In order to know how you are set up and how that needs to change to be able to shape the ball, you need a point of reference. Golf alignment sticks help provide this.

When I practice, I like to have a few alignment sticks on the ground to help me see where my feet are headed, where my clubface is headed, and then which way I would like for things to turn as I shape my golf shots.

The best thing about using golf alignment sticks in your practice is that it is an easy visualization the next time you head out to the golf course. Simply picture what you were doing on the range and try to replicate it on the golf course. If you use alignment sticks, this becomes considerably easier.

2. Understand Swing Path (Video It)

To shape your shots more consistently, you must learn about swing path. The swing path will be critical as you come through the impact position. Golf clubs either travel straight down the line, from the outside in or from the inside out.

To have a great idea of what your swing path is naturally and how you can make adjustments when shaping your shots, video your golf swing. The video will show you where your swing is thriving and where it may need some work, but awareness of swing path makes shaping the ball considerably easier:

3. Keep Adjustments to a Minimum

One of the mistakes that most amateur golfers make when shaping their shots is to overcorrect. Have you ever seen a professional drop his front foot back six inches or turn a clubface in their hand so it’s obvious to the viewer? Chances are the answer is no.

This is because the adjustments that the professionals are making are kept to a minimum. Golf is a very exacting game; you don’t need to do much or to make a huge change in order to see a big difference.

Most golfers that try shot shaping and are unsuccessful are those that have overdone it. When you think about the fade or the draw that you are trying to hit, most times, you will only want to move the ball a few yards. This takes just the slightest adjustment to your stance and your path.

We always recommend learning this process on the driving range. Trying to shape your golf shots on the course as the first adventure in shot shaping is a mistake. You don’t have enough confidence or experience to truly pull this off until you spend a bit of time getting a feel for it.

4. Choose The Right Club

As your golf clubs lower in the loft, they become less forgiving. This is why most golfers are not using a 3 iron in their bag; they are just too difficult to hit. When learning how to shape golf shots, try to stick with a club that you have confidence in.

The 7 iron is one of my favorite places to start. The loft of this club is high enough to make it somewhat forgiving, and you can also get a good amount of distance with the shots that you are hitting.

Don’t work on hitting a fade or a draw with a 3 wood or 4 iron until you can successfully do it with other golf clubs in your bag. The 8 and 7 are the perfect clubs to start with, and then you can move on from there. Great players are able to control the shot shape of their driver in addition to their wedges and irons.

Brittany Olizarowicz

Britt O has been playing golf since the age of 7. Almost 30 years later, she still loves the game, has played competitively on every level, and spent a good portion of her life as a Class A PGA Professional. Britt currently resides in Savannah, GA, with her husband and two young children.

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