What is Golf Scrambling?
We have a lot of pages on golfs short game here on onestopgolfing.com. We cover everything from the best wedges, to why pitch and putt can help your golf game. The Golf Scrambling Percentage may be a way to judge how your short game is doing, and if any changes or practice you implement is helping it improve. We take a look at golf scrambling in more detail below.
Scrambling in golf is a players ability to make par on a hotel after missing the green through a wayward tee or approach shot. It is most often expressed as a percentage that can be used to both evaluate and track progress of a players short game and identity training needs to improve overall performance.
Now upon reading this you may be thinking this is not the golf scramble you were thinking of, as actually it can have two meanings. The first is the one we look at on this page. the statistic of missed greens and saving par.
The second is a way of playing golf using the best shot of a group or team of golfers. if so then you need to head over to this page where we explain what is a golf scramble, the way to play not the statistic! we have also linked on the image below.
Otherwise, or if you just want to know what the golf scrambling statistic is then read on.
What is the Golf Scrambling Percentage?
For most golfers it is an understatement to say that not every shot on a par 3, or every approach shot on a higher par hole is going to make the green. For us this is especially true! this is where those hours spent on a short course like a pitch and putt come to the fore. if you keep a record of your golf scrambling percentage you might be able to both judge your short game progress as well as keep a record of how well you perform when things don’t go quite as planned.
The golf scrambling percentage is a statistic that records when a golfer misses the green put still manages to chip and putt to save their par for the hole. The approach shot is usually recorded from 50 yards away or less, and a putting stroke usually of one or less to be considered a golf scramble.
You work out the golf scramble percentage by dividing the number of time you manage at least manage to par a hole or better by the time you missed the green with your approach shot. This then in multiplied by 100 to give you a percentage. You can see the table below as an example.
Table 1:Golfing Scramble Examples
| Missed Green Approaches | Successful Saves of Par | Golf Scramble Percentage |
| 10 | 7 | 70.0 % |
| 55 | 12 | 21.8% |
| 34 | 16 | 47.1 % |
| 111 | 59 | 53.2 % |
| 85 | 53 | 62.4 % |
| 482 (Nick Price) | 329 | 68.3 % |
How to Calculate the Golf Scrambling Percentage
Golf is a game of statistics and numbers, so working out your golf scramble percentage should not be to much of a challenge, as we mentioned above it is a simple equation.
To calculate the golf scrambling percentage, divide the number of times a golfer successfully saves par or better after missing the green in regulation by the number of opportunities (times the golfer missed the green in regulation). This result is then expressed as a percentage by multiplying by 100.
For example, taken from the table above, if a golfer misses the green in regulation 10 times and saves par or better 7 times, their scrambling percentage is 70%.
What is The Golf Scramble Percentage Used For?
The golf scramble percentage, also known as the scramble statistic, is an equation used to measure a players success rate in getting up and down (getting the ball in the hole) when their first shot is not on the green and preventing a bogey (one shot over par) it was first used in 1992 on the PGA tour. Nick Price came out with the top percentage that year with 68.62 %. We put his figures at the end of the table above.
Simply put it is used as a way to evaluate a player’s ability to recover from a poor tee shot or approach shot and still make par or better.
This statistic is most commonly used in golf as a way to evaluate a player’s short game skills, as well as their ability to recover from a poor tee shot. It is also used by golf coaches to identify areas of a players golf game where they might need to focus. Although as we discuss below, it has negatives as well as positives.
Of course it is not just used by professional coaches, it is also a useful tool for golfers to evaluate themselves and track their progress over time. Some golfers use it as a goal for practice and try to improve their percentage although getting to hung up on it, especially as a beginner is not advised.
Pros and Cons of the Scramble Percentage in Golf.
While it can be useful for golfers it comes with a warning that you should not get to caught up with the statistics around your game, leave that to the pros on the tour and continue to improve, but remember you (hopefully) play golf for fun not math practice! We take a look at some of the pros and cons below.
Pros of using the golf scramble percentage to judge your short game:
- Provides an way to measure a players ability to recover from a misdirected tee shot and still make par or better.
- Can be used to identify areas where a player needs practice in their short game.
- So therefore provides a goal for practice
- Allows players to track progress over time if they record there missed greens and par saves regularly
- Can be used to compare performance against other players or teams of similar skill level. (with care please)
Cons of using the golf scramble percentage to judge your short game:
- It dit combines putting and approach shots so may not accurately show where you need work. (though you will know of course!)
- Not all courses are the same, and with the golf scramble percentage there is no allowance for this, especially if you jsut play on one course usually.
- Golfers may put too much emphasis on their short game once they start tracinging their scramble percentage, and neglect other important aspects of the game such as driving, decision making and course management.
What is a Good Golf Scrambling Percentage
This is where it gets difficult. it will be different for every player, however we will put some figures to give you a ballpark idea in the mini table below.
Please be aware this is by no means meant to have you compare yourself, it is merely there to show you that you shouldn’t get to hung up on the number or the comparisons when you work it out, and what ever the scramble percentage you have, the aim is to make it better from your starting position, and that starting position doesn’t matter. Nobody shoots 100 % with this statistic!
What is a Good Scrambling Percentage for a Beginner
It’s understandably difficult to say what a “good” scrambling percentage is for a beginner golfer, as it can vary depending on skill level, course difficulty, and other factors.
However, generally speaking, a scrambling percentage above 50% is considered to be above average, and a percentage in the high 50s or low 60s is considered to be very good.
So as a beginner if you are on 20-30 % as a scrambling percentage then take this as a win and as you progress your skills you will see this, along with your putting skills and driving distance slowly but happily creep up.
We think though, as a beginner golfer you should focus on improving their overall game and not get too fixated on one stat like scrambling percentage. Play for fun and the rest will take care of its self.
What is a Good Scrambling Percentage for a Low Handicap Golfer
A single figure handicap golfer is a player with a handicap of 9 or lower, they will have a high level of skill and proficiency in the game. For such players, a scrambling percentage above 50% is considered to be very good.
A golfer with a single-figure handicap is expected to have a good short game, including chipping and putting, and have the ability to recover well when they miss the green.
They should be able to get up and down relatively often, which is why a high scrambling percentage is expected. It’s important to note that golf is a game of skill and shot making, and even professional golfers have scrambling percentage around 60%.
If you don’t have a scrambling percentage of 50%, we wouldn’t worry about it too much, if you are a single figure handicapper then clearly you are doing something right! so just head to a pitch an putt a couple of times a month and practice that short game a little more.
The List of PGA Tour Scrambling leaders by year
We have the last 15 years of the top professional scrambling percentages in the table below, so if you are not hitting 60% or so then don’t worry about it, unless you happen to be playing in the PGA tour. 60% is about the average across the tour throughout the years.
You can check out 2023 you can do so on the PGA tour Website. ( we wrote this is January 2023 so a little early for us to count those golf scramble percentages in the table) they also have the full sets there from when golf scramble statistics started being recorded in 1992. ( we didn’t feel a need to put them all on this page. )
Table 2: Top Golf Scramble Percentages 2007 – 2022
| Year | Golfer | Golf Scrambling Percentage |
| 2022 | Matt Fitzpatrick | 69.62 % |
| 2021 | Patrick Cantlay | 67.30 % |
| 2020 | Daniel Berger | 67.45 % |
| 2019 | Tommy Fleetwood | 67.98 % |
| 2018 | Webb Simpson | 66.10 % |
| 2017 | Ian Poulter | 67.36 % |
| 2016 | Steve Stricker | 66.01 % |
| 2015 | Chad Collins | 66.18 % |
| 2014 | Jim Furyk | 69.33 % |
| 2013 | Bob Estes | 66.19 % |
| 2012 | Brian Gay | 64.38 % |
| 2011 | Greg Chalmers | 65.17 % |
| 2010 | Dean Wilson | 67.16 % |
| 2009 | Tiger Woods | 68.18 % |
| 2008 | Brian Gay | 64.82 % |
Is the Golf Scramble Percentage a Useful Way to Improve Your game?
As we mentioned at the beginning nothign ever goes 100% right on a golf course, and hazards, out of bounds and rough are there to remind you of that. although they are frustrating when you land in them, it gives you an opportunity to problem solve, test your slot selection and pressure management.
Missing the green is not what we aim for of course, but being able to handle the times (often for us) when we do allows us to develop as a golfer. the Scrambling statistic if used properly and as long as you don’t get to caught up in it, is a great way of keep a record of this progress.
if you recognize that you need a little short game work with this percentage, and frankly most of us do, then you can set aside training for this on short courses like Pitch and putts, or on simulators, or even in VR if your family has a headset and as all golfers know or soon become aware, it is not always about putting for birdie, it is much more often about saving a par.
If you use this statistic to target training needs, then while you may not be going under par but you should start saving a lot more of them.
We have more articles on the different type of golf Scrambles throughout the site, to save you a search we have listed these below.
- What is Scrambling in Golf
- What is a Florida Scramble
- What is a Golf Scramble
- What is a bloodsome scramble
- What is a Las Vegas Scramble
Conclusion
So golf scrambling is a golfers ability to save par after missing the green through a misplaced drive or tee shot. There is a percentage and an equation to keep a track of how well players can do this that can highlight potential training areas to work on, especially in their short game.
As we mention it is an aid to track your progress not something to become to focussed on and your starting point really doesn’t matter so much as your improvement of it over time.
