The time of
year may be different and the temperature substantially lower but the PPUI
National Scramble still attracted the largest field for the final stages. A
total of 72 teams comprising 216 players are taking part on the Castletown and
Navan courses over this bank holiday weekend in what has become one of the most
popular events in the PPUI calendar.
What makes
this competition so special is that it gives players who normally would never
feature on the national stage their “Day in the Sun”. Those who normally are in
the competitive background suddenly come into their own as high handicap players
are assiduously courted with a view to obtaining the perfect balance of ability
and handicap. Those of high handicap may also be expert putters or deadly chippers
although their pitching may let them down, on the reverse side you may have a
superb mid to low handicap pitcher whose putting ability may be questionable.
The combination of all these skills can bring extremely low scoring so when you
see scores in the 20’s you are not dreaming.
Good humour,
fun and enjoyment seem to be the cornerstones on which the Scramble is based,
in many ways it is like a return to the halcyon early days of Pitch & Putt
where the enjoyment of the play was primary and a prize of any nature won was
greeted with undisguised enthusiasm.
Play is due
to start in both courses at 10.45 after a delay of just over an hour due to
frost.