Scramble like Scoggins

The 2025 FPO World Champion, Ohn Scoggins, led the division in Scramble Rate — not just at Worlds, but for the entire 2024 season as well. That’s not a fluke. That’s how you win. And even if you’re just messing around with friends, no World title on the line, it’s always the epic scramble that gets talked about at the end of the round. To scramble like Ohn, you’ll need creativity, a range of shot shapes, and quick thinking under pressure. 

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Know When to Go and When to Pitch

Scrambling success often comes down to decision-making. OB pond between you and the basket? Let’s pitch out and cross once you’ve got a cleaner look. Eyeing a low ceiling gap with just a 20% success rate, but still like your chances of saving par even if you hit a tree? Might be worth the risk. Tournament pressure also plays a role — early rounds call for smart plays, but with the win on the line, sometimes you’ve got to go for broke.

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Expand Your Shot Arsenal

The more shots you know, the more ways you can escape. Overhands, rollers, flexes, turbo putts — these are tools, not trick shots. Head to a field and lay out cones or discs to shape your flight paths. Try to throw a variety of shot shapes so your disc crosses over each of these marks like checkpoints. Practicing in the open lets you track the full flight and correct your angles without having to chase discs after tree kicks.

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Master Scramble Stances (and the Barry Trick)

Practice throwing from a knee, straddling trees, or using the patent-pending stance. One next-level trick? The Barry Schultz Step-Putt Scramble: If you’re outside C1 and in thick rough, stagger your stance so the front foot is well ahead of your lie and your back foot is just behind it. Push up and release while the front foot is airborne — that turns what looks like a foot fault into a legal, sneaky jump putt.

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Reassess the Risk

Odds are, you’re scrambling from a spot you’ve never been before. Time to reevaluate. Where’s the OB from this angle? If you throw that forehand roller, how likely is it to curl into more trouble? Think through the full consequences, not just the best-case outcome. Your goal is to stop the bleeding.

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Bag Jailbreak Discs

Keep one ultra-overstable and one ultra-understable disc in the bag for when things get really rough. For drivers, a Luster Max and a beat-in DX Mamba are a killer combo. For mids, pair the Toro with a Rollo. That kind of range opens up creative escape routes that wouldn’t be available without a disc at one of the stability extremes. 

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Train with Worst Shot Doubles

Want to get better at scrambling? Force yourself into it. In Worst Shot Doubles, both players throw and you always play from the worse lie. Same on the upshot, same on the putt. If you’re practicing solo, throw two shots and always play the tougher one. It’s frustrating, but it’s effective practice. 

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Sharpen Your Long Putting

Putting is the final piece of the scramble puzzle. You can throw the hero shot, but if you doink the 25-footer, the par save is gone. And when you’re confident from 50 feet in the woods, you open up new landing zones on approaches from out of position.

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Keep a Short Memory

You’re scrambling because something went wrong — now it’s time to make something go right. Let the bad shot go. Take a deep breath. Try again. If your escape hits a tree 10 feet in front of you, that sucks. But a round is long, and one hole going sideways doesn’t ruin it unless you let frustration snowball. Reset. Refocus. Get out with the best score you can.

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