GAM Scramble is a Family Affair for the Rachners
By Susan Smiley
Rich Rachner wants to make one thing clear; no one in his
family is ready for the professional golf tour. That is why he, his wife Karen,
his son Rick and his daughter Jennifer Proffer enjoy playing in the GAM
Scramble.
“We love it!” says Rich. “It is a great event for families
or for two couples; you can have fun but be competitive as well!”
Rich points out that he and his wife are 70-somethings and
do not hit the ball as far as they used to. Karen has a high handicap but has
an excellent touch on the green and can often sink a long putt. Rick is known
for hitting the long ball and Jennifer is great with her driver and her short
irons. Put all of that together and you have one successful scramble team.
“The thing about the GAM Scramble is that you don’t have to
be a great golfer to be competitive and have a chance to win,” says Rich. “You
could put together a team using the four best golfers you know and that team
would have a no better chance to win than a team you put together with your
friends and family because of the handicap system which makes everything very
fair.”
The GAM Scramble is set up similar to the old Buick/Oldsmobile
Scramble tournaments. It is a 4-person “step aside” format. Teams may be made
up of any four GAM members – men, women, senior men, and senior women – each with
a valid GAM/USGA Handicap Index. A team’s total index must equal 35.0 or
higher. Teams are not allowed to have more than two members with an index lower
than 10.0 in the past 12 months.
Don’t be detoured if you have a high handicap; you can still
be a viable part of a GAM Scramble team.
“Karen has about a 36 handicap index but she always brings
us two or three good shots, “says Rich. “It is hard to get her tee shots in,
but she is great at chipping and putting and with her short irons too.”
Jennifer can hit the ball a good distance off the tee, but
with a 12-year-old son who is involved with baseball and other activities, she
doesn’t get a chance to play golf on a regular basis. That is why she loves the
scramble format in general and the GAM Scramble in particular. There is not the
same pressure there is in a stroke-play event because a scramble is truly a
team effort.
“The GAM Scramble is one of my main things I do to relax,”
says Jennifer. “I like the format, I like the fact that it is handicapped and I
think my family likes having me on the team because when I’m hitting decent I
can hit the ball pretty far off the tee!”
With the busy lifestyles folks have nowadays, the Rachner
clan does not often have a chance to get out and play golf together as a
family. They make a point to register for the GAM Scramble to ensure they make
golf a family affair at least once during the course of the season.
“None of us are great, but we have a chance to win in a
scramble event and it is so much fun for the four of us to be together on the
golf course, “says Jennifer. “We don’t have a chance to play together all that
often so we always try to make sure the GAM Scramble will work with all of our
schedules.”
Says Rich: “It is a chance to play together with our kids at
a time where we don’t have a lot of chance to do that. And we always have a
chance to win.”
Scramble qualifiers this year are at: Lakelands Golf &
Country Club on June 6; Tanglewood Golf Club on July 20; Apple Mountain Golf
Club on July 21; Otsego Club’s Tribute Course on Aug. 2; and Railside Golf Club
on Aug. 10. The 2015 GAM Scramble State Championship is at Boyne Highlands on
Sept. 14.
Rich and his son Rick used to play in the Oldsmobile Scramble
back in the day and have always enjoyed the scramble format. The first year the
Rachners played in the GAM Scramble they went to the final at Boyne where they
finished in the middle of the pack. Although they have not qualified for the
final every year, they have proven that it is possible.
“We are playing the qualifier at Tanglewood this year and
hopefully we make it to the final!” says Rich.
Jennifer is already looking forward to what has now become
an annual event for her family.
“It is just so enjoyable to be able to get out,” says
Jennifer. “I don’t have that much time to devote to practice or to golf in
general but the GAM Scramble is very well run and everything goes right on
time. I would encourage anyone who is considering signing up to give it a try.
It is not high pressure and it is really a lot of fun.”
Rich encourages golfers to consider the GAM Scramble and not
to over think assembling the “perfect” team.
“I would suggest forming a team of family and friends that
you enjoy playing with and being with; that is the key,” says Rich. “You don’t have to be the greatest player to
enjoy the GAM Scramble and be successful.”
For more information on the GAM Scramble: http://www.gam.org/?Scramble
