[Kim Maengnyeong's Golf English Conversation] "Difference Between Bounce Back and Scramble"

The "Golf Emperor" Tiger Woods is a representative scrambler.

‘Bounce’.

In golf, it means "the ball bouncing after hitting the ground." When a tee shot hits a tree or rock and bounces favorably toward the player onto the fairway, it is called a ‘friendly bounce.’ Recently, the term ‘bounce back’ is frequently heard in golf broadcasts. As a verb, bounce back means "to recover after a difficult period." As a noun, it means ‘recovery.’

Most amateur golfers mistakenly think it means "the ball bouncing backward." Bounce back is precisely used when a player records a bogey or double bogey on a previous hole and then immediately scores a birdie or better under-par score on the next hole. In other words, it means the poor score on the previous hole was instantly redeemed by good play on the following hole.

The word contrasting with bounce back is ‘scramble.’ If a player fails to hit the green in regulation (GIR) but adds a brilliant short game to make par, birdie, or another good score, it is called a scramble (‘Scrambling’ means successfully attempting to recover from a poor shot and get good results). A player who excels at recovery shots is called a ‘scrambler.’

Legendary scramblers in golf history include Walter Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus (all from the USA), and Gary Player (South Africa). Modern scramblers include Tiger Woods, Jim Furyk, Phil Mickelson (all from the USA), and female golfers such as Park In-bi (33) and this year’s Korean Women’s Open champion Park Min-ji (23). For reference, the format called foursome scramble (each player hits their own ball and plays from the best position) has a completely different meaning.

A: Have you ever heard of the golf term named ‘bounce back’?

B: What is that? I’ve never heard of that.

A: Oh really? Scoring a birdie or better on a hole immediately following a bogey or worse.

B: Then, what is a scramble?

A: Of course, I know. It is defined as a player misses the green in regulation, but still makes par or better.

Written by Kim Maeng-nyeong, Golf Columnist