With Regional Finals of the 2019/2020 season still ongoing, the 2020/2021 Volkswagen Scramble season officially got underway on August 1 and already clubs are reporting significant increases in participation compared to recent seasons.

Golf’s ability to largely continue throughout the COVID-19 pandemic has brought former golfers back to the fold and encouraged new players to try their hand at the game, the format of the Volkswagen Scramble proving appealing to newcomers and experienced campaigners alike.

A prolific host of Volkswagen Scramble events, Tropics Golf Club in Townsville has staged one of five Scrambles they intend to conduct this season and are already seeing an influx of new participants.

“One of our members, Chris Webster, entered a team with three of the star representative indoor cricket players from up this way,” said Tropics Golf Club General Manager and PGA Professional Matt Duke.

“Like many sports they have been unable to play indoor cricket during this time so they decided to join the golf club. We have had quite a few new members join from other sports and the Volkswagen Scramble was a great chance to play as a team in a fun but competitive environment.

“The numbers of people playing the past few months has been fantastic and I’ve got no doubt we will see that reflected in the remaining Scrambles we’ll be hosting the rest of the season.”

Another club quick to get their Volkswagen Scramble season underway was Port Macquarie Golf Club on the New South Wales mid north coast.

PGA Professional James Single has been hosting local events at Port Macquarie since 2014 and now has his best chance to see a team progress to the Championship Final.

In previous years Port Macquarie has not reached the required number of players to qualify three teams for the Regional Final but the upsurge in golf interest and a format change will see four Port Macquarie teams advance to the next stage.

“We normally always play in groups of eight under a shotgun start and it has worked well in the past,” Single said.

“This year we decided to try a two-tee start and we were able to fit way more players on the course and the speed of play was the same.

“Previously we have never been able to reach the entry numbers where the top three teams go away to the Regional Final but this year we had 212 entries and will be sending four teams through next year.”

The winning team from Port Macquarie are also in the running now to skip the Regional Final completely and advance straight to the Championship Final.

For the first time in the 29-year history of the Volkswagen Scramble, every event that runs before December 31 goes into the draw to fast-track to the Championship Final, with one lucky team skipping the Regional Finals and going straight to the all-expenses paid decider.

Individuals also have extra incentive to play in as many Scrambles as possible with every entry to put you into the draw to become the Volkswagen Scramble Ambassador and receive Callaway equipment and Adidas apparel worth $7,000.

“Planning events has obviously been difficult in 2020 but the new season of the Volkswagen Scramble is a great way for clubs to bring people together safely,” said PGA of Australia Events Manager Louise Meagher.

“The indications from the early events that have already been held is that we are headed for record participation numbers and there is no reason why clubs can’t host multiple events over the course of the season.

“Tropics Golf Club is planning to host five local events this season; it would be great to see other clubs try to match that number.

“We’ve seen an influx of new players come to golf in the past few months and what better way to ensure we keep them by playing as part of a Volkswagen Scramble team.”

The 2020/2021 season of the Volkswagen Scramble runs from August 1 until March 8, 2021. To enter a team at a local event or host a Scramble event visit www.vwscramble.com.au.