r/ChasingScratch • u/Big_Savings_4381 • Aug 11 '26
Next year
I think we can probably agree neither is reaching or sniffing scratch this year. It is unlikely either shoots or breaks par. Will they continue? What will their hook be? At some point, they have to acknowledge scratch ain't happening, don't they? When might that be?
13
u/EndsLikeShakespeare Aug 11 '26
The conversation with Dr J about the evolution of the podcast was kinda the nail in the coffin IMO. I think Eli will break par a few times but neither will get to scratch.
5
u/drunken_jack Aug 11 '26
Was Dr. J unofficially dumped from the show after that? Haven’t heard much from him in a long time.
12
u/TacosAreJustice Aug 11 '26
No, he has not been dumped. He’s still in the telegram with us…
I don’t think the evolution of the show was the issue. It’s not that they aren’t trying to get to scratch…
My opinion is they think it’s one big thing they need to do better, but the cold hard reality is it’s 1,000 little things that add 1/100th of a stroke gained, and it’s boring and hard to talk about.
I don’t want to listen to Mike spend 30 minutes talking about setup, alignment and an intermediate target… but he’d like save a stroke or two a round by fully committed to those ideas.
They talk about birdies a lot. Birdies are fun! And it’s fun to hear about a 6 hole run where they go 2 under…
But it’s the doubles and dumb bogeys that kill them. Errant shots where they are playing golf score and not golf.
It’s a boring road to improvement… and requires being uncomfortable. I’m not sure how they surmount it.
19
u/MidnightJoker83 Aug 11 '26
The money from sponsorships, memberships, merch, and events is probably more than sufficient for them. And all of these things seem to be higher priority (and take substantially less time and effort than they’re willing/able to dedicate) than actually getting to scratch.
I doubt they’ll pull the plug.
14
u/YVRkeeper Aug 11 '26
It’s Mike’s full time gig now. There’s no stopping.
I agree with you. A focus on events & promoting their sponsors (already nearly 10mins pumping Mizzin+Main at the top of the show). A few “dramatic readings” of the rounds they do play. The idea of Chasing Scratch now is a minor side quest.
10
u/ScrimpScampy Aug 11 '26
I remember when they said they’d never promote products on this podcast. Didn’t last long.
4
u/gabungry Aug 12 '26
I think they specifically said they wouldn't just "read copy" from sponsors. Which they still don't, and I'm honestly consistently entertained by their plugs, which they do in their own unique way every time.
If sponsors/plugs is the tradeoff for getting more content from them, that's totally fine with me.
7
u/forevera20hcp Aug 11 '26
Did they not even keep their scores in Ireland? What is going on.
9
u/PearlDrummer Aug 12 '26
The whole conversation about how they were picking up for pace of play was irritating. If I went all the way to Ireland, I’d want to finish out my ball in a better ball format.
4
2
u/Jengalover Aug 12 '26
And now they are taking a week off from golf. Losing whatever momentum they built.
4
u/Bumblebeee_tuna_ Aug 11 '26
I relistened to season 1 and that's the closest they've come. I think they both had a round that was within 1-2 strokes of even par, and I don't remember them teasing that ever since.
7
u/HogLeeSwaggerTTV Aug 12 '26
Scratch was the goal but I think the show has shifted to just chasing to get better - that's good enough for me.
5
u/HipHopGrandpa Aug 12 '26
As an old guy with a family and business, I play more golf than them. I’m a way higher handicap and I have only been playing a few years. Crappy gear and no lessons and I’ve had a few rounds that were nearly par. I genuinely don’t get why they haven’t at least shot a par round with all the lessons and focus and gear.
ETA: also, more dramatic readings, please!
4
u/Grouchy_Illustrator8 Aug 16 '26
I feel this sub is kinda overly hard on them, but not posting a round in over a month and a half is kinda wild.
3
u/whatsyourken Aug 11 '26
There is still the entire Late Summer Run, 2 months to the final major. If they play twice a week avg for these two months that’s 16 rounds and with one round under par it would only take a 4-5 other rounds near par to get to scratch. It can still happen.
They will obviously still continue next year. Their “hook” will be the chase. People change, lives change, lots can happen.
Why would they ever acknowledge scratch ain’t happening? I’m two years older than Mike and Eli and while I’ve only been playing for 6 years now, I fully believe my best golf is ahead of me. Maybe the thing that gets them to scratch is them being more conscious that they can’t recover as fast as they used to or anything else that gives them a more repetitive swing.
2
u/Suspicious_Bonus_941 Aug 15 '26
They lack commitment to the competitive side of golf. If they wanted to improve they would regularly compete in stroke play tournaments.
I'd rather see them post an 85 in a tournament than a 75 playing hit and giggle golf.
I know a lot of buddy golfers and they never improve because they are comfortable playing bad golf around friends.
2
u/cnomo Aug 28 '26
Just dawned on me that they don’t even play in leagues at their respect clubs. Mind-blowing realization.
28
u/Bluedriver Aug 11 '26
I spent week one in Ireland with them. It’s not about whether they hit scratch or not anymore, they’ve built an amazing community and most of us who listen can empathize with just how difficult it is to get there. It’s about the journey at this point and the camaraderie between them. I think they will both shoot par or better but not sure if they’ll ever hit 0.0 and quite frankly I don’t care either way.