With so many people playing golf worldwide, there has been an increase in the way people play golf. No longer do you have to play the traditional way of golf, but there are other ways to enjoy a round of golf with your friends.
The term scramble is a term that you may have come across, but do you actually know what it is? In this article, you will learn what a scramble in golf is, and how you can play it.
After reading this, you’ll be ready to compete in a golf scramble tournament or charity event at your local golf course!
Definition of a Golf Scramble
A scramble in golf is one of the most common ways to play in a golf tournament amongst casual golfers worldwide. In a team of typically two to four players, each one hits the golf ball of the tee of a hole. Then they decide which shot was the best and the one that everyone should hit their next stroke from until the ball is in the hole. The players continue to play like this until reaching the end of the round.
One benefit of playing in a scramble is that it promotes teamwork and collaboration as everyone works together to get a lower team score. For beginners, playing a golf scramble is a good way to play golf without the pressure mis-hit shots counting to your final individual score.
The scramble is popular for tournaments because it promotes bonding and everyone can play regardless of the skill level. This is because poor shots don’t affect the overall score as you select the best shot for everyone to take their next stroke from.
In local golf club tournaments or charity games, a golf scramble is very popular, so it’s likely if you are playing golf regularly that you’ll end up in one!
Different Types of Scrambles
The rules of a scramble are quite relaxed and usually the organizer of a scramble will adjust the rules slightly for a tournament.
Within a golf scramble, there are different scramble formats you can play. As we learned earlier, a scramble is typically played with four players on the team, but you can play a scramble with lesser players.
Standard Scramble
The most basic format where each player of a team first tees off, and then the best shot chosen where everyone players form next. This continues until the golf ball is put into the hole.
Texas or Lone Ranger Scramble
In this format, a player in a four-person team alternates on being the “Lone Ranger”. On each hole, the lowest score of the other three players is combined with the Lone Ranger’s score to get the team score. For example, if the best ball of the other players is 3 and the Lone Ranger scores 4, then the total score would be 7 for that hole.
Florida Scramble or Step Aside Scramble
In this format, the person who hit the ball to the shot the team played from doesn’t play the next stroke. This continues until the golf ball is putted in the hole.
Chapman or Pinehurst Scramble
A format with two players only. Here both players on the team hit off the tee and then on second shot they switch to hit the other’s ball. They then decide which is the best ball and continue playing in the standard scramble format until the ball is in the hole.
Bramble Scramble
A format where each player hits their own ball after the best tee shot. They continue to play their own ball until the ball is in the hole. This differs from a normal scramble where everyone hits off each of the best shot.
Shamble
A format similar to a bramble, but the difference is in the scoring since in this variation the best ball scores are combined to get a score for the hole. So each team member’s shot still counts but is combined with the other player’s score to get the team score.
Pros & Cons of Scramble Golf
As we know now, playing in a scramble can be a good change to playing in a typical golf tournament round. It has many pros and cons depending on your experience and what you are looking to get out of playing a round of golf.
Benefits of Scrambling
- Bonding: as you play within a team, you will collaborate with others during the golf round.
- Learning: beginners can see more experienced players and how they play.
- Less pressure: since you only select the best ball and best scores in a hole, there’s less pressure to play your best during a scramble.
- Speed: since you only hit from the best ball location, typically a scramble is played faster than a normal golf round.
Cons of Scrambling
- Lack of participation: if your ball is never chosen as the best ball, you may feel you aren’t contributing to the overall team score.
- Less practice on a recovery shot: as you always play from the best ball, you won’t get to recover the ball from a bad position.
- Reduced challenge: more experienced players may feel that the format doesn’t challenge them enough to improve their game.
Difference Between Best Ball vs. Scramble in Golf
When you play golf regularly, you’ll most likely heard of Scramble or Best Ball format for tournaments. They both have their own setup and you can enjoy playing either of them in a tournament.
The key differences are:
- Scramble: usually played in teams of 2-4, with each player teeing off and then you select the ball in the best position and everyone hits the next shot off that. This continues until the ball is in the hole.
- Best Ball: each player hits their shots from wherever they hit their ball until the ball is in the hole. We calculate the score as the best score of the team members for the hole.
So, as you can see, the difference is that a best ball is more like a natural golf round, where everyone tries to get their lowest score. Whereas in scramble, everyone hits off the best placed golf ball, which may not be their own.
Final Thoughts: What is a Scramble in Golf?
To summarize, a scramble in golf is an alternative way to play golf amongst different handicap golfers, usually in a golf course tournament. In a 2 to 4 player team, each player hits the ball of the tee. Then they decide which shot was the best and the one that everyone should hit their next stroke from until the ball is in the hole.
There are different variations of golf scramble depending on how the organizers want golfers to play. Whichever one you end up being part of, remember the most important part is to just have fun and enjoy the day out playing golf!
