Golf Formats
Play The Game The Way It’s Supposed To Be Played

A Scramble, often used in tournaments, is where all members of the team hit from the same spot throughout the hole, using the best shot each time to determine the location of the next shot. For example, all team members hit their tee shots. The location of the best tee shot becomes the spot from which all team members hit their second shots. This format continues with each round of shots counting as one stroke for the group, until the hole is finished, and a final group score is posted for the hole. The popular scramble format helps the speed of play and can encourage less-skilled players to join in the fun

A Best Ball tournament is a type of golf tournament where each golfer plays his/her own ball from start to finish but the team score for each hole s determined by the best score of all the team members. The ‘best scores’ are then totaled for the final 18 hole score. There can be two, three or four golfers on each team.

Match Play- In match play, each hole is a separate competition. The player with the fewest strokes on an individual hole wins that hole; the player winning the most holes wins the match. In match play conceded putts are perfectly legal. Your opponent can concede a putt to you at any point, whether it’s 6 inches from the cup or 60 feet. If you are the recipient of a gimmie it usually means you’ve lost the hole.

Stroke Play- A stroke-play competition consists of players completing each hole of a round and returning a score card on which there is a gross score for each hole. Each competitor is playing against every other competitor in the competition. The competitor who plays the round with the fewest strokes is the winner. In a handicap competition, the competitor with the lowest net score for the round or is the winner.

Modified Scramble -This format also appeals to golfers who want to play their own ball, but it can speed up play. This is similar to a scramble in that each player hits their own drive, the best shot is chosen and the second shot is hit from the best location. From here each golfer plays her own ball to the hole. Like the ‘best ball’ format, the best score on each hole serves as the team’s tournament score.

A Shamble, similar to a modified Scramble, is where all members of a team (usually four) tee off and the best ball of the four tee shots is selected. All players move their balls to the spot of the best ball. From this point, the hole is played out at stroke play, with all members of the team playing their own ball into the hole.

Then there is the Chapman; the Chapman System is played in a two person team format; both players on a side tee off, then they switch balls. Player A plays Player B’s drive, and vice-versa. Each player hits his or her second shot. They then select the better of the second shots, The player whose second ball was not chosen gets to play the third shot (so teams might sometimes choose the best ball after two shots based on who will get to hit the third).and from that point until the ball is holed they play only one ball in an alternate shot format.