A golf scramble is typically used at a large-scale event like a pro-am outing, corporate golf event, or a charity event. The scramble’s prime advantage lets players of all ability levels help their team succeed, and it helps keep play moving along quickly. New golfers can quickly learn the terminology and rules of the game. A four-player scramble is the most common type, but you can easily add more players or use fewer.
Defining a Typical Golf Scramble
A four-person golf scramble has teams of four players that compete against one another. Each team’s players take their shot from the tee box, and the team members pick the best shot. Whichever shot wins is the location where the players will make their next shot from. The cycle continues until they complete the hole. The team records their score for the hole and continues to play all 18 holes in this format.
Four Man Scramble vs. Two-Man Scramble
There is one big difference between the four-man and two-person scrambles. In almost all two-person scrambles, they take each player’s handicaps into account when they add up the scores. In four-person scrambles, there is a much larger number of players. This is why they usually don’t use handicaps.
The Importance of Teamwork
Scramble tournaments usually get used for fundraising or charity events. Occasional or novice golfers frequent these tournaments, and many of these golfers have a higher handicap. By making teams that use four golfers, it boosts the odds that at least one player on each hole will hit a quality shot. In turn, this can help speed up the pace of every hole.
A four-person golf scramble also plays to different strengths. For example, some golfers do very well at hitting tee shots, and other golfers do much better at putting and chipping. Each player gets a unique chance to shine by making various shots on any of the 18 holes.
Golf Scramble Variations
It’s legal to implement variations of the standard four-person golf scramble to make the game more challenging and interesting for the teams. One common way to challenge different team members is to require they make a minimum of one or two tee shots count for every player during every round. This puts pressure on each team member to hit at least two quality drives.
A second variation is not put a limit on how many times you can use a specific player’s shot in a row. This eliminates the ability of the team to rely on a single player to pull them through round after round. You could institute a one-shot rule where you can’t use a player’s shot twice in a row. Make sure you decide what you want to do before you start to play.
