Well, let me tell ya about this here “shamble golf format.” It ain’t as complicated as them city folks make it sound. It’s just a way to play golf with your buddies, ya know? Like, you and your friends get together, and instead of everyone whackin’ their own ball all over the place from the start, ya work together a bit.
So, first off, ya gotta have a team. Could be two of ya, could be four. Don’t matter much. Everyone tees off, just like normal. Bang! You hit your ball, your buddy hits his, and so on. Now, here’s the kicker. You look at all them balls and figure out which one went the farthest and landed in the best spot. That’s the one you’re gonna use.
- Everyone hits their tee shot.
- Pick the best tee shot.
- Everyone plays their own ball from the spot of the best tee shot.
See, it’s kinda like a scramble, where ya all hit again from the best shot, but it ain’t exactly the same. In this shamble thing, once ya pick that good tee shot, everybody plays their own ball from that spot. Yep, you heard that right. No more helpin’ each other out after that first drive. You’re on your own, but at least you got a good start.
Now, say your pal Billy Bob, he hits a real screamer right down the middle. That’s the one you pick. So, you and everyone else, ya take your ball over to where Billy Bob’s landed, and ya drop your ball within a club length—not closer to the hole, mind you!—and then ya hit your own ball from there. You play your own ball all the way to the green and into the hole. Same goes for everyone else.
Then, ya gotta figure out the score, right? Well, in most shambles, you add up the best two scores on each hole. So if you and your buddy both make par, that’s a good score for the team. But if one of ya makes a birdie and the other makes a bogey, well, ya just take the birdie and another score, maybe another par from another player if ya got more than two folks on your team. It’s all about gettin’ the best score ya can as a team, see?
Now, them fancy golfers, they got all sorts of rules and whatnot about handicaps. Something about takin’ 80% of your handicap if it’s a four-person team. I ain’t too sure about all that. Seems to me, if you’re playin’ with your friends, just have fun and don’t worry too much about the numbers. But if you are in a tournament, they will figure it all out for you. Don’t you worry your pretty little head about that.
Why play a shamble? Well, it’s a good way to make the game a little faster, especially if you got some folks who ain’t so good at hittin’ off the tee. It also makes it a bit more fun, ya know? You get to work together as a team, at least for that first shot. And it takes some of the pressure off ya. If you have a bad tee shot, you got another chance with that good one your buddy hit. And nobody wants to hold their team back, so everyone tries just a little bit harder. You are not just playing for yourself, you are playing for the whole team. It is like a barn raising, everyone works together!
And there’s different ways to play it, too. Some folks might say only one best ball counts for the team score, some might say two. You just gotta decide before you start what rules you’re gonna use. The main thing is to have a good time and not take it too serious. Golf’s supposed to be fun, ain’t it? Not like workin’ in the fields all day.
So there ya have it. That’s the shamble golf format, plain and simple. It’s a good way to enjoy a round of golf with your friends, and maybe even hit a few good shots along the way. Now get out there and give it a try! Just remember, hit it hard, find the best ball, and then play your own game. You can do it! And if you can’t, just have fun anyway!
Tags: [Shamble Golf Format, Golf Rules, Team Golf, Golf Strategies, Golf Scoring]
