A shamble in golf is a format that is quite similar to a golf scramble. In the shamble golf format, you will be put into teams and each golfer will tee off as you normally would.
At this point, the team is then able to choose which of their teams drives they would like to use. Whichever ball is chosen is where the rest of the players will shoot from.
At this point, each player must play out the hole on their own. The golfers then each record the stroke-play score they got on the hole.
Golf Shamble Rules
The rules of shamble golf are virtually the same across the board to a regular game of golf. The only difference being the difference in choosing the best drive of your team as the location in which all your team members will choose from.
Golf Shamble Handicap
The way of calculating handicap in different forms of golf is always a tricky subject. The calculating of handicaps incorrectly often leads to unfair advantages in tournaments.
There are many ways to go about calculating the handicap the most common is as follows.
4 Member Teams
Combine your total handicap and divide by 10. This number is your allotted handicap allowance.
3 Member Teams
Combine your total handicap and divide by 8. This number is your allotted handicap allowance.
This may seem like large reductions in your handicap but you will quickly realize how beneficial it is to work as a team and how much it will impact your score.
Strategy
There are several ways in which you can attempt to make the most of your golf shamble team. Often times golfers belief that there only chance of winning a golf shamble is by putting a great team.
Luckily there are a few strategy tips that can help turn the tide in your favour.
Choose Your Order Wisely
Choosing the order in which your team tees off is an incredibly important factor in a golf shamble and is often overlooked. There are many examples of how this can be beneficial.
One example being if you have a particularly good distance driver. It is wise to allow your other team members to tee off first in order to establish a safe drive tha thas landed in the fairway.
This allows your strong driver to give his drive everything he or she has and hopefully set up the team with a great approach opportunity.
Use The Highest Opportunity Shot Not The Furthest
It’s easy to simply choose the furthest ball in the fairway as your best drive and start getting ready for your next shot. If you are looking to get the most out of your golf scramble format team then you may want to take a few more factors into account.
For example you need to closely examine your path from the drive to the green. Sure maybe one drive is ten yards further be does it offer you a good approach to the green? Do you have to carry a greenside bunker or fade around some hanging branches?
Take time to analyze the path your ball must take to the pin before choosing which drive to select.
Another example of taking the time to properly choose the highest opportunity shot involves checking out the lie of the golf ball. Even if it’s in the fairway a shot in which the ball sits well below your feet or caught up in some less than ideal grass can be tough to hit.
Take time to analyze the lie and all factors involving the shot before simply choosing the furthest ball in the fairway.
Golf Shamble VS Scramble
A golf shamble vs scramble are two easily confusable formats of golf. Similar sounding names and rules make it easy to mix these two formats up. Luckily their differences are quite simple to understand.
The difference between a shamble and a scramble is that a shamble allows a team of golfers to choose which of their drives to use on the hole. While a scramble allows you to continually choose the best shot of your team throughout the entire hole.
Shamble golfers simply get to pick there best drive then they must finish the hole on their own. While scramble golfers only shoot from the location of the teams best shot until the hole is completed.
This results in the scramble golf format generating a much lower score.
What Is 2 Man Golf Shamble
A two-man golf shamble is quite a simple golf format and only adds one variation to the game. The two golfers on the shamble team are able to choose between their two drives on each hole.
The golfers then shoot from the chosen drive location. They then play out the hole on their own as they would regularly.
The scoring of two-man shamble varies depending on the tournament host. But it usually consists of a combination of the two team members scores at the end of the round.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our guide to the shamble golf format. If you have any questions regarding any of the information on our guide be sure to reach out in the comments below.
If you enjoyed this guide be sure to check out some of our others. Such as our guide to understanding golf balls.
