If you’ve heard the term shotgun start it’s likely referring to golfing but many don’t know exactly what it means. Luckily this guide is here to breakdown what exactly is a shogun start in golf.
Shotgun Start Definition
A shotgun start is a tournament format that has groups of golfers starting off from various holes across the course.
This allows golfers to start the day from different parts of the course so that everyone can complete their round at a faster pace.
Typically golfers will be set up at their assigned hole and some loud sound will sound throughout the course letting the golfers know that it is time to tee off.
Origin Of Shotgun start
The origin of the shotgun start is believed to be in May 1956 according to Golf Digest. According to the story the head golf pro shot off a shotgun to alert golfers around the course that the could tee off.
Since this time the term Shotgun Start has been incredibly popular in referencing any sort of golf tournament in which golfers start from different parts of the course.
What is a reverse shotgun start in golf?
A reverse shotgun start refers to a start in which golfers start on various points on the course in order to clear the first hole as fast as possible.
A reverse shotgun start is used when a golf tournament has less than eighteen groupings. When playing this style of golf tournament golfers will start on the holes in this order 1, 18, 17, 16, 15, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10 and so on.
What this does is allow the groups to get through the first tee as fast as possible. Once the last group completes hole 1 then the golf course can start allowing other golfers onto the course.
This allows the course to clear the tournament as fast as possible. As well as allow all the tournament participants to finish at the same time.
What is a shotgun scramble
A shotgun scramble is simply a round of “best ball” or scramble that utilizes a shotgun start.
As we’ve already explained the shotgun start means that golfers will all start at the same time from various positions on the course.
A scramble or “best ball” tournament refers to a style of golf in which you work with your team to achieve the best score using each others shots.
Conclusion
We hope you enjoyed our guide to understanding shotgun starts in golf. If you have any questions regarding our guide or anything regarding shotgun starts please be sure to reach out in the comments below.
If you did enjoy this guide please be sure to check out some of our others. Like our guide to understanding match play in golf.
