Format · Shamble
The shamble golf format, explained
The shamble keeps the social, team feel of a scramble but lets each player finish the hole with their own ball. It's a popular middle ground for member days and leagues that want a bit more individual scoring without a full stroke-play round.
A shamble is a team format that uses scramble rules off the tee and stroke play from there: the team picks the best drive, then each player finishes the hole with their own ball.
What is a shamble?
A shamble blends scramble and stroke play. The team tackles the tee shots as a scramble — everyone hits, and the team picks the single best drive. From there, each player plays their own ball to finish the hole, and the team score is typically the best (or two best) individual scores on that hole. It rewards both teamwork off the tee and individual skill into the green.
Scramble vs. shamble
| Scramble | Shamble | |
|---|---|---|
| Tee shots | Best team drive picked | Best team drive picked |
| Approach / finish | Whole team plays from best spot | Each player plays their own ball |
| Team score | Team strokes for the hole | Best (or two best) individual scores per hole |
| Feel | Pure team, lowest scores | Team start, individual finish |
The shamble keeps everyone swinging their own irons and putts — a good fit when the field skews toward capable golfers who still want the friendliness of a team event.
How shamble scoring works
- All players tee off; the team picks the best drive.
- Each player plays their own ball from that spot.
- On each hole, the team records the best individual score (or the two best, if the format calls for it).
- Total the recorded scores across all holes for the team total.
Agree on "best one" vs. "best two" before the round so the field and the leaderboard agree all day.
An example
Two players on a par-4. Both drive; Player A's drive is chosen. Both approach; Player A makes par (4), Player B bogeys (5). Counting the best score, the team's hole score is 4. Over 18 holes, Chase Birdies totals the best scores per hole automatically.
Run your shamble live
Set up the event, define best-one or best-two up front, and let Chase Birdies total each team's score hole by hole on a live leaderboard.
Run it live on Chase Birdies — $1 per playerFrequently asked questions
- What is a shamble in golf?
- A team format where the team picks the best drive, then each player plays their own ball and the best (or two best) scores per hole count for the team.
- How is a shamble different from a scramble?
- Shamble teams scramble off the tee but finish each hole with individual balls; a scramble plays the best team shot for every shot of the hole.
- How much does a shamble cost to run on Chase Birdies?
- $1 per player — see /pricing.
Related
Run it live: hole-by-hole scoring and $1 per player.