What is a scramble?
The scramble is the most sociable and forgiving team format, ideal for mixed groups and corporate golf. The team only has one ball to think about, and a bad shot does not matter as long as your partner connects. That keeps the pace up and the pressure down, while a well-played hole feels like a shared achievement.
How to play a scramble
- Everyone on the team tees off.
- The team picks the best of the tee shots.
- Both players hit their next shot from that position.
- You carry on that way, choosing the best ball each time, until the hole is finished.
- The team's score on the hole is the score of the shared ball.
How it is worked out
Two teams go head to head. The lowest combined score wins, either hole by hole as a match or on the total across the round. Because the team has only one score per hole, it is easy to follow.
To even things out between teams of differing strength, a WHS team handicap is used: 35 per cent of the lower handicap in the team plus 15 per cent of the higher.
Texas Scramble
Texas Scramble is the most common variation, and the one many people look for specifically. The rule is that a minimum number of each player's tee shots must be used during the round, for example four drives per person over 18 holes. It forces the team to use everyone rather than only the longest hitter, and adds a tactical layer: when during the round should you take the chance to use the shorter players' drives?
Other scramble variations
- Florida Scramble (Step Aside): the player whose ball was chosen sits out the next shot. With only one ball in play at a time, it is more demanding than an ordinary scramble.
- Ambrose: a scramble with team handicap, common in Australia, often used when the standards within the team vary widely.
Tactics
Let the least pressured player tee off first, so the longest or steadiest can go for it knowing a ball is already in play. On the green the order is valuable the other way round: let one player putt first as a read, so the next can take the line off your ball. Small margins, but they decide tight matches.
Wager Golf works out the team allowance, the teams' scores per hole and the settlement for you, so all you have to do is pick the best ball.
Common mistakes
- Always choosing the longest tee shot. A shorter shot with a better angle to the flag, or a clean lie on the fairway, is often worth more. Choose the position, not just the distance.
- Being careless with the order on the green. Let one player putt first as a read, then the next takes the line off it. That is free information, and it wins holes.
