Okay, so today I wanted to dive into something that’s been buzzing around the golf world lately – the Shamble format. I’d heard about it a few times but never really understood what it was all about. So, I decided to figure it out for myself and give it a try with some friends last weekend.
First off, I hit up the internet to get a basic understanding. From what I gathered, a Shamble is kind of like a mix between a scramble and your regular stroke play. Here’s the gist of it: Everyone tees off, just like normal. But then, the team picks the best drive out of the group. Sounded simple enough, right?
- We got to the course, all excited to try this new format.
- Each of us teed off on the first hole.
- My buddy, John, absolutely crushed his drive, so we obviously went with that one.
Now here’s where it gets different from a scramble. Instead of everyone hitting from the same spot for the rest of the hole, we each played our own ball from where John’s drive landed. It felt a little weird at first, playing your own ball after taking someone else’s drive, but we quickly got the hang of it.
We went through the rest of the hole, each playing our own ball and keeping our own scores. At the end of the hole, we took the lowest score among us and that was our team score for that hole.
Here is what I learned
- It is easier than normal golf. Because you can choose the best drive, that makes it easier.
- It is faster than normal golf. Because you will probably get closer to the hole in your first turn, that will save you time.
- It is more fun! It is fun to have a team and try to get the best score together.
We kept playing like this for the rest of the round, picking the best drive on each hole and then playing our own balls from there. I have to say, it was a lot of fun! It took some pressure off because you had a bit of a safety net with the best drive, but you still got to play your own game. Plus, it was cool to strategize a little bit as a team.
By the end of the day, we all agreed that the Shamble was a great format for a casual round with friends. It’s definitely something we’ll be playing again soon. If you’re looking for a fun and slightly less stressful way to play golf, I highly recommend giving the Shamble a shot!
