Types of Golf Scramble

While playing golf may be a relaxing hobby for some, others play the game to compete and test their skills against other golfers. There are many types of golf games and tournaments, including scramble, a format for team play. The most common varieties are Texas Scramble, Florida Scramble and Ambrose.

  1. About Scramble

    • Scramble is a form of tournament used mainly by golf associations, charity events and other similar events. Scramble games generally consist of two-player, three-player and four-player teams. To play in a scramble, the players in each team tee off on each hole and decide the best shot. The other players then play their next shot from the position and repeat until the hole is finished.

    Texas Scramble

    • To play Texas Scramble, each player tees off. A captain then determines the best ball and selects the player that made the shot to make the second shot. From the spot of the second shot, each player on the team then makes a shot. The team repeats the process until the hole is finished. In this version of scramble, no golf handicaps are used in the scoring and no restrictions are placed on shot selections.

    Florida Scramble

    • The Florida Scramble is similar to a conventional scramble with the exception that the team cannot select the same golfer’s shot more than once in a row before reaching the green. Once the players reach the green, the rule no longer applies. While this twist holds no importance to the format or the scoring of the game, this version of Scramble does introduce strategy into the game. On some occasions, the captain may choose the second best player's ball to ensure the best player is eligible for hitting in the next shot.

    Ambrose

    • The Ambrose format typically uses two, three or four-player teams. For this game, each team receives a handicap that is a fraction of the team's total handicap. Each member tees off, picks the best shot and plays from that spot. Each member of the team then must position the ball a hand’s length away from the ball’s lie. Each team member must putt from the same spot, recording one score at every hole. Often during the course, all players' drives must be used a certain amount of times. Due to this rule, beginner golfers use their drive in the early stages of the game to avoid feeling pressure to perform well near the conclusion of the rounds.