Okay, so today I wanted to try out this “shamble” golf format I’d been hearing about. I’m not the greatest golfer, but I enjoy getting out on the course, and this sounded like a fun, less stressful way to play.
First, I needed some buddies. I hit up my usual golf crew – Mark, Dave, and Steve. They were all in, thankfully. We booked a tee time at our local course, nothing fancy, just a regular public track.
Getting Started
The basic idea of a shamble is pretty simple. Everyone tees off, and then you pick the best drive. That’s where things get interesting.
- Tee Off: We all stood up there, took our best swings. I sliced mine, of course. Dave, Mr. Consistent, nailed one right down the middle.
- Choosing the Best Drive: Naturally, we picked Dave’s drive. It was, no joke, like 280 yards and perfectly placed.
From that point on, this shamble format gets different.
Playing Our Own Ball
Here is the really fun part. This is where the shamble format is truly unique.
- From the Best Drive: We all walked up to Dave’s majestic shot.
- Hole out time:Now, We all play our OWN ball from that spot, all the way into the hole.
So, even though I shanked my tee shot, I got to play my second shot from the same awesome location as Dave’s drive. It felt like cheating, but in a good way! This is one of the big draws of the format.
Keeping Score
We played like this for all 18 holes. The best part is it made me relax a lot more on my approach shots and putting. I mean, I was starting from a great position every time!
- Individual Scores: We each kept our own score, just like a regular round.
- Team Score (Optional): I’d heard of some people use the two best scores of the foursome for the team score.
I have to also mention that we decided to use just our own scores, just to keep things simple. No need for a calculator.
My Final Thoughts
Honestly, I had a blast. My final score was way better than usual, which always feels good. Even though my tee shots were still all over the place, starting from a good spot each time made a huge difference. Plus, it was just fun to play with the guys without the usual pressure of everyone watching your every terrible shot. I’m definitely doing this again, I recommend it!
