Okay, so today I tried out this “shamble” thing in golf. I’d heard about it, seen it mentioned online, but never really knew what it was all about. Figured it was time to give it a shot.
First, I looked up what a shamble actually is. Turns out, it’s a format where everyone on your team tees off, then you pick the best drive, and everyone plays their own ball from that spot, all the way to the hole. It’s like, a team thing, but you still get your own score.
Getting Started
I rounded up a couple of buddies – Mark and Steve – who are about my skill level (which is to say, not great, but we have fun). We headed out to the local course, a pretty forgiving one, thankfully.
The Tee-Off Tango
- Teeing off was the first step. We all took our swings. Mark’s was a bit of a slice, Steve’s went straight but short, and mine… well, let’s just say it went surprisingly far, even if it wasn’t perfectly straight. Beginner’s luck, maybe?
- We compared our drives. Mine was definitely the longest, even though it was a little in the rough. We decided to go with it.
From the “Best” Spot
Then, we went to my ball.
- We each dropped our own balls near where mine landed.
- From there, it was regular golf. I took my second shot, then my third, and so on, until I putted it in.
- Mark and Steve did the same, playing their own balls from that same starting point.
We then repeat the process from “The Tee-Off Tango” to “From the ‘Best’ Spot” until finish the hole.
The Final Verdict
It was actually pretty fun! I liked that we got to pick the best drive – it took some pressure off. And even though we were playing as a “team,” I still had my own individual score to worry about, which kept things interesting.
We added up our scores at the end, kept our own records.
I might try this again. It’s a nice change of pace from regular stroke play. I’m still no pro, but hey, at least I (mostly) understand what a shamble is now!
