Scramble vs Shamble vs Florida Scramble: What's the Difference?
In all three formats, you choose the team's best ball. The difference lies in what happens next. In Texas Scramble, you all play again from the best ball on every shot. In a Shamble, only after the tee shot, then everyone plays their own ball. In Florida Scramble, the player whose ball is chosen sits out the next shot.
The table
| Texas Scramble | Shamble | Florida Scramble | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tee shot | Everyone, the best is kept | Everyone, the best is kept | Everyone, the best is kept |
| After that | Best ball on every shot | Everyone plays their own ball to the hole | Best ball on every shot, but its player sits out the next one |
| Team score | A single score, built together | The best individual score | A single score, built together |
| Difficulty | The most accessible | Intermediate | More demanding |
| Ideal for | Mixed abilities, beginners | Those who want to play their own ball | Teams who find the scramble too easy |
Texas Scramble
The players on the team all hit every shot, you pick the best one, and everyone plays again from that spot until the ball is in the hole. The most sociable format: nobody counts their bad shots. The rules of Texas Scramble
Shamble
The scramble only applies to the tee shot: you keep the best drive, then each player finishes the hole with their own ball. The team takes the best score. The rules of the Shamble
Florida Scramble
Everything is played as a scramble, except that the player whose ball was chosen doesn't hit the next shot. No way to let the best player hit every shot. The rules of Florida Scramble
And the Handicap Scramble?
It is a two-player Texas Scramble with a team handicap worked out from the two players' Handicap Indexes. The app uses the split from the French golf federation (ffgolf): 35% of the better player's Index plus 15% of their partner's. The team's net score is its gross score minus this handicap. In a competition, check your competition's terms. The rules of the Handicap Scramble
🃏 Mexicaine Las Vegas. In a four, the teams change on every hole: after the drive, the two balls furthest right team up against the two furthest left. Then the scores are read Vegas-style — a 4 and a 5 make 45, a 4 and a 7 make 47. A wayward drive can land you the best partner on the hole, and one big number costs the whole team dearly. The rules of Mexicaine Las Vegas →
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between a scramble and a shamble?
In a scramble, you play again from the best ball on every shot, all the way to the hole. In a shamble, you only do it after the tee shot: from then on, everyone plays their own ball and the team takes the best score.
What is a Florida Scramble?
A scramble in which the player whose ball is chosen sits out the next shot. It stops the best player on the team from hitting every shot.
How is the team handicap worked out in a two-player scramble?
Game of Swing uses the split from the French golf federation (ffgolf): 35% of the better player's Handicap Index plus 15% of their partner's Index. This handicap is deducted from the team's gross score. In a competition, check your competition's terms.
Scramble, Shamble, Florida: the app knows all three
Pick the game, enter the scores: Game of Swing applies the rules, settles the ties and shows the leaderboard live. All 41 formats are in the app — and 5 games are free to get you started.
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