When working with your golf course to get everything set up for your tournament, they’re going to ask what kind of tournament you’d like to have. If this is your first time planning a tournament, it might feel intimidating with all the golf lingo they throw at you. This article is here to help you go into planning feeling confident in the type of event you’re working towards.
First, you need to decide which tournament type fits your event the best. The format determines how players compete and how scores are tracked. The right choice depends on your group’s skill mix, how competitive the event is, and the overall vibe.
Tournament Formats
Scramble
The scramble is probably the most popular format for charity tournaments, corporate outings, and any event where fun is the top priority. Here’s how it works: everyone on the team hits their tee shot, the group picks the best one, and all players move to that spot to hit again. This repeats until the ball is holed, and the team records one collective score.
Best for: charity events, corporate outings, mixed skill levels, and groups that want a social atmosphere.
Best Ball
Best ball is a step up in competitiveness. Each player plays their own ball for the entire hole, and at the end, the team counts only the lowest individual score as their score for that hole. It’s a great format when your group has a decent range of skills, but you still want the camaraderie of a team competition.
Best for: events with more experienced golfers, tournaments that want a competitive edge while keeping teams together.
Shamble
A cross between scramble and best ball. Like a scramble, everyone tees off and the group selects the best drive. But from that point forward, each player plays their own ball into the hole, and the best individual score on the hole is recorded as the team score. It tends to move a little faster than full best ball because everyone starts from a decent position.
Best for: groups with mixed skill levels who want a bit more individual play than a scramble allows.
Once you’ve settled on a format, the next decision is how your tournament gets underway. The start type affects pace of play, logistics, and how you plan everything that happens after the last putt drops.
Starting Types
Shotgun Start
A shotgun start means all groups tee off simultaneously. Each team starts on a different hole and works their way around the course from there.
Shotgun starts are great for large tournaments with enough golfers to be at every hole. Because everyone starts at the same time, the time it takes to play is shorter and is easy to plan around with everyone on the same schedule.
Best for: large tournaments (72+ players), charity events with post-round programming, events where timing and logistics matter.
Traditional Tee Times
Tee times work exactly the way they do for a regular round of golf: groups are assigned specific times to begin on hole one and head out in sequence. It’s familiar, straightforward, and requires no minimum player count.
Tee times are a better format for smaller tournaments that do not have enough players to fill a full course for a shotgun start. Just remember, tee times can take longer since everyone will finish playing at different times. Make sure to plan any post-round events accordingly!
Best for: smaller tournaments, events where a strict schedule isn’t critical, and venues that can’t accommodate a full shotgun start.
Crossover Start
A crossover start is a mix between traditional tee times and a shotgun start. Golfers start on holes one and ten at assigned times, getting more groups playing simultaneously but still giving the tournament a more traditional competitive feel.
It moves faster than traditional tee times while still maintaining the feel of a more traditional, structured event. It’s a smart middle-ground option that often gets overlooked.
Best for: mid-sized tournaments (roughly 40–80 players), events that want a faster pace without going full shotgun.
Choosing the right format and start type early in your planning process makes everything downstream easier. Any good golf course will be able to walk you through everything you need to know about a tournament at their course, but hopefully, this article gives you enough insight to go into discussions feeling strong.
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