Alright, let me tell you about this whole “shambles” thing in golf. I’m not a pro or anything, but I’ve been getting into it, and this format is pretty wild.
So, basically, a shambles is like a mix of a scramble and your regular stroke play. First off, you get into teams. We had four on our team, but I guess you can do it with two as well. Everyone tees off, and you pick the best drive out of the bunch. That’s the scramble part.
We started on a sunny Saturday morning, all pumped up. I sliced my first drive way right – typical me. But, luckily, my buddy John nailed his straight down the middle. So we all used his drive as the starting point for our second shots.
Now, here’s where it gets different. From that point on, everyone plays their own ball for the rest of the hole. So, I grabbed my ball, which was chilling in the rough thanks to my terrible drive, and placed it near where John’s landed. Then, we all hit our second shots.
- John got a birdie on that hole, the show-off.
- I ended up with a bogey after a couple of shaky putts.
- Our other two teammates, Mark and Steve, got a par and a double bogey, respectively.
We kept track of everyone’s scores individually, but for the team score, we only counted the best two scores on each hole. It’s kind of cool because even if you mess up a hole, you can still contribute to the team if you have a good drive or a decent score on another hole.
We played all 18 holes like this. There were some funny moments, like when Steve shanked his ball into the woods, and we all had to help him find it. And there were some awesome shots, like when Mark chipped in from off the green for an eagle.
What I Learned
This shamble format is great for a casual round with friends. It’s less pressure than playing your own ball the whole time, but it still gives you a sense of individual accomplishment. Plus, it’s fun to strategize and cheer each other on.
I also learned that my driving needs some serious work. But hey, that’s what practice is for, right? And I found out that I’m actually pretty good at recovering from bad shots, which is a useful skill in golf and, well, in life too.
In the end, our team didn’t win, but we had a blast. It was a day full of laughs, a few groans, and some surprisingly good golf. If you’re looking for a fun and slightly different way to play, I definitely recommend giving a shamble a try.
