So, I gotta tell you about this golf thing I tried out last weekend – it’s called a “Shamble.” Never heard of it before, but it sounded kinda cool, so my buddies and I gave it a shot.
We got to the course early, sun was just peeking out, perfect golfing weather. There were four of us, and we’re all decent players. I’m probably the worst in the group, with a handicap hovering around 18.
Teeing Off
Here’s how it went down: we all teed off on the first hole, just like a regular round. The twist? We got to pick the best drive out of the four. That was pretty sweet – took some pressure off, you know?
Choosing the Best Drive
After we all took our best shot, we walked out to the fairway and looked at our balls. My buddy John hit a bomb right down the middle – I mean, this thing was a beauty. Mine? Let’s just say it wasn’t my best work.
Playing Individual Balls
Now, here’s where it gets different from a scramble. Instead of everyone hitting from the same spot, we each played our own ball from where that best drive landed. So, John, Mark, and Steve were all set up pretty nicely thanks to John’s drive. Me? I was in the rough, but at least it was a good lie, since it was John’s best drive, and I have to play my own ball from there.
- Hole 1: We all parred it, felt like a team effort even though we played our own balls in.
- Hole 2: A bit tougher. I ended up with a bogey, but the others managed to keep it together for par.
- Hole 3-9: We had a mix of pars and bogeys. It was actually a lot of fun because you still had that team vibe, even though you were responsible for your own score.
The Back Nine
The back nine was a bit more of a rollercoaster. We had some good holes, a few bad ones, and I even managed to snag a birdie on 15! John had another amazing drive on that hole that totally set us up.
The thing I really liked about the shamble was that it combined the best parts of a scramble – that feeling of teamwork and a little less pressure – with the challenge of stroke play. You still gotta play well to post a good score, but you get a little boost from your teammates on the tee shot. And if you’re having a bad round, well, at least you’ve got some buddies to commiserate with, and maybe their good shots can help pull you up a bit.
All in all, it was a great day on the course. We ended up shooting a decent score, and I gotta say, I’m a fan of this shamble format. If you’re looking for something a little different to try with your golf buddies, I definitely recommend giving it a shot.
