On-Course Competition Formats for Group Days: Texas Scramble, Stableford and More

If you are organising a group day, the Texas scramble rules are usually the first thing someone asks about, and the format you choose will do more for the day than the catering. Get it right and a mixed group of low handicappers, rusty occasional golfers and complete beginners all finish at roughly the same time with something to talk about at lunch. Get it wrong and half the field is still on the fifteenth while the other half is at the bar.

This guide covers the formats that suit society and corporate days at Lullingstone Park, how each is scored, and the handicap allowances that keep them fair. For the organising side, see our guides to society and group day packages and green fees and tee booking.

Texas scramble

The best format for a mixed-ability group, and the one most societies default to. Teams are usually four players, sometimes three.

Every player tees off. The team picks the best drive, and all four then play their next shot from within a club length of that spot, no nearer the hole. That repeats all the way to the green, where every player putts from the chosen mark until the ball is holed. The team records one score per hole.

The one rule that stops a scramble becoming a long-hitters' exhibition is the minimum drives requirement. A common condition is that each player's tee shot must be used at least three or four times over eighteen holes. State the number on the card before anyone tees off, because teams that ignore it until the fourteenth hole end up sacrificing a shot on a difficult par four to catch up.

Variations you may hear:

• Ambrose is essentially the same format under a different name, common in Australia and Ireland.
• Florida scramble, sometimes called step aside, sits out the player whose shot was chosen for the following shot, so three play each stroke rather than four. It slows the day down and rewards depth over one strong player.
• Bramble starts as a scramble from the tee, then each player plays their own ball to the hole, with the best one or two individual scores counting.

Why it suits a society day: nobody picks up, nobody holds up the group, and a beginner contributes a putt or two and feels part of it. Pace of play is fast because there is only one ball to find.

Stableford

The best individual format for a group day, and far better than medal play for anyone whose game can fall apart on one hole. Instead of counting every shot, you score points against par on each hole using your net score after handicap strokes:

• Net double bogey or worse: 0 points
• Net bogey (one over): 1 point
• Net par: 2 points
• Net birdie: 3 points
• Net eagle: 4 points
• Net albatross: 5 points

The highest total wins. Thirty-six points is the benchmark for playing to your handicap, and anything over forty on a decent day is a strong round.

Two practical advantages for an organiser. First, the moment a hole is beyond saving a player picks up, which is the single biggest saving on round time across a full field. Second, one disastrous hole costs a player two points rather than eight shots, so the leaderboard stays close and people stay interested to the last green.

Four-ball better ball

Pairs play their own ball throughout, and the better score of the two counts on each hole, either as a net score or as Stableford points. It is straightforward, everyone plays their own game the whole way round, and a struggling player can pick up on a bad hole without letting their partner down.

The drawback for a large group day is pace. With four balls in play and nobody obliged to pick up, a four-ball better ball round takes as long as a normal social round, so it works better for a smaller field than for a full shotgun start.

Greensomes and foursomes

Both are pairs formats where the partnership plays a single ball, and both are much quicker than better ball.

Foursomes, also called alternate shot, is the purest and the most demanding: partners alternate strokes from the tee onwards, with one player taking the odd-numbered tees and the other the even. It is not a kind format for a nervous or occasional golfer, since every bad shot is handed straight to a partner.

Greensomes is the sociable version and much the better choice for a society. Both players drive, the pair choose which drive to continue with, and the player whose ball was not chosen plays the next shot. From there they alternate. Everyone hits a tee shot on every hole, which is what most people came for, while the pace stays brisk.

Yellowsomes or reverse greensomes is a variation in which the opposition chooses which of your two drives you must play. It is good fun among friends and best avoided with clients.

Handicap allowances

This is where organisers most often improvise, and where arguments start. Under the World Handicap System, recommended allowances are published for each format, applied to each player's course handicap. The commonly used ones are:

• Individual Stableford or stroke play: 95 per cent of course handicap.
• Four-ball better ball: 85 per cent for each player.
• Foursomes: 50 per cent of the combined course handicaps of the pair.
• Greensomes: a weighted split, commonly 60 per cent of the lower handicap plus 40 per cent of the higher.
• Four-person scramble: a descending share of each player's handicap, commonly 25, 20, 15 and 10 per cent from lowest to highest.

Allowances are recommendations rather than laws, and the competition organiser can set something different provided it is published in the conditions of the competition before play. What matters is that everyone knows the allowance before they tee off, and that it is printed on the card. Confirm the current allowances with the club when you book, and note that a course handicap is not the same number as a handicap index. The England Golf handicapping pages publish the current allowance tables.

Side competitions worth adding

Small extras cost almost nothing and give more people something to win:

• Nearest the pin on a par three, measured from the marker. Easy to run and always popular.
• Longest drive on a wide par five, usually with a condition that the ball must finish on the fairway.
• Beat the pro, where the professional plays a designated hole and anyone who beats the shot wins a prize.
• Team of the day and pairs prizes alongside the individual result, so a good round from a high handicapper still counts for something.
• A charity hole, such as a mulligan or a buy-a-drive, if the day is raising money.

Choosing the right format for your group

A short decision guide:

• Wide range of abilities, including beginners: Texas scramble.
• Everyone plays regularly and holds a handicap: individual Stableford.
• Corporate day where guests need to talk to each other: greensomes or a scramble.
• Small, competitive society: four-ball better ball.
• Large field on a tight tee sheet: scramble or greensomes, because both are fast.
• Half day or nine holes: a scramble on the 9-hole Valley course, which suits a shorter afternoon and a mixed group well.

Whichever you choose, print the format, the handicap allowance, the minimum drives condition and the local rules on the scorecard, and brief the field before the first tee. Five minutes there saves a great deal of debate over lunch.

To book a group day, see our guides to booking a society or group day and booking a tee time, or return to the Lullingstone Park Golf Course homepage.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the rules of a Texas scramble?

All players in the team tee off, the best drive is selected, and everyone plays their next shot from within a club length of it, no nearer the hole. That continues to the green, where all players putt from the chosen spot until the ball is holed, and the team records one score per hole. Most competitions also set a minimum number of drives that must be used from each player.

How does Stableford scoring work?

Points are awarded against par using your net score after handicap strokes: 0 for net double bogey or worse, 1 for net bogey, 2 for net par, 3 for net birdie, 4 for net eagle and 5 for net albatross. The highest total wins, and 36 points represents playing to your handicap.

What is the difference between greensomes and foursomes?

In foursomes the pair alternate shots from the tee onwards, so only one player drives on each hole. In greensomes both players drive, the pair pick the better drive, and the player whose ball was not chosen plays the next shot before they alternate to the hole. Greensomes is far more enjoyable for a mixed society group.

What handicap allowance should a scramble use?

The commonly used allowance for a four-person scramble is a descending share of each player's course handicap, typically 25, 20, 15 and 10 per cent from the lowest handicap to the highest. Allowances are recommendations, so an organiser can set something different as long as it is published in the conditions of the competition before play begins.

Which golf format is quickest for a large group?

A Texas scramble is fastest, because there is only one ball in play per team and no one has to search for their own. Greensomes is a close second for the same reason. Individual Stableford is quicker than medal play because players pick up once a hole is beyond scoring, while four-ball better ball is the slowest of the common options.

Can beginners take part in a society golf day?

Yes, provided the format suits them. A scramble is ideal, since a beginner can pick up when out of the hole and still contribute a drive or a putt without slowing anyone down. Avoid foursomes and straight medal play, both of which expose an inexperienced player and hold up the field.