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Game Format

Shamble Golf Format

Also known as: Bramble, Chasing the Bear

The Shamble is a team golf format that blends the best parts of a Scramble and Best Ball. Every player tees off and the team picks the best drive, just like a Scramble. But from that point on, each player plays their own ball into the hole, just like Best Ball. The best individual score from that spot counts as the team score. It’s a great format for groups that want the excitement of choosing a best drive but still want each player to play their own game.

At a Glance

Type
Team game
Team size
2–24 players (most commonly 4)
Scoring
Stroke play or Stableford
Handicaps
Off by default; individual handicaps at 75%
Wins
Lowest team score

The Rules
  1. Each team member tees off on every hole.
  2. The team selects the best drive out of all the tee shots.
  3. Every player moves their ball to the location of the best drive.
  4. From that spot, each player plays their own ball individually for the rest of the hole.
  5. The lowest individual score among the team members counts as the team’s score for that hole.
  6. The team with the lowest total score at the end of the round wins.
Placement rule: When moving to the best drive location, each player may place their ball within one club length of the chosen spot, no nearer to the hole.

Shamble vs Scramble vs Best Ball

The Shamble sits right between a Scramble and Best Ball in terms of how much teamwork is involved versus individual play:

Scramble Shamble Best Ball
Tee shot Team picks best Team picks best Play your own
Approach & putting Team picks best each shot Play your own ball Play your own ball
Hole score One team score Best individual score Best individual score
Skill needed Most forgiving Moderate Most demanding

Because the team always starts from the best drive, a Shamble produces lower scores than Best Ball but higher scores than a Scramble. It rewards strong iron play and putting while taking some of the pressure off the tee shot.

Example Hole

A four-person team is playing a par 4:

Par 4 — 400 yards
1. All four players hit their tee shots. Player B’s drive lands in the middle of the fairway, 160 yards out — the team picks it as the best drive.
2. All four players drop at Player B’s spot and play their own ball from there.
3. Player A hits the green and two-putts for par (4). Player B hits it close and makes birdie (3). Player C misses the green and makes bogey (5). Player D chips on and two-putts for par (4).
Team score: 3 (Player B’s birdie — the lowest individual score)
Key difference from a Scramble: In a Scramble, the team would have picked the best approach shot too, and then the best putt. In a Shamble, after choosing the drive, every player is on their own. This means one bad approach or putt can’t be “rescued” by a teammate.

Handicap Options

Because each player plays their own ball after the drive, handicaps in a Shamble are applied to individual players rather than combined into a single team handicap (unlike Ambrose/Scramble). This makes handicapping straightforward.

In Squabbit, handicaps are off by default for a Shamble. When enabled, each player receives 75% of their course handicap (or 85% in VS mode). These percentages are fully customizable.

Setting Default
Handicaps enabled Off
Handicap percentage 75% (85% in VS mode)
Handicap usage Net Score

For example, a player with an 18 handicap would receive 14 strokes (18 × 75%, rounded) distributed across the hardest-rated holes on the course. Their net score on each hole is their gross score minus any strokes received.

Tip: Enabling handicaps is especially useful for teams with mixed skill levels. Even though the best drive helps everyone, the approach shots and putting still heavily favor lower-handicap players without the equalizer.

Scoring Options

The Shamble supports the following scoring methods:

Stroke Play (default)

The team’s total strokes over all 18 holes are added up, using the lowest individual score on each hole. Lowest total wins.

Stableford

Instead of counting total strokes, each player earns Stableford points on each hole relative to par. The best individual point total on each hole counts for the team. Highest overall point total wins.

Match Play (VS games only)

When playing team vs team, each hole is won, lost, or tied based on the best individual score from each team. The team that wins the most holes wins the match.

Setting Up in Squabbit

To create a Shamble game in Squabbit:

  1. Create a new tournament or casual game.
  2. Under format, choose Shamble.
  3. Set your team size. The default is 4 players per team.
  4. Optionally enable handicaps and adjust the handicap percentage.
  5. Optionally change the scoring type from Stroke Play to Stableford.
  6. Add players and assign them to teams.

During the round, each player enters their own score on every hole (unlike a Scramble, where only one score per hole is needed). Squabbit automatically takes the lowest score from each team member to calculate the team’s hole score.

Note: Shamble rounds do not count toward a player’s handicap index by default, since players are not playing their own ball off the tee.