Gaffers Scramble Event 

Format and Rules of Play  (to get a printable copy of this document click here ) . Scroll to see results.

The scramble is a team event that provides opportunity for camaraderie among team members and friendly competition among the participating teams. Unlike a best ball event, where each player on the team completes the hole and then the lowest score is recorded as the team score, the scramble event is played using a different format to determine the low score by hole that is recorded as the team score. Please see the Format section below for details.

Only 1 scorecard from each team will be collected and recorded.

After the round is completed, please immediately drop your team scorecard in the Gaffers drop box (located near the Gaffers bulletin board).

The low gross team score will determine the winner of the event.

In the Event of a Tie 

If 2 or more teams are tied with the lowest gross score after 18 holes, the Doon 18 hole course handicap rating by hole (HCP line on the scorecard) will be used to break the tie starting with the rating of the hardest handicap hole - the scorecard shows it as hole #4 at Doon.

Therefore, the team with the lowest gross score recorded on hole #4 will be declared the winner of the event.

If 2 or more teams remain tied, then the rating of the second hardest handicap hole - hole #10 at Doon - will be used to determine the winner.

The descending order of handicap rating by hole will continue to be used until the tie is eventually broken.

Format that will be used for the Gaffers Scramble Event

Each player on the team will hit their tee shot. The team will then decide which shot they consider as their best shot. The other 3 balls are picked up and placed within 1 club length (no closer to the hole) from where the best ball shot landed. All four players will then commence to hit their next shot from this best ball location. The team will continue to make their way down the fairway under the same format of choosing the best ball until the ball is holed out.

A ball hit in the rough and chosen as the best ball must still be hit from the rough using 1 club length placement of the ball (no closer to the hole), however, the 1 club length rule cannot be used to improve the lie by moving the ball onto the fairway, fringe or green.

If the best ball lands in a hazard (e.g. bunker) the other 3 balls must still be hit from the same hazard. The 1 club length rule cannot be used to improve the lie such that the ball is no longer in the hazard.

Each player on the team must have 3 of their tee shots chosen as the best ball for the team. This will require some strategy so that the 3 tee shots from each player are selected before the team runs out of remaining golf holes to play.

Please use the scorecard to record which player’s tee shots are chosen for each hole played so it can be verified when the scorecard is submitted at the end of the round.

If the team fails to select 3 tee shots from each player before their round ends, a 2 stroke penalty must be added to the team score.

On the Green

Once the best ball on the green is selected by the team, the other 3 golf balls will be placed within one putter head (no closer to the hole) from the best ball spot. 

Please use a marker so you know the location where all 4 putts will be putted from.

Players from the team are allowed to follow putts from behind the ball path, if they choose. Players on the team can also assist each other with target and alignment of each putt, if they choose.

The first ball that lands in the hole will be counted as the score for the team, so do not putt out until everyone on the team has putted. There are no gimmies.

If a Team only has 3 Players

If a team should only have 3 players (player is absent or team is assigned 3 players at the onset because of total number of players participating in the event) the team will still be allowed to hit four shots at each best ball location, including when they are putting on the green. The 3 players must take turns to hit the 4th shot at each ball location. Whichever way they organise it, they much each play 6  of the 'extra' shots.

Each player on a three player team must have 4 of their tee shots chosen as the best ball for the team.

How Scramble Teams Will be Formed

Scramble teams will be formed using Gaffer league member playing handicaps.

Handicaps will be ranked from low to high. Then using a “reverse S bracket” format, player teams will be created. As much as possible, each team will be formed having the same, or close to the same, handicap totals when all 4 player handicaps are totalled for each team. However, any small discrepancies in total handicaps per team are minimized because of the format of a scramble event.