"If you think it’s hard to meet new people, try picking up the wrong golf ball!”

Jack Benny

Recently, a friend of mine called horrified, blathering into the phone something about being invited to play in a scramble with best balls and longest drives.

After assuring her that it was a friendly invitation to play golf, I mentioned that golf has several formats. Many of you have played in two-man scrambles, four-person scrambles, better balls, scotch twosomes, best balls of partners, shambles, and a long list of other formats that can drive any golfer batty (or is it “clubby?”).

The most popular formats used for business or charity outings are the scramble and shamble. These formats provide the ideal backdrop for meeting new people or spending time with old friends, or both.

The simple scramble is the most popular, and the easiest to follow. However, the shamble is my personal favorite. Both formats allow novice golfers the ability to enjoy the golf, while a “team” bond is formed.

A scramble is when each member of a foursome plays from the spot of the best shot in the group. If player A hits the best drive, then player B, C, and D also play from the same spot. If player B then hits the best approach, all players then play from that spot, and so on for every shot throughout the hole. One score is tallied for each hole, and each player is rooting for his or her teammate to be the hero. It’s a fantastic feeling to sink the birdie putt after everyone on the team has contributed on a hole.

A shamble differs slightly from a scramble. Each player hits from the spot of the best drive, but then plays his or her own ball for the rest of the hole. This format feels like real golf, and is favored by better golfers who play in a lot of business or charity events. Each person records a score on every hole, with the two best scores usually recorded for the team score.

A drawback of this format is that it puts a lot of pressure on novice players because they are playing their own shots for much of the day. But it’s an amazing advantage to play from a perfect drive, even for beginners. Many times, new players will love a shamble, feel like they played real golf, and will most likely record their personal low score.

Real world situation: You are having lack of focus problems, on and off the course.

Golf world solution: Every successful golfer has a list of items that they must do EVERY time to ensure success. When you watch Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, or any pro golfer, you will see them systematically go through every detail before hitting a shot.