How Long Should a Shamble Take?

[Sandy Lie]

Specifics:  Field is 144 players. Format is Shamble. Typical contests being Long Drive, Closest to the pin, must use one drive for each player. 2 Groups per tee shotgun start. Scoring is Stablefored using 3 of 4 players scores. Each hole has a tee prize of some fashion, longest putt made, CTP as mentioned and a few others.

If you use 4hrs 15 minutes average in a typical round how long should this event take.  Field is mixed, team are mixed, young and old, husband and wife teams, all male teams all ladies teams. (Dogs and cats playing together😁).

Is 20 minutes a hole per group meaning 6 hours reasonable?  More, less? What have your experiences been? 

[saevel25]

18 minutes ago, Sandy Lie said:

Specifics:  Field is 144 players. Format is Shamble. Typical contests being Long Drive, Closest to the pin, must use one drive for each player. 2 Groups per tee shotgun start. Scoring is Stablefored using 3 of 4 players scores. Each hole has a tee prize of some fashion, longest putt made, CTP as mentioned and a few others.

If you use 4hrs 15 minutes average in a typical round how long should this event take.  Field is mixed, team are mixed, young and old, husband and wife teams, all male teams all ladies teams. (Dogs and cats playing together😁).

Is 20 minutes a hole per group meaning 6 hours reasonable?  More, less? What have your experiences been? 

The entire day. 

Doubled up on every hole. It's a shamble, so you take the best tee shot and then play in from there. Also, using best 3 scores, instead of something like 2. So, 3 of your golfers have to finish the hole. While, you might chip in or have the first player make a putt in a scramble. 

7-8 hours probably. Better buy a 24-pack of beer. You might be waiting 30-40 minutes on some tee boxes. 

[iacas]

A looong time.

[StuM]

I’ve done a few similar several years back.  I do not recall an average but remember one year where heavy rain all night before, AND day of, required cart path only as well.  We walked off after 6 1/2 hrs and only played 16 holes!

[pganapathy]

10 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

2 Groups per tee shotgun start.

This is the thing that stretches the time out the most.  You would essentially be waiting on every tee box.  If you ever get to play a couple of straight holes without waiting count yourself lucky.  I would reckon 6 hours would be an exceptional time.

[ChetlovesMer]

I'm still playing one that started back in 1996. We expect it to be over sometime next year.

Seriously, if you play in one of these events and are one of those people who get pissy if you have to wait. Here's my best advice. DON'T PLAY IN ONE OF THESE EVENTS!
 

If you have a team you enjoy spending time with and have an entire free day. Then have at it. They CAN be a lot of fun. But you gotta understand you are going to be there a while. 
 

 

[imsys0042]

I'd probably walk off and play tiddlywinks than be on the course for this.

[Vinsk]

Sounds like a good tournament for all those players who have no idea they’re really slow players and really enjoy 6+ hour rounds.

[DaveP043]

Once a year we play a shamble at my club, but we have nowhere near the number of players.  Ours moves reasonably quickly, I'd have to guess 4-1/2 hours or a little more.  But we also use just 1 ball of 4 on holes 1-6, 2 balls on 7-12, and 4 of 4 on 13-18, so using 3 of 4 balls on all 18 would be slower.  To me, Scrambles are generally the slowest format, shambles a little less slow.  Still, with 144 players, I'd bet that 5 hours would be miraculous, 5-1/2 hours is about what I'd expect.

[mcanadiens]

My old association did one of these as a season opener, which around here meant late March. We'd normally have 10 to 12 foursomes and do a shotgun start early in the morning. I don't remember them taking much longer than any other event.

Practically, I'd think a shamble ought to make things considerably faster. Forever my group's D player, playing from Brian Bair's drive meant about two fewer stroked required from yours truly.

 

 

 

 

[Carl3]

20 hours ago, Sandy Lie said:

Specifics:  Field is 144 players. Format is Shamble. Typical contests being Long Drive, Closest to the pin, must use one drive for each player. 2 Groups per tee shotgun start. Scoring is Stablefored using 3 of 4 players scores. Each hole has a tee prize of some fashion, longest putt made, CTP as mentioned and a few others.

If you use 4hrs 15 minutes average in a typical round how long should this event take.  Field is mixed, team are mixed, young and old, husband and wife teams, all male teams all ladies teams. (Dogs and cats playing together😁).

Is 20 minutes a hole per group meaning 6 hours reasonable?  More, less? What have your experiences been? 

6 to 6-1/2 hours depending on how much alcohol and shenanigans goes on. I have been involved in scrambles for years with that many people. There would be no more than say 6 to 8 holes where there are contests and prizes. If you have this at all 18 holes I don't see how you can keep it under 6 hours. We even went to requiring that each team pick their ball up when they reach par for the hole.

You can get many people out there who have never or rarely ever swung a golf club. It can become a major social event for non and marginal golfers. Then there is the drinking and other similar substances that get consumed out there so that people forget where they are and what is going on around themselves.

Edited October 8, 2021 by Carl3