The perfect golf game to play during your next outing

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Outing Golf can be exhausting. Sure, you’re out on the course, but the hours are long, the sun is hot, and the golf is … well, generally terrible.

In an effort to keep outings under six hours, many clubs have instituted the mandatory inclusion of a scramble format (also known in some, smaller circles as the Caddie’s best friend). But for as effective as scrambles are at minimizing the time you spend waiting on the course, they can grow stale after a while. Here’s where this week’s golf game, the Texas Scramble, comes in mighty handy. Here’s how to play.

The Rules

A Texas Scramble is playing using many of the same rules as a traditional scramble, so it’s helpful to review those rules first.

A traditional scramble is played by balancing out the skills of the best players in a given foursome. In a scramble, golfers all levels tee off on a given hole. Then, while on the tee box, the golfers must determine which tee shot of the four they’d like to play. From there, the four golfers hit their approach shot from the position of their chosen tee shot. This process continues until the ball is in the hole, with the score recorded for the entire group rather than be each individual player.

Over the span of 18 holes, playing with this method can severely cut down on the time it takes your foursome to play. Plus, it lowers the group score significantly. Typically, the winning score in a scramble will be somewhere near double-digits under-par.

In a Texas Scramble, the rules are the same, but the goal is switched. Whereas in a normal scramble, it behooves the group to play the best tee shot on every single hole, in a Texas Scramble, you’re required to play four tee shots from every player in the foursome. This leads to strategic choices about how and when to use specific tee shots and opens the door for the tee ball played by a foursome on a given hole not to be the best of the group.

The Catch

There isn’t one! Once all four players have hit four tee shots, the foursome may use the remaining two holes to play the best available shot. Team up against other foursomes in your outing to see who’s best, or just play as a unit to see how low you can go.

Why You Should Play

A Texas Scramble is a fantastic game to play if you’re looking to shake up a round with your high-handicap buddies or if outing golf has grown stale on you. It’s an easy variation to a timeless golf game, and one that can bring a lot of fun (and a little bit of strategy) to an afternoon of outing golf.

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