This is a format I’d never heard of until talking to a PlayThru user recently, but it is a fantastic idea. 

As a hack golfer, scrambles are my favorite type of golf outing. I’m good for a few nice shots a round, but consistency is not my forte. A flubbed pitching wedge often ruins a killer drive. This happens so much that my pitching wedge has a slight bend from repeated, aggressive slams to the ground. Come to think of it, I may have figured out why I often flub that club. 

Either way, I love the idea of a one-person scramble because it offers some protection against the inevitable bad shot. 

How It Works

In a one-person scramble, you give everyone an extra swing or mulligan on every shot. There are a number of approaches you can take to this, depending on how hard you want to make it. 

• Extra Shot Buffet: Take as many shots as needed, within reason (no more than 4).
• Take The Mulligan: A golfer is welcome to a mulligan on every shot, but if they hit a mulligan, that’s the ball they have to play next.  
• Tee Box Mulligans: You can take a mulligan on your drive, but if you do, you have to play it. 
• Extra Shot Limits: There is a limit on the number of extra shots a golfer can take in a round. 
• Limited Extra Shots Per Hole: You limit the number of extra shots a golfer can take on one hole.
• No Double Putts: Everyone gets a second swing on every shot except for putts. 
• Lateral Hazard Mulligan: If a ball lands in a lateral hazard, the golfer can place the ball out of that hazard without losing a stroke. 

You may get some pushback from your golfers on this format. No matter how it’s phrased, the crux of the complaint will be, “But I’ll get tired.” In response, tell them they don’t need to use the extra shots if they'll get all tuckered out.

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