Tournament Format: Miami Scramble

There are many iterations of the most popular golf tournament format, the scramble. In a standard scramble the team members (up to four) all hit their tee shots and pick the best out of the group. Then all players move their balls to that location to play the next shot. The process is repeated until the hole is completed. A fun variation of the scramble is the Miami Scramble. In the Miami scramble all players (we will say four) tee off. The group chooses the best tee shot to use for the next shot just like a regular scramble. The player whose ball is chosen on the tee shot must sit out of the rest of the shots until the group reaches the putting surface. Then that person rejoins play as a putter. Typically in this format four tee shots must be used for each player, leaving two extras over 18 holes. There are two important strategic factors in play in the Miami scramble. First is considering which player must sit out for the 2nd and possibly 3rd or 4th shots. On par-5 holes this could be a big factor. Second, the group must choose the two extras wisely, as the choices narrow coming down the stretch of the round. Pressure could mount if one player need to play two tee shots with three holes to play. This tournament format is often referred to as a "Miami."