Four-Player Mulligan/String Scramble Tournament Rules

Description:  In a scramble, each team member tees off and the team chooses the best result as the position to hit their next shot. This procedure is followed until the hole is completed.  In the Mulligan/String tournament there are a few special rules and options. 

1.   All four players within the foursome are ranked according to handicaps as an A, B, C and D and have tee shot requirements based on their ranking.

2.   Each player has 2 mulligans to be used anywhere on the course

3.   Each team has 8 feet of string to be used on the greens

U.S.G.A. rules apply unless otherwise stated herein. Since this is a scramble, not many do, so don't be picky.

Rules for this tourney

• Men play from the tees that are closest in slope/rating to the forward tees (as long as that does not mean more difficult tees than what is considered blue tees). Women play from the forward tees.

• Tee shot requirements:

          Before anyone hits the tee shot you must either declare that the hole is for one of the required drives for a specific player or that the hole is for everyone to tee off. You do not have the required drive player hit and then choose. You must choose before anyone hits a ball. 

          Once you declare the hole for one of the required tee shots ONLY that player hits the tee shot. Everyone else does not  get to “practice” and hit a tee shot.  If you do then you are violating the rules of the tournament just like you would be violating the rules of a medal play tournament if after hitting a shot you dropped another ball to “practice” a shot. In this case it will be a 2 shot penalty.

            On 4 holes only the "B" player will tee off.   

            On 3 holes only the "C" player will tee off.   

            On 2 holes only the "D" player will tee off.   

            On 9 holes normal scramble rules apply. All players tee off and you choose which ball to use.

  • EXAMPLE

                 1.You are on the first tee box and you declare that everyone is going to tee off. All 4 players tee off and you then choose the best ball to use. Let's say your "D" players tee shot is chosen. It does not count as one of the "D" players 2 required drives. 

   

                 2.You are on the second tee box and you declare that the hole is for one of the "D" players two required drives. ONLY the "D" player tees off and you then all use that tee shot for the rest of the hole. You all  hit from that shots location and continue that process until the hole is finished.

   

                 3.You are on the third tee box and you choose for everyone to tee off. All 4 players tee off  and you then choose the best ball to use. Let's say your "D" players tee shot is chosen. It does not count as the second of the "D" players required drives.

   

                 4.You are on the fourth tee box and you choose that hole for the last of the "D" players two required drives. ONLY the "D" player tees off. If the "D" player hits their drive out of bounds then all players get to tee off but you are hitting your third stroke. The "D" player is now done with their requirement. 

   

                  5.You are on the fifth tee box which is a par 3 and you choose  that hole for one of the "B" players four required drives. ONLY the "B" player tees off and you then all use that tee shot for the rest of the hole. You all  hit from that shots location and continue that process until the hole is finished..  In this example ONLY the "B" player would be competing for the CTP on this hole as the other players do NOT tee off. 

   

                  6.You are on the sixth tee box which is for the Long Drive contest and you choose that hole for one of the "C" players three required drives. ONLY the "C" player tees off and you then all use that tee shot for the rest of the hole. You all  hit from that shots location and continue that process until the hole is finished..  In this example ONLY the "C" player would be competing for the the long drive on this hole as the other players do NOT tee off. 

   

•  String usage:

  • The string can be used to finish off a putt that didn't quite make it to the hole.
  • Measure the distance from the ball to the edge of the cup. Cut off that amount of string and THROW IT AWAY. It canNOT be reused.
  • Do not count the string as a shot.
  • For example:  All four members of the team putt the ball.  Bill has the best putt and it comes to rest 7 inches from the hole. The team is now lying three. The team can choose to cut off  7 inches of string, mark down a three and move on to the next hole.  The key is to strategically use your string.
  • The string canNOT be used to advance your ball for the CTP award. It can be used to advance the ball for your score on the hole but you cannot move the CTP marker to where the string advanced the ball.
• Mulligan usage:
  • Each mulligan can be used anywhere on the course - tee shots, approaches, pitches or putts. This includes using a mulligan for a second chance for your required drive, CTP, Long Drive, Long Putt, etc..
  • Each player can use a MAXIMUM of two mulligans for the entire 18 holes. You canNOT transfer or share mulligans.
  • Mulligans count as an "extra" shot. For example:  Sam starts with two mulligans. If Sam hits a shot, then takes a mulligan and it is worse than his original shot he can elect to play his original shot.   Regardless he now has only one mulligan left. 
• One club-length improvement is allowed anywhere on the course except in hazards or on the green. The ball should be positioned with the club head, not hand-placed. Subsequent players should attempt to drop their ball as close as possible to the spot where the first player hit and position the ball with the club head to maintain the same lie and stance.

  If a team is playing from a sandtrap, the first player should play the ball as it lies, subsequent players can rake and then hand-place the ball near the position where the first player hit.

• Teams shall hole out or "string in" all putts.

• If all players' balls are lost or in the woods on the same shot, they should proceed per the general lost ball/woods rules and choose the best result under the circumstances.

• If all players' balls appear to be out of bounds on the same shot, they should consider golf lessons, then hit provisionals. In the interest of speeding up play, it is not necessary for all team members to re-hit. Get a good one and get going.

No Shows:

• If “A” fails to show:
  • “B”, “C” and “D” on a hole by hole rotating basis will be able to play 2 balls on each hole, including putts
  • Tee shot quotas:    no changes “B” player has 4, “C” has 3, “D” has 2
• If “B” fails to show:
  • “C” and “D” on a hole by hole rotating basis will be able to play 2 balls on each hole, including putts
  • Tee shot quotas:    “C” player has 3, “D” has 2
• If “C” fails to show:
  • “B” and “D” on a hole by hole rotating basis will be able to play 2 balls on each hole, including putts
  • Tee shot quotas:  “B” player has 5, “D” has 4
• If “D” fails to show:
  • “B” and “C” on a hole by hole rotating basis will be able to play 2 balls on each hole, including putts
  • Tee shot quotas:  “B” player has 5, “C” has 5
• If two players fail to show
  • The remaining 2 players will be allowed to play 2 balls, including putts, throughout the round.
  • Tee shot quotas:    Both players have 6

Late Arrivals/Early Departures: If one or more team members arrive late or have to leave early, the remaining players shall play all applicable holes per the No Show rule. There will be no tee shot quota change or team handicap adjustment unless an individual player misses 9 or more holes.

• Ties: Ties will be broken as follows:
  1. Low team score for the last 9 holes
  2. Low team score for the last 6 holes
  3. Low team score for the last 3 holes
  4. Low team score for the last hole
  5. Coin flip

General rules for all tournies

• In the case of bad weather, check with the golf course. If the course is open, we will play.
• If a player's ball is in the woods, the player has two options: 1) Play the ball as it lies; or 2) treat the woods like a lateral hazard and drop within two club lengths of the point where the ball was thought to have crossed into the woods with a ONE STROKE PENALTY.
• If a player's ball is lost in the woods or elsewhere, there is also the option to replay the previous shot with ONE STROKE PENALTY. This is often impractical during public play, so players have the further option of dropping another ball as near as possible to the place where the original ball is thought to be lost, keeping the same lie, and adding ONE STROKE PENALTY.
• Prizes for each tourney are based upon the number of entrants.
• Play temporary greens as if they were real (i.e. hole out all putts).
• If any group can not finish the tournament due to weather or darkness, all scores and prizes for their respective flights will be determined by the last hole completed by all individuals/teams in each flight.
• Keep up with the group in front of you!

Handicapping for this tourney

Tournament Handicaps
================

1. Calculate the Tournament Handicap for each participant as follows:
    
                                   (USGA slope rating for tees being played)
   (Current USGA handicap index) X -----------------------------------------
                                                      113

   Round this result to the nearest whole number with .50 or more rounding up,
   .49 or less rounding down.

   Example: A player with a 7.8 index playing from the blue tees, which have
            a slope rating of 126, would have a calculated Tournament Handicap of:
            
                  7.8 X 126/113 = 8.697  or  9  
                   
2. Make tee rating adjustments as necessary if participants are playing from
   different tees.
   
   Case 1 - Blue (or White) tees rated higher than Red tees:
   
            Subtract Red rating from Blue rating and add the result to the
            Tournament Handicaps of all participants playing from the Blue tees.

            Round this result to the nearest whole number with .50 or more rounding up,
            .49 or less rounding down.
   
     Example: Blue rating 70.6, Red rating 68.1.
   
            70.6 - 68.1 = 2.5 or 3
            
            Add 3 strokes to the Tournament Handicaps of all Blue tee players.

   Case 2 - Red tees rated higher than Blue (or White) tees:
   
            Subtract Blue rating from Red rating and add the result to the
            Tournament Handicaps of all participants playing from the Red tees.

            Round this result to the nearest whole number with .50 or more rounding up,
            .49 or less rounding down.
   
     Example: Blue rating 71.4, Red rating 72.2.
   
            72.2 - 71.4 = 0.8 or 1
            
            Add 1 stroke to the Tournament Handicaps of all Red tee players.

Team Handicaps
====================

   Four-player teams:

      Multiply the Tournament Handicap of the lowest handicapped player by .20
      Multiply the Tournament Handicap of the second-lowest player by .15
      Multiply the Tournament Handicap of the third-lowest player by .10
      Multiply the Tournament Handicap of the highest handicapped player by .05

      Sum the four numbers and round to the nearest whole stroke with .500
      or more rounding up, .499 or less rounding down. 

   The resulting number of strokes are subtracted from the team's gross score
   to determine their net score.

Updated  10/27/2007
Jeff Lance