Charity golf tournament season is here, and if you’re planning to play in one, you may be wondering what format you’ll be competing in. While golf has plenty of competitive structures like match play (hole-by-hole competition) or stroke play (total score over 18 holes), most charity and fundraiser tournaments use team-based formats designed to keep things fun, fair, and friendly.

Here’s a breakdown of the four most common charity golf tournament formats, ranked from least likely to most common.

Alternate shot is the rarest charity format—you almost never see it at local fundraisers. In this format, players take turns hitting the ball until the hole is complete. For example, Player 1 tees off, Player 2 hits the next shot, Player 3 hits the next, and so on.

There are two variations:

It’s a challenging format that often leads to higher scores and less fun for casual golfers. If you ever find a charity event running alternate shot, let me know—I’d love to see how it goes!

Best ball is a step up in popularity, but still less common than the formats at the top of this list. In best ball, every player plays their own ball from tee to green, and the team records the lowest score of the group for each hole.

Example: If three players make par and one makes birdie, the team records a birdie.

Best ball keeps every golfer engaged since you play your own round, but it avoids blow-up scores ruining the team. It also works well with handicaps, making it one of the fairer formats. It’s competitive, but you usually won’t see the ultra-low, 20-under-par type scores that scrambles produce.

The shamble is a hybrid between a scramble and best ball. Everyone tees off, then the team selects the best drive. From there, each golfer plays their own ball into the hole.

So you get the benefit of starting from a great position off the tee, but you don’t get four attempts at every shot like in a scramble. That means scores are lower than best ball but higher than a true scramble, making it a nice balance between competitive and fun.

Shambles are growing in popularity and offer a great middle ground for charity tournaments.

If you’ve played a charity golf tournament, chances are it was a scramble. Also known as captain’s choice, the scramble format works like this:

This format leads to the lowest scores—sometimes ridiculously low. It’s not unusual to see winning teams post scores in the 50s, or even “25-under” results that make you raise an eyebrow. Scrambles also open the door to some “generous scoring,” but that’s part of the territory.

A fun variation I’ve seen: after the round, the top 3–5 teams go back out for a short playoff (usually 3 holes). It forces teams to prove their score on the course and discourages cheating.

Those are the four most common charity and fundraiser golf formats you’ll see this season:

If you get the chance to play in one, I highly recommend it. Charity tournaments are less stressful than traditional stroke play, give you a chance to team up with friends or family, and support a good cause while enjoying some friendly competition.

Have you played in a charity golf tournament recently? Drop a comment with your favorite format, any cool variations you’ve seen, or the lowest score your group has ever posted.

See you out there,
Grayson Reames
Sweet Tees Golf