Scramble Hole Contests: How to Run Closest to the Pin, Long Drive and Long Putt

Run two to four hole contests at most, usually a long drive, one or two closest to the pin, and an optional long putt. In a scramble, the common approach is that each contest counts the individual player's own shot, with their name on the marker, before the team picks a ball. Contests are a separate ledger from the team score, so mark them on the pairing sheet and rules sheet, ban mulligans on contest shots, and announce winners at the awards.

How to set up hole contests (step by step)

Pick two to four contests. One long drive, one or two closest to the pin, and a long putt if you want it.
Choose the holes. Par 3s suit closest to the pin. A straight, open hole suits long drive.
Mark them on the pairing sheet and rules sheet. Every group should know which holes are contest holes before they tee off.
Say whose ball counts. The common approach is the player's own shot, before the team picks a ball. Confirm it on the sheet.
Print the contest rules. Common ones: long drive must finish on the fairway. Long putt only counts from on the green. No mulligans and no string.
Split long drive by tee if needed. For example, one for the men's tees and one for the forward tees.
Set up a marker or clipboard at each hole. Players write their name and team number when they take the lead.
Collect the results. Bring the markers or clipboards in after the round and announce the winners at the awards.

Keep contests separate from the team score

A hole contest is an individual prize inside a team event. That's the whole trick. The team score is one number on one card. The contests are their own ledger, written at the hole, with a player's name on it.

Don't mix them. A contest winner doesn't get strokes off the team total, and the team score doesn't decide who wins the contest. Keep contest results on their own list at the scoring table, and keep contest prizes in their own pile on the prize table.

Whose ball counts

This is the scramble twist, and it's worth printing. Everyone in the group hits a tee shot. Then the team picks the best one. So which shot is the contest shot?

The common approach is that it's the individual player's own shot, before the team picks a ball. If your tee shot on the par 3 is closest, your name goes on the marker, even if the team plays someone else's ball. The same goes for long drive.

Long putt works the same way. It's the player's own putt from on the green. Whatever you choose, the sheet should confirm it so nobody argues at the hole.

Contest setup table

Contest	Hole type	What counts	Who can enter	How it's recorded
Longest drive	Open hole, fairway you can see	Player's own drive, finishing on the fairway	Every player, split by tee if needed	Marker or clipboard at the ball
Closest to the pin	Par 3	Player's own tee shot, finishing on the green	Every player	Marker with name and team number
Second closest to the pin (optional)	A different par 3	Same as above	Every player	Marker with name and team number
Long putt (optional)	Any green	Player's own putt, holed from on the green	Every player	Clipboard at the green

Change the "what counts" column if your house rules differ. Just keep it on the sheet.

The common contest rules

Most events print a few simple rules for contests. Treat these as common rules and confirm them on your sheet:

Long drive must finish on the fairway. A big drive in the rough or the trees doesn't count.
Closest to the pin must finish on the green. Measure from the ball to the hole.
Long putt must be holed from on the green. The longest putt that drops wins. A holed chip from the fringe isn't a putt.
No mulligans and no string on contest shots. One swing, one chance. Otherwise the contest is junk. Scramble mulligan rules covers the rest of your mulligan policy.

Split long drive by tee

If some players hit from forward tees, a single long drive contest isn't a fair fight. Many events split it, with one contest from the men's tees and one from the forward tees. Match it to your tee assignment policy so the same groups line up. The scramble tee assignments page covers setting tees.

Markers, clipboards and volunteers

You don't need much. A marker stake or a clipboard at each contest hole does the job. The current leader writes their name and team number, and the next player who beats them swaps it out.

If you have volunteers, one per contest hole with a tape measure helps. If not, groups handle it themselves. Keep it quick so the group behind isn't waiting. The scramble pace of play guide has more on keeping the field moving.

Mark it on the sheets

Put the contest holes on your scramble pairing sheet so each group sees them with their starting hole. Put the rules on your scramble tournament rules sheet: which holes, whose shot counts, the fairway and green rules, and the mulligan ban.

Announce at the awards

Collect the markers and clipboards when the last group is in. Read the winners after the team prizes. The full order is in how to run a scramble awards ceremony, and the payout table is in golf scramble prize structure.

Where the app fits

Scrambled Eggs is a live card for one group. It keeps the team score on one phone and records whose shot or drive was used. Contests stay on the marker and the clipboard. See the golf scramble scoring app for what it does.

Whose ball counts in a scramble closest to the pin?

The common approach is the individual player's own tee shot, before the team picks a ball. Their name goes on the marker even if the team plays a different ball. Confirm it on your rules sheet.

Can you mulligan a contest shot?

A common rule is no. No mulligans and no string on contest shots, even if the team has some left. Print that on the sheet.

Should long drive have separate pots by tee?

If players hit from different tees, splitting it is fairer. Many events run one long drive from the men's tees and one from the forward tees.

How many hole contests should a scramble have?

Two to four is plenty. More than that and groups spend the day measuring instead of playing.

Keep reading

Keep the team card simple

Contests on the clipboard, team score on one phone. Scrambled Eggs keeps each group's score as they go and records whose drive was used.

Download Scrambled Eggs on the App Store