Scramble Player Packet: What to Send Players Before Tee-Off

A scramble player packet is the short email or PDF that tells every player what they need before tee-off. It covers their start hole and team, local rules, contest holes, mulligan and string tickets, and how scoring works. The rules sheet is one page inside the packet, not the packet itself.

What goes in the packet

Here's the plain list. If it's not on here, it probably doesn't need to be in the packet.

• Start hole and team. Who's on each team and where they start.
• Local rules. Anything the course wants players to know.
• Contest holes. Which holes, which contests, and the rules for them.
• Mulligan and string tickets. Whether you're selling them, the limits, and where to get them.
• How scoring works. One card per group, who keeps it, and where to hand it in.
• The rules sheet. One page with the format, handicap method and house rules.
• The basics. Date, course, arrival time, start format, dress and cart notes, and the weather plan.

How to build and send the packet (step by step)

1. Gather the details. Date, course, start format, teams and start holes.
2. Write the rules sheet as its own page.
3. Add contests and extras. Contest holes, mulligan and string limits.
4. Explain scoring in two lines. One phone per group, or paper, and where cards go.
5. Keep it to a page or two plus the rules sheet.
6. Send it before the day, once teams are set.
7. Send a short reminder closer to the day if anything changed.
8. Reprint it for the day. One copy per team at check-in.

The packet outline

Use this as your template. Fill in the brackets. Your own details go in, nothing standard.

The rules sheet is one page inside

People mix these up. The rules sheet is the page with the format, the handicap method and the house rules. The packet is everything else around it, like start holes, teams and logistics.

Keep the rules sheet to one page so captains can actually read it. The scramble tournament rules sheet is a ready template. For the details that go on it, see ball placement rules, putting rules and tee assignments.

Spell out the team handicap

Name the method. Don't leave room for freestyle maths.

In Australia, use the Daily Handicap from the club chart or the GA app. Golf Australia uses its own formula, so it's not the same as a US Course Handicap.

If you print team handicaps in the packet, label them clearly. The scramble handicap calculator does the team handicap sums, the Ambrose handicap calculator covers the Ambrose version, and the four-man scramble handicap calculator handles a team of four.

Mulligans, string and contests

If you're selling mulligans or string, the packet is where players find out. Say whether they're on offer, the limit per player or team, and where to get them. Don't leave it to the morning.

Then say plainly that they can't be used on contest shots, if that's your rule. A common default is no mulligans and no string on contest holes. The scramble mulligan rules and string scramble rules pieces cover the details, and scramble hole contests covers contest rules.

How scoring works

Two lines is enough. Something like this:

"One phone per group. Download Scrambled Eggs for the team score and whose shot got used."

The app keeps the team score for 1 to 4 players on one phone. The scorer taps whose shot got used, so you can see each player's shot contribution. It shows the score against par, handles penalty strokes, works out the Team Ambrose handicap for you, and saves the round to history. Each group ends up with a tidy scorecard. More on the golf scramble scoring app page.

Add a paper backup line if you want one. A printable golf scramble scorecard in each cart covers a flat phone. The how to keep score in a golf scramble piece explains the scoring itself.

Sending it and reprinting it

Send the packet once teams and start holes are set, so you're not sending corrections. If anything changes, send a short update, not a whole new packet.

On the day, reprint it. One copy per team at the registration and check-in desk. Captains should be able to brief their cart in a couple of minutes. The scramble team captain duties piece helps captains know what's expected. For running the morning itself, see the scramble day-of checklist.

Point to your rain cancellation policy too, so nobody has to ring you at dawn.

Running a work day or a fundraiser? The corporate golf scramble setup and charity golf scramble organiser pieces cover the planning.

What must be in every packet?

Start hole and team, local rules, contest holes, mulligan and string tickets, how scoring works, and the one-page rules sheet. Add the date, course, arrival time and weather plan.

When do we send it?

Once teams and start holes are set, so you don't send corrections. Send a short reminder closer to the day if anything changes, and reprint it for check-in.

Do beginners need a separate sheet?

Usually not. Write the format in plain English and the main packet works for everyone. If you have a lot of first-timers, a short "how a scramble works" note helps. Point them to what is a golf scramble or how does a golf scramble work.

Should we use the app and paper both?

It's a sensible setup. One phone per group keeps the team score, and a paper card in the cart is the backup. Pick one as the official card and say which in the packet.

Keep reading

• Golf Scramble Scoring App
• Printable Golf Scramble Scorecard
• Scramble tournament rules sheet
• Scramble mulligan rules
• String scramble rules
• Scramble day-of checklist
• Corporate golf scramble setup

One phone per group, sorted

Put the download line in your packet and every group turns up ready. One team score, and a record of whose shot got used.

Download Scrambled Eggs on the App Store