Ambrose - also known as 'scramble' - is arguably the most entertaining golf format you can play.
So, what is ambrose?
It's a team handicap format that isn't played as often as popular golf formats including stableford, par and four-ball better ball (4BBB).
Before we explain how ambrose works, it's important to check with your local golf committee because the rules can vary slightly from one club to another.
Ambrose can be played in teams of four, three or two.
The basic premise for Ambrose is that each player plays a shot, and then you choose the ball in the best location to play the next shot from.
And you repeat that process until you finish the round. But there can be a lot of strategy in Ambrose.
Scores in Ambrose can be very low because, most of the time, you're choosing the best shot.
But competition rules can dictate that a team must choose each player's tee shot a certain number of times over the course of 18 holes, generally twice or three times.
So, this means, if you've got a high handicapper in the group, you might choose a mediocre tee shot of theirs early in the round to help them reach their minimum quota of tee shots.
So, how does a team calculate its team handicap in Ambrose? Individual handicaps are added together and the aggregate total is divided by a set number.
For teams of four in Ambrose, the aggregate total of a team's individual handicaps is divided by eight.
For example, team 'Under The Card' has golfers with the following handicaps:
0, 5, 12 and 24.
Team Under The Card's handicap would be:
0 + 5 + 12 + 24 / 8 = 5.125
For teams of three in Ambrose, the aggregate total of a team's individual handicaps is divided by six and, for teams of two, the aggregate total is divided by four.
