Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose shamble when you want a selected-drive team format in which everyone continues with an individual ball and the lowest team score counts. Choose Snake when you want a separate, informal putting side bet based on three-putts, with the stake and counting conventions agreed before play.
shamble in brief
Teams select the best tee shot, then play individual balls and count the lowest score.
Snake in brief
A putting side bet where the last player to three-putt loses the pot.
Table
| Comparison | shamble | Snake |
|---|---|---|
| One line | Teams select the best tee shot, then play individual balls and count the lowest score. | A putting side bet where the last player to three-putt loses the pot. |
| Players | Minimum: 2 players forming one team; ideal: 4 players for one team, or 8+ players for head-to-head teams or a field. | Minimum 2 players; ideal 3-4 players in an individual field. It can run alongside a head-to-head match, but Snake itself is not a match-play competition. |
| Scoring unit | Strokes: after the selected drive, each player completes the hole with their own ball; the lowest team score is the hole's team score. | Three-putts on completed holes. The first three-putt starts the snake, each later three-putt transfers it, and the player holding it after the agreed round is the loser. |
| Handicap method | Use the Competition Committee's Terms of Competition. The USGA shamble guidance suggests 75% of each player's Course Handicap for a two-person team and 65% of each player's Course Handicap for a four-person team; apply the percentage to the unrounded Course Handicap, then calculate Playing Handicap. These are shamble guidance figures, not a universal WHS allowance, and other team sizes or formats need a stated house method. | No standard WHS handicap allowance applies to Snake because it is an informal putting side bet, not a WHS competition format. If it accompanies an underlying handicap competition, use that competition's Committee-specified allowance; do not invent a Snake percentage. |
| Money settles how | Shamble has no inherent money settlement. If stakes are agreed, settle on the final team totals or on separately agreed per-hole or match bets; write the payment and tie rules before play. | Agree a fixed dollar amount per three-putt before play. Add that amount to the pot each time, then have the final snake holder pay the pot to the other players; agree in advance whether the amount doubles, how unfinished rounds are handled and how any tie is resolved. |
| Pace | Usually slower than ordinary stroke play for one group because everyone tees off and then plays an individual ball, although it can be quicker than a scramble after the drive because players do not repeatedly choose and replay one team ball. | Usually the same as ordinary stroke play when everyone holes out in turn, but it can be slower if players debate whether a putt counts or add a separate token-and-settlement routine. |
| Best for | Groups that want the teamwork of a selected-drive game while keeping every player's approach shots and putting in play; it suits a four-person team event or a small head-to-head competition with clear Committee conditions. | Three or four players who want a simple putting-focused side bet alongside their normal round or another agreed game, with clear stakes and no gimmes unless the group agrees otherwise. |
| Weakness | The format is not fully standardised: drive-selection limits, team size, scoring, handicap treatment and tie procedures can vary, so an event without written conditions can produce disputes. | The final loss can depend on one late three-putt rather than overall scoring, and informal conventions differ on putts from the fringe, conceded putts, doubling and the payout. |
Worked example
Illustrative inputs and selected terms, not historical results. Alex and Ben select a preferred drive then play separate balls, scoring 4 and 5. If the event counts one best score, their side records 4; another counting rule would require a different result. Under a chosen last-three-putt Snake rule, Alex holds the Snake at the end and pays $2 to each of Ben, Chris and Dana: net −$6 for Alex and +$2 for each other player. Agree the trigger before play.
Sources: www.usga.org , www.golfdigest.com , www.usga.org , www.randa.org
Common questions
How do shamble and Snake score differently?
For shamble: Strokes: after the selected drive, each player completes the hole with their own ball; the lowest team score is the hole's team score. For Snake: Three-putts on completed holes. The first three-putt starts the snake, each later three-putt transfers it, and the player holding it after the agreed round is the loser.
How do handicaps apply in shamble vs Snake?
shamble: Use the Competition Committee's Terms of Competition. The USGA shamble guidance suggests 75% of each player's Course Handicap for a two-person team and 65% of each player's Course Handicap for a four-person team; apply the percentage to the unrounded Course Handicap, then calculate Playing Handicap. These are shamble guidance figures, not a universal WHS allowance, and other team sizes or formats need a stated house method. Snake: No standard WHS handicap allowance applies to Snake because it is an informal putting side bet, not a WHS competition format. If it accompanies an underlying handicap competition, use that competition's Committee-specified allowance; do not invent a Snake percentage.
When should I choose shamble instead of Snake?
Choose shamble when you want a selected-drive team format in which everyone continues with an individual ball and the lowest team score counts. Choose Snake when you want a separate, informal putting side bet based on three-putts, with the stake and counting conventions agreed before play.