Discover creative and entertaining golf scramble formats for your next Burlingame Country Club event. These innovative variations add excitement to your social calendar while fostering friendly competition.
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Fun Golf Scramble Formats & Variations

Elevating Your Golf Experience at Burlingame

Nestled in the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains, Burlingame Country Club’s golf course offers the perfect backdrop for memorable social events. While traditional scrambles have their charm, mixing things up with creative formats can spark fresh excitement and create those “Best of Times” moments we cherish. Whether you’re planning a friendly weekend gathering, a corporate event, or a charity tournament, these innovative scramble variations will add a new dimension to your Burlingame golfing experience. Each format encourages camaraderie, friendly competition, and most importantly—fun for golfers of all skill levels.

Classic Scramble with a Twist

Start with familiar favorites that add just enough variation to keep things interesting without overwhelming players new to alternative formats.

The Captain’s Choice Plus

This enhanced version of the traditional scramble adds a strategic element. After selecting the best drive, each player must use their own ball for the remainder of the hole. This rewards strong tee shots while still allowing individual skills to shine on approach shots and putting. Perfect for groups with mixed abilities, it keeps everyone engaged throughout each hole while showcasing Burlingame’s immaculate fairways and challenging greens.

String Scramble

Each team receives a length of string (typically 1-3 feet per player). Teams can use their string to extend their ball position—placing the ball string-length away from its original position. This adds a tactical element as teams must decide when to use their limited resource. The string scramble creates memorable moments as teams debate the perfect time to deploy their advantage while enjoying the spectacular mountain views that frame each hole.

Team-Building Formats

These variations emphasize collaboration and strategy, making them ideal for corporate outings and friend groups looking to strengthen connections.

Colored Ball Tournament

Each team receives a colored ball that must rotate among players on each hole. If the team loses the colored ball, they face a scoring penalty. The colored ball score is kept separately, adding a layer of strategy about who plays the special ball on challenging holes. This format creates natural conversation and collaborative problem-solving while players navigate Burlingame’s thoughtfully designed course.

Step Aside Scramble

After a player’s shot is selected, that player sits out the next shot. This ensures everyone contributes meaningfully to the team’s success and prevents any single player from dominating. The rotating format creates natural opportunities for encouragement and coaching between teammates, fostering the community spirit that makes Burlingame special.

Entertaining Challenge Formats

When your group is looking for something truly different, these formats deliver memorable experiences with plenty of laughs.

Three Clubs and a Putter

In this scramble variation, each player selects only three clubs plus a putter for the entire round. Teams still play a traditional scramble format, but the limited club selection adds a creative challenge. Players discover new ways to use their clubs, leading to surprising shots and plenty of good-natured ribbing. This format showcases the versatility of Burlingame’s course design, which rewards creative play.

Tombstone Tournament

Each team starts with a predetermined number of strokes based on handicaps. Players continue until they run out of strokes, placing their “tombstone” (a marker) where their final ball comes to rest. The team whose tombstone travels furthest wins. This format creates natural drama as teams strategize to maximize distance with their limited strokes while navigating Burlingame’s beautiful yet challenging terrain.

Seasonal Special Events

Take advantage of Burlingame’s stunning seasonal changes with these thematic scramble ideas.

Glow Ball Night Scramble

As the sun sets behind the Blue Ridge Mountains, the course transforms for this unique experience. Teams play with illuminated balls, with glow sticks marking fairways and pins. This evening event creates a magical atmosphere and often becomes the most talked-about golf event of the season. Pair with a bonfire reception at the clubhouse to complete the perfect mountain evening.

Holiday Themed Scrambles

From Fourth of July red, white, and blue pin placements to Halloween scrambles with costumed teams, seasonal themes add festive flair to regular golf outings. These events have become cherished traditions for many Burlingame families, creating those multi-generational memories that define the club experience.

Planning Your Next Burlingame Golf Event

Ready to bring one of these exciting formats to life for your next gathering? Our professional golf staff specializes in creating customized tournament experiences that match your group’s preferences and skill levels. From detailed scoring sheets to themed on-course refreshments, we handle the details so you can focus on creating those “Best of Times” moments with friends and family.