How the format works
Every group starts at the same moment, each on a different hole. Group one starts on the first tee, group two on the second, and so on around the course. When the signal sounds, everyone tees off at once, plays eighteen holes, and finishes on the hole before the one they started on.
The name comes from the old practice of firing a shotgun to start the round. Most courses use an air horn or a siren now, and the idea is the same.
How many players it fits
The math starts with the holes. Eighteen holes with one foursome on each is eighteen groups, which is 72 players.
For a bigger field, courses place a second group on some holes, called the A group and the B group. The A group tees off first and the B group follows once the fairway clears. A second group on every hole doubles the field to 36 groups, which is 144 players. Each doubled hole adds time to the round, so ask the course how many it is comfortable doubling.
Carts matter as much as tee boxes. Ask how many carts the course has available on your date, because the cart fleet can cap your field before the holes do.
Shotgun or tee times
With tee times, groups go off the first tee one after another at set intervals. The first group finishes long before the last one, which suits a casual day where players head home when they finish.
A shotgun finishes everyone within a short window, which suits any event built around a shared meal, awards or a fundraiser program. The tradeoff is the course: it closes to other play for your block, so expect the package to reflect that, and expect weekday dates to be easier to secure than weekend mornings.
A two-tee start sits between the two. Groups go off the first and tenth tees at intervals, which moves a mid-size field faster without closing the whole course.
What to ask the course
Bring these questions to your first call. The answers set your date, your field size and your budget.
- Do you offer a shotgun on the date we want, and what is the minimum number of players for one?
- How many holes can you double, and how many carts are available that day?
- What time does the shotgun go off, and when should players arrive for check-in and the range?
- Is there a food and beverage minimum, and what does the per-player package include?
- Who handles cart signs, scorecards and the starting-hole assignments?
- What happens if weather delays or cancels the round?
Running the start on the day
Put each group's starting hole on its cart sign and on the check-in list, so nobody hunts for a hole when the horn sounds. Send groups out to their holes together after a short welcome and rules briefing, with enough time to reach the far side of the course.
Pair the shotgun with a scramble and the day runs even faster, because a team format keeps every group moving at a similar pace.
Questions organizers ask
- What does shotgun start mean in golf?
- Every group starts at the same time, each on a different hole, so the whole field plays at once and finishes together.
- How many players can play in a shotgun start?
- One foursome on each of eighteen holes is 72 players. A second group on every hole doubles that to 144. Each doubled hole adds time, so the course sets the practical limit.
- Where does the name come from?
- Courses once fired a shotgun to signal the start. Most use an air horn or a siren today.
- What is the difference between a shotgun start and tee times?
- Tee times send groups off one after another, so they finish at different times. A shotgun starts everyone at once, so the field finishes together for a meal or awards.
Written by James Pemberton, founder of BookMoreTeeTimes.ai.