Rules on the course
Shotgun vs Tee-Time Starts: A Small Event Schedule
A shotgun puts groups on different starting holes. It can reduce the spread of starting times, but it creates transport and operating demands that a tee sheet does not.
Competitive Play · Updated October 22, 2026
40 players →10 groups
Original worked comparison
40 players →10 groupsFictional field:40 players in groups of four.
The course must approve the actual capacity and configuration.
CASE 01
Consecutive starts
First group 09:00; ten-minute intervals.
The tenth group starts 10:30: nine intervals, not ten.
CASE 02
Shotgun plan
Ten groups assigned to ten approved starting holes.
Transport and ready-to-play instructions precede the common start.
CASE 03
Finish plan
Scoring, returns and food timing need a window.
No identical finish time or course-wide capacity is assumed.
Fictional cases and stated event assumptions. The exact official rule, eligible player category and actual Committee notice determine the real procedure.
The short version
- Count groups before choosing the starting method.
- Include movement to assigned holes and staff coverage.
- A common start is not a guaranteed common finish.
Build the tee-time version first
List ten groups and their starts:09:00 through 10:30 at ten-minute intervals. Add starter coverage, practice access and a plan for delays. This is an invented schedule, not a recommended interval for every course.
The tee-time method spreads arrivals and finishes. That may help a small operation, but the first and last groups can face different conditions and meal timing. The Committee and course must approve the arrangement.
Price the operating work of a shotgun
A common start needs assigned holes, routes, cart or walking access, communications and staff instructions. Some holes may not suit a starting group. Do not multiply 18 holes by four players and call the result an approved field.
Define whether any holes have multiple starting groups and how they are separated. A double shotgun is a further arrangement, not an automatic extension of this ten-group example.
Connect the start to the competition terms
Publish the starting points and readiness requirements, then state how a delay or suspension will be communicated. The starting-time rule still matters.
For the end of the day, specify scorecard return and tie-breaking rather than assuming every group reaches the clubhouse together.
Official sources
Official provisions checked October 22, 2026. Read their full wording and current event conditions.
Your next move
Read the governing source
Check the complete official procedure and your event conditions before acting.
Read the governing source(Official source), opens in a new tab