How a Shotgun Start Works
In a normal round, groups tee off one at a time from the 1st hole every few minutes. A shotgun throws that out. Instead, the organizers assign each group a different hole to start on — one group on 1, another on 2, another on 3, and so on around the course. Everyone drives out to their assigned hole, and at a set time a signal sounds and all groups tee off simultaneously.
From there, each group just plays the course in order from wherever they started and wraps around. A group that started on hole 7 plays 7, 8, 9… all the way to 6, then they’re done. Because everyone teed off together and everyone plays 18 holes, the entire field finishes within a few minutes of each other.
Why is it called a “shotgun” start?
Literally because of a shotgun. In the format’s early days, an organizer fired an actual shotgun into the air so every group spread across the course could hear the signal and tee off at once. Today it’s an air horn, siren or radio call — but the dramatic name stuck.
Why Tournaments Use a Shotgun
The whole point is timing. With tee times, the first group might finish at 11 AM while the last group is still on the 3rd hole. A shotgun fixes that — everyone starts and ends together — which unlocks a lot of practical benefits for an event:
| Benefit | What it means for the event |
|---|---|
| Everyone finishes together | Awards, banquet and raffle can be scheduled to the minute |
| Full field in one wave | Up to ~36 groups play at once instead of trickling out over hours |
| Fairness | No group gets the advantage or disadvantage of an early or late tee time |
| Social atmosphere | All players are on the course together — better for a group event |
| Clean scoring | Every card is turned in within the same short window |
What “10A” and “10B” Mean
A course has 18 holes, so a straight shotgun fits 18 groups. When an event is bigger, organizers double up holes and label them with letters: 10A and 10B both start on the 10th. The A group tees off from the tee box; the B group starts from a spot up the fairway (or plays right after A). Doubling up this way lets a single shotgun handle up to around 36 groups — roughly 144 players in a scramble.
Shotgun Start vs Tee Times
Both get a field around the course; they just do it differently. In short: tee times stagger groups off the 1st tee all morning, which suits everyday public play. A shotgun launches everyone at once from different holes, which suits a tournament where the whole field should finish together.
Shotguns are the default for scrambles, charity outings, member-guest events and corporate golf days — anywhere the round is really about the event around it.
Organizing an event yourself? Our Keep Score scorer handles gross and net for the whole group, and the betting games guide has formats to make the day competitive. New to the lingo? Start with golf scoring terms.