A shotgun start in golf is where every group tees off at the same moment from a different hole, so up to 128 players begin together and finish together. Instead of launching one group at a time while everyone else waits, the field spreads across the whole course at once. Group one starts on hole 1, group two on hole 2, and so on around all 18 holes.
The name comes from the original signal: a horn, a siren, or in the early days an actual shotgun fired into the air to tell everyone to play. When that signal sounds, the whole course is live at once. Roughly four and a half hours later, the entire field walks off within a few minutes of each other, which is exactly why event organizers love it.
This guide is part of our playbook for running any golf outing, and it is one piece of our full golf event planning guide. It explains how a shotgun start works, how to fit big fields onto 18 holes, and the honest decision between a shotgun and tee times.
How a Shotgun Start Actually Works
Every group gets a starting hole assignment before they arrive. You will see it on the cart, on a hole sheet, or called out at the bag drop. Groups drive to their assigned tee, wait, and watch for the signal.
One horn means everyone plays. From there, each group works its way around the course in normal order: a group that started on hole 7 plays 7, 8, 9, and keeps going until it loops back and finishes on hole 6.
Because the whole field is moving at once, nobody is waiting on the first tee and there is no log jam building behind one slow group early in the day.
The course also plays fair: every group sees roughly the same conditions, the same wind, and the same greens at the same time of day, which matters in a competitive event. When the round ends, scorecards come in together and you can run a clean awards ceremony, lunch, or banquet without stragglers trickling in for two more hours.
How Holes Get Assigned for Bigger Fields
A standard 18-hole course has exactly 18 starting tees, so the clean version of a shotgun fits 18 groups, or about 72 players in foursomes. The question every organizer hits is what to do when you sell more than 18 groups. The answer is to double up certain holes with an A and B group sharing the same tee.
The doubling happens on the par-4s and par-5s, never the par-3s. Here is the logic. On a long hole, group A tees off on the horn, hits their drives, and walks forward out of range. Once they are clear, group B tees off behind them. Both groups are on that hole at once without anyone getting hit, because there is enough length to separate them. A par-3 cannot do this: the green is the landing area, so group B would have to stand on the tee and wait for group A to putt out and clear, which instantly stacks players up and kills the pace you were trying to protect.
Used well, A and B groups on the longer holes let you fit up to 32 groups, or 128 players, onto a typical par 72, 18-hole course in a single wave. The B groups simply know they are second off their tee and wait for the A group to move forward before they play.
Shotgun Start vs Tee Times: the Real Decision
This is the choice that actually matters when you are running a golf event. A shotgun gets everyone out and back together, which is perfect for a social event with a meal and prizes at the end.
Tee times send groups off the first tee in staggered slots, usually 8 to 10 minutes apart, so the field strings out across the morning and finishes across a window of two to three hours.
Tee times are not a worse option, they are a different tool. They cost less because the course can keep selling other slots, they suit small fields that could never fill 18 tees, and they let busy donors pick a time that works. The trade is that your event loses its single shared start and finish, which makes a banquet awkward. Use the table below to match the format to your event.
| Factor | Shotgun start | Tee times |
|---|---|---|
| Setup time | One signal, whole field out in minutes | Groups trickle off over 2 to 3 hours |
| Field size fit | Best at 18 to 32 groups (72 to 128 players) | Works for any size, including small fields |
| Finish time | Everyone finishes within minutes of each other | Spread across a longer window |
| Cost and course buyout | Usually needs a buyout or large minimum, higher cost | Lower cost, course keeps selling other times |
| Warm-up | Players warm up before one set start time | Each group warms up for its own slot |
| Social and banquet fit | Excellent, one clean awards ceremony and meal | Harder, players arrive and leave at different times |
| Best for | Charity scrambles, corporate days, full fields | Small outings, tight budgets, public courses |
Modified and Double Shotgun Starts
You do not always have the player count for a clean 18-group shotgun, and sometimes you have too many. Two common variations solve those problems.
Modified shotgun start
A modified shotgun uses only part of the course. With a smaller field of roughly 20 to 80 players, you might start groups on holes 1 through 14 and leave 15 through 18 open. Everyone still starts on one signal, but you are not forcing empty holes. The bonus is that the pro shop can sell regular tee times behind your group once it plays through, so the course is more willing to say yes and you may pay less.
Double shotgun start
A double shotgun runs two full waves on the same day, usually a morning wave and an afternoon wave. Each wave is its own complete shotgun. This is how a course handles more than 128 players while keeping the everyone-finishes-together feel for each group. The catch is daylight and turnaround time, which is why a double shotgun lives in summer and needs a tight reset between waves.
The Field-Size and Daylight Math
Don’t gloss over this part. A shotgun only makes sense when your numbers justify taking over the tee sheet. Most courses set a minimum of around 72 players for a weekday shotgun, and many treat weekends as a full course buyout only.
A buyout means you pay for the whole course for that block, so the economics work when you have enough paying players, sponsors, and donors to cover it. Below roughly 36 to 40 players, a course will often push you to tee times instead, because it cannot afford to block the course off for a half-empty event.
Daylight is the other hard limit. Plan on a 4.5-hour pace for 18 holes with a full field, which is realistic for a scramble with carts. A single morning shotgun starting at 8:00 a.m. finishes around 1:00 p.m. with time to spare.
A double shotgun needs the first wave done, the course reset, and the second wave out by roughly 1:30 p.m. to finish before dark, so it really only works in long summer days.
Build these numbers into your run sheet early, and lean on a golf tournament planning checklist and timeline so the start time, the meal, and the awards all line up.
A shotgun does have real trade-offs. There is no flexibility on the clock, so a group that arrives late simply plays a member short, and one slow group on a long hole can ripple into the groups stacked behind it.
Keep marshals on the course, and pick your tournament golf formats with pace in mind, since a fast scramble protects a shotgun far better than a slow stroke-play setup or a novelty equalizer like the Flags format.
When Tee Times Are the Smarter Call
Sometimes a shotgun is the wrong answer, and a good organizer admits it. Go with tee times when your field is small and would leave half the course empty, when you are raising money on a tight budget and cannot cover a buyout, or when you are booked at a busy public course that will not block its tee sheet for you. Tee times also help when your players have unpredictable schedules and need to choose a slot.
You can still build community into a tee-times day. Set a tight start window, then host the meal and prizes once the last group is in. You lose the single dramatic start, but you keep the event affordable and the course happy, which can be the difference between an event that happens and one that does not.
Shotgun Start FAQs
How long does a shotgun start take?
From the horn to the last group walking off, plan on about 4.5 hours for 18 holes with a full field in carts. Add time on either side for warm-up, a starter briefing, and the awards or meal afterward.
Can you do a shotgun start with fewer than 18 groups?
Yes, with a modified shotgun. You use only the holes you need, for example holes 1 through 14 for a smaller field, and leave the rest open so the course can sell regular tee times behind your group.
Do public courses allow shotgun starts?
Some do, but many will not block their tee sheet unless you hit a player minimum or pay for a full course buyout. If a public course says no, tee times or a modified shotgun are usually the workaround.
What is an AB or double shotgun start?
An AB start doubles groups on the par-4s and par-5s so one wave can hold up to 144 players. A double shotgun runs two separate full waves in the same day, usually morning and afternoon, for fields too big for a single wave.
Picking the Right Start for Your Event
It comes down to your field and your budget. When you have a full field that wants a shared start and a finish that flows straight into the banquet, the shotgun is the tool. When the field is small or the budget is tight, tee times or a modified shotgun keep the day affordable. Match the format to your group, your daylight, and your course, and the day runs itself.
