What Is a Shotgun Start in Golf?
A shotgun start puts every group on a different hole and starts them all at the same moment, so the whole field finishes together. Here is how the hole assignments work and when the format falls apart.
2 min read/Updated September 2, 2026
A shotgun start assigns every group to a different hole and starts them all at once. Group one begins on the 1st, group two on the 2nd, and so on around the course. Each group plays its 18 holes from wherever it began, so a group starting on the 14th finishes on the 13th.
Because everyone starts at the same minute, everyone finishes within roughly the same half hour.
The point of a shotgun start is not the start. It is the finish. An organiser who needs 140 people seated for a meal and a prize giving at 4pm cannot do that with tee times running from 8am to 1pm.
How groups are assigned
Groups get a hole number and a letter. Group 7A starts on the 7th tee. If the field is larger than the number of holes, 7B starts from the same hole, positioned up the fairway at a sensible landing distance, and plays into the hole behind 7A.
An organiser typically hands out a sheet showing hole assignments, and staff drive players to their starting hole in the 15 minutes before the horn. That transport window is the part first time organisers underestimate. Getting 36 groups to 18 scattered tees takes longer than it sounds, and the horn cannot go until the last group is standing on its tee.
Where the format struggles
Par 3 holes with a B group. There is no fairway to spread out on. Most organisers leave short holes as single group holes and accept a smaller field.
Uneven start positions. A group starting on the 18th plays the hardest closing stretch first, cold, then finishes on the 17th. It is fair in aggregate but it never feels fair to the group that draws it.
Slow play has nowhere to go. In a normal tee time round a slow group only holds up the groups behind. In a shotgun, the course is full from the first minute, so one slow group backs up the entire field within three holes. This is the argument for pairing a shotgun with a scramble, which naturally moves faster than individual stroke play.
Late arrivals. A player who turns up ten minutes after the horn cannot join the round without walking to a hole somewhere on the far side of the course. Registration has to close hard.
Shotgun versus tee times
Tee times suit club competitions where players want to arrive when it suits them, the field is spread across the day, and nobody needs everyone in the same room afterwards.
A shotgun suits any event with a meal, an auction, speeches or a prize giving attached, which is nearly every charity day, corporate day and member guest. It also suits societies playing an away day, because the group travelled together and wants to eat together.
The trade off is course access. A shotgun closes the whole course for four to five hours, so clubs charge accordingly and will only offer certain days.
What to expect as a player
Turn up earlier than you think. Registration for a shotgun usually opens 90 minutes before the horn and the club will want you on your tee 15 minutes before it.
Take everything you need with you. You may start on the 12th, which can be a long way from the clubhouse and the halfway house, and the on-course catering cart will reach the holes in an order that has nothing to do with your hunger.
Write your starting hole on your card. In a field of 140 people who have all been given a different number, at least one group each year plays the wrong 18 holes.
Common questions
Why is it called a shotgun start?
The signal to begin was originally a shotgun fired from a central point on the course, loud enough for every group to hear from wherever they were standing. Air horns, sirens and a text to every group captain have replaced the gun at most clubs, but the name stuck.
How many players do you need for a shotgun start?
Ideally enough groups to cover the holes, so around 72 players in fourballs on an 18 hole course. Fewer than that leaves gaps, which is fine. More than 18 groups means doubling up, with a second group starting from the same hole a few hundred yards down the fairway.
What is a double shotgun?
Two separate shotgun starts on the same day, usually one in the morning and one in the afternoon. Clubs use it to fit a field of 250 or more players onto one course without anyone waiting six hours to tee off.
How long does a shotgun start round take?
Expect four and a half to five and a half hours for a full field. Every group is on the course simultaneously, so the round moves at the pace of the slowest group ahead rather than at your own pace.