Shotgun start vs tee times: which format is right for your golf outing?

Every outing organizer hits the same fork in the road with the course: do you want a shotgun start or a block of tee times? It sounds like a scheduling detail, but the choice shapes your budget, your player experience, and how the whole day feels. Getting shotgun start vs tee times right is one of the highest-leverage decisions you make before a single foursome shows up.

The short answer: a shotgun start puts every group on the course at once and is built for events; sequential tee times send groups off one at a time and are built for throughput. Which one fits depends on your headcount, your format, and how much of the course you can realistically hold.

How a shotgun start works

In a shotgun start, every group is assigned a different hole and everyone tees off simultaneously at a set time. Group one starts on hole 1, group two on hole 2, and so on around the course. A horn sounds, and 18 holes fill with players at the same moment. Everyone finishes within a few minutes of each other, which is why the format exists: it gives you a clean, shared beginning and a shared end.

That synchronized finish is the whole point. When you want a scramble followed by lunch, an awards ceremony, or a sponsor reception, a shotgun start guarantees the entire field arrives at the clubhouse together. No stragglers still on the back nine while the raffle starts.

The tradeoff is that a shotgun start almost always requires a full course closure. The course cannot sell public tee times around your event, so you are effectively renting the whole property. That is reflected in the price, and it is why most courses set a minimum player count — often 70 to 100-plus — before they will grant one.

How tee time blocks work

The tee times format sends groups off the first tee at fixed intervals, usually every 8 to 10 minutes. Your outing takes a chunk of the tee sheet — say, 9:00 to 11:00 — while the course keeps operating around it. Groups start and finish at staggered times across a couple of hours.

This is the flexible, lower-commitment option. You do not need to fill the whole course, the course keeps some public revenue, and the price per player is usually lower because you are not buying a full closure. For smaller groups, a fundraiser that is still growing its roster, or a casual member event, tee times are often the smarter call.

The catch is the staggered finish. Your first group may be eating lunch while your last group is still on the 6th hole. If a tidy, all-together awards ceremony matters to your event, tee times make that harder to pull off without a long wait.

Shotgun start vs tee times: how to choose

Match the format to what your day actually needs:

• Choose a shotgun start when you have the numbers to fill most of the course (roughly 72-plus players), you are running a scramble or best-ball with a shared meal and awards, and a single clean start-and-finish is central to the experience. Charity and corporate events almost always want this.
• Choose tee times when your group is smaller, your budget is tighter, your headcount is still firming up, or the round itself is the point and there is no big ceremony to bookend it. Member outings and casual company days fit here.

Two practical checks before you commit. First, ask the course its shotgun minimum and its full-closure price — those two numbers often decide the question for you. Second, be honest about your real, paid headcount, not your optimistic invite list. Booking a shotgun for 100 and showing up with 60 means you paid for a closure you did not fill. If you are still nailing down numbers and deposits, our guide to a smart deposit strategy covers how to lock in a real count before you owe the course for a format you cannot support.

The logistics both formats share

Whichever you pick, the day runs on the same fundamentals: an accurate roster, clear hole assignments or a printed tee sheet, on-course signage, scoring, and a way to settle payment without chasing people afterward. A shotgun start raises the stakes on all of it because everyone launches at once — if group assignments are wrong at 9:00 sharp, there is no gentle catch-up window. Solid prep is what makes the format look effortless. Our corporate outing checklist walks through the pieces so nothing gets missed on the morning of.

This is exactly where the right software earns its keep. Greenside Golf lets you build your roster, assign groups or tee times, collect registrations and deposits online, and run live scoring on the day — so whether you choose a shotgun start or a block of tee times, the format is the only decision you have to sweat. The organizing runs itself.

Pick the format that fits your group, confirm the course's minimums early, and build the plan around a real headcount. Do that, and both formats deliver the same thing: a day your players talk about long after the last putt drops.