Blog · Compare formats
Scramble vs best ball: which format for your outing?
Scramble and best ball are the two formats most outings choose between, and they play very differently. Here's the one-sentence difference, when each format is the right pick, and how both score live on Chase Birdies.
The one-sentence difference
In a scramble, the team plays every shot together and takes the best of each; in best ball, every player plays their own ball and only the best score on each hole counts toward the team total. Best shot wins versus best score counts — that single distinction drives everything else: team size, pace, who has fun, and how you score it. If you want the full rules behind each side, start with our scramble scoring guide and our best ball guide.
When to pick a scramble
Pick a scramble when the field is there for the day, not the grind — charity fundraisers, corporate outings, and any mixed field with beginners. Every player tees off on every hole, the team plays from the best shot, and nobody has to be a good golfer to contribute the shot of the hole. That keeps spirits high and, just as important, keeps pace of play quick: one ball position per team means the field moves. Our scramble scoring guide walks through team sizes and the 2-man and 4-man setups that suit outings best.
When to pick best ball
Pick best ball when the field can actually golf — leagues, club events, and lower-handicap groups who want their own scores to matter. Each player plays their own ball start to finish, so a good round is genuinely yours, and the team's score on each hole is simply the lowest individual score among its members. Anyone can carry a hole, which keeps every player locked in without the pressure of carrying the whole round. See the best ball guide for the scoring steps and a worked example.
How both formats score live on Chase Birdies
Whichever you choose, scoring works the same way: players enter scores hole by hole from their phones — no app, no account — and running totals vs par update on a live leaderboard everyone can watch, public by link or protected with a 4-digit PIN. Scramble teams enter one combined score per hole; best ball teams enter each member's score and the board takes the lowest on every hole automatically. Every score stays editable until the round is final. And either format costs the same: see pricing — $1 per player.