What Is the Chapman Scotch Golf Format?

The Chapman Scotch golf format is one of the most exciting and strategic ways to play a two-person team game, expertly combining individual skill with smart, cooperative play. It’s a fantastic change of pace from standard formats, reducing pressure while keeping both players engaged on every single stroke. This guide will walk you through exactly how the format works, provide step-by-step instructions for playing a hole, and offer coaching advice to help you and your partner not just play, but play to win.

What Is Chapman Scotch? The Simple Breakdown

Simply put, Chapman Scotch (often just called "Chapman") is a two-person team format where both players hit tee shots, then switch to play their partner's ball for the second shot. After those two shots, the team selects the one best ball and plays a standard alternate shot format from that spot until the ball is in the hole. This unique structure gives teams two opportunities to put a ball in a great position before starting the high-stakes alternate shot portion of the hole, making it much more forgiving than traditional alternate shot.

Step-by-Step: How to Play a Hole in the Chapman Format

Understanding the flow of a hole is the first step. It might sound a bit confusing at first, but once you play a hole or two, it feels completely natural. Let's walk through it with an example team: Alex and Brenda.

• Step 1: The Tee Shots. On every hole, both players on the team hit their own tee shot. So, Alex hits a drive and Brenda hits a drive. They now have two balls in play.
• Step 2: The Switch for the Second Shots. This is the key that defines the Chapman format. After teeing off, the partners switch balls for their second strokes. Alex walks over and hits his second shot from where Brenda's drive landed. Brenda walks over and plays her second shot from where Alex's drive landed. The players do not hit their own ball for the second shot.
• Step 3: Choose the Best Ball. After both Alex and Brenda have hit their second shots, their two balls are now lying somewhere on the hole. They walk to both balls, look at the lies and positions, and decide as a team which one of the two balls is in the better position to finish the hole. They pick up the other ball, it's now out of play for that hole.
• Step 4: Play Alternate Shot to Finish. From the location of the selected best ball, the team plays a standard alternate shot until the ball is holed out. The player whose second shot was not chosen hits the third shot. For instance, if the team decides to play from where Alex’s second shot landed, Brenda would hit the third shot. They would then alternate - Alex hitting the fourth, Brenda the fifth, and so on until they've finished the hole.

A Practical Example a Par-4

Let's put this into a realistic scenario on a par-4:

1. Alex, the more conservative player, hits a perfect drive down the middle, 150 yards from the green. Brenda, the more aggressive player, hits a huge drive but pushes it slightly into the right-hand rough, leaving it 120 yards from the green.
2. Alex walks to Brenda's ball in the rough. Brenda Cwalks to Alex's ball in the fairway.
3. Alex, from the rough, plays a gutsy second shot that lands just short of the green in the fairway. Brenda, from the perfect fairway lie, hits a great shot that lands 15 feet from the pin.
4. Now, they assess. Alex's ball is a simple chip away. Brenda's ball is on the green with a 15-foot putt. They wisely choose Brenda's ball. They pick up Alex's ball.
5. Since they chose Brenda’s shot, Alex is up next. He steps up and putts the 15-footer. If he misses, Brenda will putt next. They continue this until the ball is holed.

The team score for that hole is the total number of strokes taken with the chosen ball, starting from Brenda's tee shot. In this case, that's Brenda's drive (1), Brenda's second shot (2), and Alex's putt (3) - totaling a 3 for a birdie.

Beyond the Rules: Strategic Advice for Playing Chapman

Chapman is more than just following the steps, it's a game of strategy, course management, and communication. Adopting a team mindset will elevate your performance significantly. As a coach, this is where I see the biggest difference between teams that just play and teams that win.

Partner Selection: Building a Balanced Team

The best Chapman teams often complement each other's skills. You don't need two players who are clones of each other. In fact, diversity can be a huge advantage.

• The Steady & The Slinger: Pairing a consistent, fairway-finding player with a long-ball hitter can be a deadly combination. The steady player almost guarantees you'll have one ball in a good position, freeing up the longer hitter to be aggressive off the tee.
• The Approach Ace & The Scrambler: Having one player who is excellent with their irons and another who has a phenomenal short game means you're covered for most situations. Even if both second shots miss the green, your short-game specialist has a chance to save the hole.

The goal isn't to be perfect, but to have a variety of skills so that you can turn two decent tee shots into at least one excellent third-shot opportunity.

Tee Shot Strategy: Think Like a Team

On the tee box, your objective isn't just to hit a good shot for yourself, it's to set your partner up for a playable second shot. Open communication is essential.

• Establish a "Safe" Player: If one player is feeling more consistent, they should be the one to guarantee a ball is in the fairway. This takes an immense amount of pressure off the other player.
• Know Your Partner's Game: If your partner is hitting your drive next, don't leave them in a spot they hate. For example, if your partner struggles with fairway bunkers, maybe aiming for a different part of the fairway - even if it's slightly further away - is the smarter play.

The Pivotal Second Shot: Your Most Important Contribution

The second shot in Chapman is where most matches are won or lost. Your mindset here is different from regular stroke play. You are not trying to be the hero, you are trying to give your team the best possible option.

• If Your Partner's Drive is Great: You're in an amazing position, like the fairway. Don't be foolish. Your job is to capitalize on that good fortune by hitting a smart, high-percentage shot onto or near the green. A controlled iron to the center of the green is almost always better than a risky shot at a tucked pin.
• If Your Partner's Drive is in Trouble: You're in the rough or a bunker. Your job changes completely. Your primary goal is recovery. Forget the green. Get the ball back into the fairway, even if it means hitting it sideways. Giving your team a 100-yard shot from the short grass is infinitely better than leaving them another shot from the trees. This single strategic choice can save your team multiple strokes per round.

Making the Choice: How to Select the Best Ball

Choosing the better of the two balls isn't always as simple as picking the one closest to the pin. It requires a thoughtful conversation. Here’s what you should consider:

• The Lie is Everything: A ball in the fairway 10 yards further away is almost always better than a ball sitting down in deep rough. Prioritize a clean lie.
• Angle of Approach: Is one of the shots blocked by trees or a bunker? A clear path to the pin is a huge factor.
• Player Strengths: Whose turn is it to hit the next shot? If you're 40 yards out and your short-game wizard is up next, that might be your best option. If your partner who struggles with bunker shots is up, the ball that's 50 yards out but in the fairway is the smarter pick, even if the other one is closer to the pin but in a greenside bunker.
• Distance Comfort: Talk it out. "I really like this 80-yard distance," is valuable information. Choosing a shot that puts your partner in a comfortable, confident spot a huge psychological advantage.

Common Chapman Questions Answered

A few questions almost always pop up when golfers are first learning this format. Let's clear them up.

How do you calculate handicaps for Chapman?

The standard recommendation from the USGA is a combination of both players' handicaps. The lower-handicapped player (Player A) gets 60% of their course handicap, and the higher-handicapped player (Player B) gets 40% of their course handicap. The sum of these two figures is the team's handicap for the round.

Example: Player A has a 12 handicap, and Player B has a 22 handicap.The calculation would be:(12 x 0.60) + (22 x 0.40) = 7.2 + 8.8 = 16.Their team handicap is 16 strokes.

What’s the difference between Chapman and Pinehurst?

This is a common point of confusion. The difference lies in when you select the best ball.

• Pinehurst (also called Greensomes or Foursomes): Both players hit a tee shot, then they select the one best drive. From that point, they play alternate shot until the ball is holed.
• Chapman: Both players hit a tee shot, then they hit each other's balls for a second shot. Only after the second shot do they select the one best ball and finish with alternate shot.

Chapman essentially gives you one extra "team" shot to get into position, making it a bit more forgiving and, some would argue, more strategic.

Final Thoughts

Chapman Scotch offers a refreshing break from individual stroke play, demanding communication, strategic thinking, and teamwork. It beautifully balances the pressure of alternate shot with the freedom of having two balls in play for the first two strokes, making it an engaging format for golfers of all skill levels.

Excelling at a format like Chapman really puts the focus on smart decision-making under pressure. At times, the "right" play isn't obvious. We built Caddie AI to be your objective, expert second opinion for those exact moments. When you're assessing a messy lie your partner left you, you can get instant guidance on the best way to play the recovery shot. When you're on the tee, you can develop a smart strategy for the hole with your partner. Our goal is to take the guesswork out of these tough situations, giving you the confidence to trust your decision and execute your shot as a team.