Dictionary

shotgun start en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• /ˈʃɑtɡʌn stɑɹt/ (General-American)
• /ˈʃɒtɡʌn stɑːt/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

From the first reported use of this format in 1956, wherein a shotgun was fired to alert all players from each of the 18 holes that the tournament had started.

Meanings

1. A tournament format in which all groups of contestants tee off simultaneously from different holes.
   • After the Dom Perignon toast and shotgun start, approximately 30 foursomes will head out to play two best balls on one of the most prestigious courses in the Cincinnati area. 2009 January, “The Russ Wiles Memorial Golf Tournament”, in Cincinnati Magazine, page 155:
   • A shotgun start begins at the clubhouse and has all participants leaving at the same time to travel to a designated starting hole to await the starting gun/noise. 2011 August 8, Linda E. Swayne, Mark Dodds, Encyclopedia of Sports Management and Marketing, SAGE Publications, →ISBN:
   • Also, since the players teed off simultaneously, the infamous "shotgun start," with several foursomes at each tee box, the tournaments ran notoriously slow. 2011 October, Mike Nettleton, Shotgun Start, Krill Press, →ISBN:
   • A shotgun start format is usually employed for a golf tournament of 120-144 golfers on 18 holes. Each foursome is assigned a starting hole and begins the tournament at that hole. 2013 March, Frank MacGrath, The Complete Handbook for Planning, Implementing and Sustaining A Successful Fundraising Golf Tournament, Civil Sector Press, →ISBN, page 48:
   • In a classic shotgun start, 18 groups play, with one group starting on each hole, but, more often, there will be two groups starting on the par-fours and par-fives. 2011 January 21, Bill Mallon, Randon Jerris, Historical Dictionary of Golf, Scarecrow Press, →ISBN, page 267:

Forms