A shotgun start is a golf tournament format in which all groups of players tee off simultaneously from different holes.
A shotgun start allows a tournament to end at the same time it takes the slowest foursome to finish a full round or 18 holes of golf.
Today, a central siren, loudspeaker or horn is used so that golfers all over the course can hear the signal to start, or a specific time is designated.
It can also be used for large group and corporate tournaments as well as events where the participants arrive at the venue together on a bus.
Most golf courses have strict rules and policies when booking this type of tournament (as the number of players involved essentially closes the course to other golfers), which may include one or more of the following: Because of weather issues, the European Tour of professional golf has used the format three times to play ahead of the weather; the final round of the 1994 Czech Open, the final two rounds of the 2015 Portugal Masters and the final round of 2018 Alfred Dunhill Links Championship all used shotgun starts in order to beat the weather.