Golf formats

Four-Ball

Also called better ball, best ball

Four-ball is two players a side, each playing their own ball, with the better net score of each pair counting for the hole. It is the most forgiving of the team formats, which is why it is where most groups start.

How it works

1. 1All four players play their own ball for the whole hole.
2. 2Each side takes its lower net score, and those two numbers decide the hole.
3. 3A partner who is out of the hole can pick up — the side only needs one score.

Handicaps

Four-ball match play is 90% of Course Handicap, with strokes taken off the lowest handicap in the match. Four-ball STROKE play is 85%, which is a distinction most apps get wrong and most groups argue about.

Playing it well

• If your partner is safely on the green, take the aggressive line. That is the whole point of the format.
• One of you should always be in play off the tee. Both of you in trouble is how holes get given away.
• Watch where the strokes fall: a shot on a hard hole is worth more than a shot on an easy one.