Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when your event uses the one-player-versus-a-side arrangement described in the supplied Rules text, or when the organiser has explicitly defined that label and its handicap terms. Choose better ball when two partners form each side in a standard head-to-head Four-Ball match.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
better ball in brief
Partners play their own balls; the side counts the lower score on each hole.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | better ball |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | Partners play their own balls; the side counts the lower score on each hole. |
| Players | Minimum: 3 for the Rules-described one-player-versus-a-side version; ideal: 4 for two two-player sides. In ordinary club usage, best ball often means two partners versus two partners, but the Rules source distinguishes that as Four-Ball. | Minimum 4 for head-to-head play: two sides of two; ideal 4 for a direct match or 4+ for a field event. It is a partner format, not an individual contest. |
| Scoring unit | Holes in match play; strokes or points in stroke-play variants. Each side's score for a hole is the lower score of its partners, or the best score from the side in a one-player-versus-a-side arrangement. | Match play: holes won, lost or tied using the side's lower score. Stroke play: the lower gross or net partner score on each hole contributes to the side's total. |
| Handicap method | For two-player sides played as Four-Ball match play, WHS Appendix C recommends 90% of the difference in Course Handicap, applied to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap; in match play the lowest Playing Handicap normally plays from zero and the others receive the differences. The one-player-versus-a-side Best-Ball variation has no separate allowance listed in Appendix C, so the Committee or house Terms should specify how handicaps are applied rather than automatically transplanting 90%. | For a WHS handicap competition, use the Terms of Competition and the applicable format allowance. The recommended allowance is 90% for four-ball match play, with the lowest Playing Handicap set to zero relative to the others; it is 85% for four-ball stroke play. Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap when calculating Playing Handicap, rather than directly to Handicap Index. |
| Money settles how | If stakes are agreed, settle by the agreed match result or by hole; money is a house arrangement, not part of the Rules of Golf. Confirm whether a side or individual is the betting unit before play. | No money settlement is inherent in better ball. If players agree a side game, settle by the agreed unit, such as a fixed amount per hole won in match play or a round total in stroke play; write the stake and tie rule before starting. |
| Pace | Often faster than individual stroke play in a casual round because a player can stop once a partner's lower score is secure, but it can be similar or slower when all players finish holes or when match-play decisions require discussion; this is an editorial tendency, not a measured rule. | Same to slightly slower than individual stroke play as a qualified tendency: four players still play separate balls, although a side can usually stop once its partner's lower score is secure and may choose an efficient order of play. |
| Best for | Pairs who want every player to play their own ball while still rewarding a side's strongest score, including a two-versus-two match or a one-versus-two/three challenge when the Terms are clear. | Pairs who want teamwork without alternate shot, especially a two-versus-two match where each player retains their own ball and a poor hole can be covered by a partner. |
| Weakness | The name and handicap treatment are easy to misunderstand: current Rule 23 is Four-Ball for two-player sides, while the USGA's Rules text describes Best-Ball as one individual against a side of two or three; informal events also vary on whether the game is match play, stroke play or a side bet. | A weaker partner may contribute little when the other partner repeatedly supplies the counting score, and an informal money game can become unclear unless the scoring unit, handicap allowance and ties are agreed. |
Worked example
Illustrative inputs and selected terms, not historical results. For an explicitly selected one-versus-three best-ball match, Alex scores 4 against Ben 5, Chris 5 and Dana 6; the partners' lowest 5 loses that scratch hole to Alex. Casual best-ball labels may mean something else. For a defined two-versus-two lower-ball hole, Alex 4 and Ben 5 give their side 4; Chris 5 and Dana 6 give the other side 5. The first side wins a scratch hole. Confirm casual naming and format terms.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 23 (Four-Ball and Best-Ball naming); Rule 3.2 (match play); WHS Rules of Handicapping Appendix C
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org
Common questions
How do best ball and better ball score differently?
For best ball: Holes in match play; strokes or points in stroke-play variants. Each side's score for a hole is the lower score of its partners, or the best score from the side in a one-player-versus-a-side arrangement. For better ball: Match play: holes won, lost or tied using the side's lower score. Stroke play: the lower gross or net partner score on each hole contributes to the side's total.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs better ball?
best ball: For two-player sides played as Four-Ball match play, WHS Appendix C recommends 90% of the difference in Course Handicap, applied to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap; in match play the lowest Playing Handicap normally plays from zero and the others receive the differences. The one-player-versus-a-side Best-Ball variation has no separate allowance listed in Appendix C, so the Committee or house Terms should specify how handicaps are applied rather than automatically transplanting 90%. better ball: For a WHS handicap competition, use the Terms of Competition and the applicable format allowance. The recommended allowance is 90% for four-ball match play, with the lowest Playing Handicap set to zero relative to the others; it is 85% for four-ball stroke play. Apply the allowance to the unrounded Course Handicap when calculating Playing Handicap, rather than directly to Handicap Index.
When should I choose best ball instead of better ball?
Choose best ball when your event uses the one-player-versus-a-side arrangement described in the supplied Rules text, or when the organiser has explicitly defined that label and its handicap terms. Choose better ball when two partners form each side in a standard head-to-head Four-Ball match.