Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when each player should play their own ball throughout and the side’s lowest hole score should decide the match, with player arrangement and Four-Ball handicap terms stated clearly. Choose Chapman when four players want both partners’ tee shots considered, then a joint selection and alternate-shot finish.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
Chapman in brief
Two partners swap second shots, choose one ball, then finish with alternate shots.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | Chapman |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | Two partners swap second shots, choose one ball, then finish with alternate shots. |
| 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. | Two players per side. A single pair can enter a stroke-play field; four players, in two pairs, make a head-to-head contest. Ideal: four in a playing group, or a larger event made up of two-player sides. |
| 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. | Strokes per hole and total team strokes; the lowest net total wins in stroke play. A club may instead specify a match-play or side-bet settlement, but that is a competition choice. |
| 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 standard Chapman/Pinehurst stroke play, use the WHS recommended team allowance of 60% of the lower Course Handicap plus 40% of the higher Course Handicap. Apply the percentages to each player's unrounded Course Handicap before rounding the resulting team Playing Handicap. The Committee or competition Terms should state the allowance; do not automatically reuse this stroke-play recommendation for an unstandardised match-play version. |
| 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 inherent money settlement. If Alex and Ben play Chris and Dana for an agreed dollar stake, the Terms should state whether the stake is settled on the winning net total, each hole, or another agreed side game; Chapman itself does not prescribe betting. |
| 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. | Usually slower than ordinary four-ball and potentially similar to foursomes, because all four players hit a tee shot, then each plays the partner's ball before the team selects one ball and continues with alternate shots. This is an editorial tendency, not a measured rule or timing claim. |
| 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. | A four-player team competition where partners want both players involved on every tee shot and an alternate-shot finish that rewards joint decisions. It suits a club day or friendly event with written Terms covering handicaps, ties and any stakes. |
| 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. | The format can feel slow and awkward at the second-shot selection: both partners must play the partner's ball, and the team then loses one of the two balls before alternating to the hole. Uneven team handicaps or unwritten house rules can also cause disputes. |
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. Alex and Ben both tee off, swap balls for their second shots, select one and alternate to finish in 4; Chris and Dana finish in 5. The event must specify the scoring and handicap terms.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 23 (Four-Ball and the Best-Ball naming qualification); WHS Rules of Handicapping Appendix C
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org
Common questions
How do best ball and Chapman 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 Chapman: Strokes per hole and total team strokes; the lowest net total wins in stroke play. A club may instead specify a match-play or side-bet settlement, but that is a competition choice.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs Chapman?
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%. Chapman: For standard Chapman/Pinehurst stroke play, use the WHS recommended team allowance of 60% of the lower Course Handicap plus 40% of the higher Course Handicap. Apply the percentages to each player's unrounded Course Handicap before rounding the resulting team Playing Handicap. The Committee or competition Terms should state the allowance; do not automatically reuse this stroke-play recommendation for an unstandardised match-play version.
When should I choose best ball instead of Chapman?
Choose best ball when each player should play their own ball throughout and the side’s lowest hole score should decide the match, with player arrangement and Four-Ball handicap terms stated clearly. Choose Chapman when four players want both partners’ tee shots considered, then a joint selection and alternate-shot finish.