Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when you want a side game in which each side's lowest individual score counts, with player numbers and handicap terms agreed. Choose dormie when you are recording a live match-play lead equal to the holes remaining, not selecting a format or scoring system.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
dormie in brief
A match-play score state, not a standalone golf format.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | dormie |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | A match-play score state, not a standalone golf format. |
| 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: 2 players in one head-to-head match; ideal: 2 players or 2 sides in a match. It is not an individual-field format. |
| 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. Dormie describes a lead equal to the holes remaining, such as 3 up with 3 to play. |
| 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%. | Dormie has no separate WHS allowance because it is a match state, not a format. Apply the underlying match allowance: Appendix C recommends 100% for individual match play and 90% for four-ball, then compare Playing Handicaps with the lowest off zero. |
| 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. | Only where house stakes for the underlying match were agreed. Settle when the match result is decided; dormie creates no automatic per-hole, per-point or payout rule. |
| 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 as the underlying match play (editorial tendency). Dormie adds no holes or strokes; it only describes the lead, so pace still depends on normal match-play decisions and concessions. |
| 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. | Explaining a late-match scoreboard or labelling a match-play position before it is officially won. |
| 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. | It is often mistaken for a guaranteed win. A dormie lead equals the holes left; the match is won only when the lead exceeds the holes remaining or the opponent concedes. |
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 being 2 up with 2 holes left is a dormie state, not a separate game. If Ben wins both holes and an extra-hole extension is required, Alex could still lose the extended match.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 23 (Four-Ball and best-ball naming); Rule 3.2a (when a match is won); Rule 3.2c (handicap strokes); WHS Rules of Handicapping Appendix C
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org
Common questions
How do best ball and dormie 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 dormie: Match-play holes. Dormie describes a lead equal to the holes remaining, such as 3 up with 3 to play.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs dormie?
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%. dormie: Dormie has no separate WHS allowance because it is a match state, not a format. Apply the underlying match allowance: Appendix C recommends 100% for individual match play and 90% for four-ball, then compare Playing Handicaps with the lowest off zero.
When should I choose best ball instead of dormie?
Choose best ball when you want a side game in which each side's lowest individual score counts, with player numbers and handicap terms agreed. Choose dormie when you are recording a live match-play lead equal to the holes remaining, not selecting a format or scoring system.