Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when golfers want individual balls and each side's lowest score to count, including a clearly defined one-player-versus-a-side or Four-Ball-style arrangement. Choose foursomes when partners want one shared ball, alternating shots, and a head-to-head match centred on collaboration.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
foursomes in brief
Partners share one ball and alternate shots, including alternating who tees off on each hole.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | foursomes |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | Partners share one ball and alternate shots, including alternating who tees off 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 a head-to-head match (two sides of two); ideal: 4. A two-player side can also play foursomes in a stroke-play field, but two people alone cannot create a head-to-head match. |
| 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. | Holes in match play; total strokes in stroke 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%. | WHS Appendix C recommends 50% of the combined team Course Handicaps for foursomes. The allowance is applied to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap; the Committee or relevant national association sets the competition terms. Illustrative calculation: Alex 10 plus Ben 18 gives a combined 28, and 50% gives a team Playing Handicap of 14 before any competition-specific rounding or conditions. |
| 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 part of the Rules of Golf. If stakes are agreed, partners can settle a match bet at the end of the match, or use an agreed per-hole side bet; write the house terms down 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. | Often faster than individual stroke play because a side plays one ball, but not guaranteed: alternating turns and partner decisions can create delays. Treat this as an editorial tendency, not a measured rule or promise. |
| 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. | Four players who want a genuine team match with shared responsibility for every shot. It suits a head-to-head contest where communication and a fixed teeing order matter as much as individual ball-striking. |
| 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. | One poor shot belongs to the side and can leave the partner an awkward next shot, so the format can feel unforgiving and less suitable when players want independent scores. |
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 alternate strokes at one ball and complete the hole in 4; Chris and Dana complete it in 5. The first side wins a scratch foursomes hole.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 22 (Foursomes); Rule 23 (Four-Ball and the Best-Ball naming qualification); WHS Rules of Handicapping Appendix C
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org
Common questions
How do best ball and foursomes 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 foursomes: Holes in match play; total strokes in stroke play.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs foursomes?
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%. foursomes: WHS Appendix C recommends 50% of the combined team Course Handicaps for foursomes. The allowance is applied to the unrounded Course Handicap as the final step in calculating Playing Handicap; the Committee or relevant national association sets the competition terms. Illustrative calculation: Alex 10 plus Ben 18 gives a combined 28, and 50% gives a team Playing Handicap of 14 before any competition-specific rounding or conditions.
When should I choose best ball instead of foursomes?
Choose best ball when golfers want individual balls and each side's lowest score to count, including a clearly defined one-player-versus-a-side or Four-Ball-style arrangement. Choose foursomes when partners want one shared ball, alternating shots, and a head-to-head match centred on collaboration.