Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
Free tool: Open the calculator →
When each fits
Choose best ball when partners each play their own ball and the side uses its best score on every hole. Choose match play when you want a direct hole-by-hole contest decided by holes won, lost or tied, whether singles or a recognised side arrangement.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
match play in brief
Players win individual holes; the match goes to whoever is ahead when the result is decided.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | match play |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | Players win individual holes; the match goes to whoever is ahead when the result is decided. |
| 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 for an individual head-to-head; ideal 2, or a larger individual field arranged as separate matches. It is not one shared score against the whole field. |
| 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 |
| 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 individual match play, the recommended WHS allowance is 100%. Apply it to each player's unrounded Course Handicap to calculate the Playing Handicap. The player with the lowest Playing Handicap plays from zero; each other player receives the difference from that lowest Playing Handicap, with strokes allocated by hole as specified by the Committee or Terms of Competition. |
| 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. | Match play has no automatic money settlement. If players agree a stake beforehand, it can settle as one amount for the match; any per-hole side bet or carry-over is a house rule that should be written 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 stroke play, because the match ends once one player leads by more holes than remain and concessions can shorten holes; it can be the same or slower when matches are close, contested or extended. |
| 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. | Two players who want every hole to matter, a direct contest between unequally skilled golfers using handicaps, or a club knockout with clearly stated Terms of Competition. |
| 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 player can be eliminated before 18 holes, and a disputed handicap, concession or house-money rule can create friction unless the terms are agreed first. |
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. In a scratch singles hole, Alex scores 4 and Ben 5, so Alex wins that hole under Rule 3.2.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 23 (Four-Ball and best-ball naming distinction); Rule 3.1a and 3.2 (match play)
Sources: www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.randa.org
Common questions
How do best ball and match play 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 match play: holes
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs match play?
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%. match play: For individual match play, the recommended WHS allowance is 100%. Apply it to each player's unrounded Course Handicap to calculate the Playing Handicap. The player with the lowest Playing Handicap plays from zero; each other player receives the difference from that lowest Playing Handicap, with strokes allocated by hole as specified by the Committee or Terms of Competition.
When should I choose best ball instead of match play?
Choose best ball when partners each play their own ball and the side uses its best score on every hole. Choose match play when you want a direct hole-by-hole contest decided by holes won, lost or tied, whether singles or a recognised side arrangement.