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 and a side's lowest hole score should decide a straightforward match. Choose Ryder Cup format when a larger group wants a team event combining four-ball, foursomes and singles matches with points across scheduled sessions.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
Ryder Cup format in brief
A team match-play event combining four-ball, foursomes and singles matches.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | Ryder Cup format |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | A team match-play event combining four-ball, foursomes and singles matches. |
| 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 one head-to-head singles match; 4 for one two-versus-two team match. Ideal: 8 or more players split into two teams for a Ryder Cup-style event. |
| 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 within each match, then points for the team 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%. | The Ryder Cup itself is a scratch team competition, so it has no inherent handicap allowance. For a handicap recreation, use the applicable format rather than one Ryder Cup percentage: individual match play 100% of the unrounded Course Handicap, four-ball match play 90%, and foursomes 50% of the combined team handicap. In match play, the lowest Playing Handicap normally plays from zero and the others receive the difference; the Terms of the Competition can specify another approach. |
| 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. | There is no built-in money settlement. If players agree stakes, settle by the agreed match or team point result; a common house rule is one equal unit per match, with a half-unit for a halved match. Agree whether the overall team result adds a bonus before play. |
| 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 faster than stroke play for an individual match, because a hole or match can be conceded; a full team event is slower overall because it runs many matches across sessions. |
| 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. | Groups wanting a team day with changing partnerships, a mix of alternate shot and better-ball play, and a clear points-based finish. |
| 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 needs careful scheduling and agreed team-selection, session, handicap and tie-break rules; a small casual group cannot reproduce the full event without practical adaptations. |
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 an illustrative miniature team event, Alex and Ben win a four-ball for 1 point; Alex wins a singles match and Ben loses another. With 1 point per win, their side takes 2 points and Chris/Dana's side 1. This is not an official event record.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 3.2 (match play); Rule 22 (foursomes); Rule 23 (Four-Ball)
Sources: www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.pgatour.com , www.usga.org
Common questions
How do best ball and Ryder Cup format 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 Ryder Cup format: holes within each match, then points for the team total
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs Ryder Cup format?
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%. Ryder Cup format: The Ryder Cup itself is a scratch team competition, so it has no inherent handicap allowance. For a handicap recreation, use the applicable format rather than one Ryder Cup percentage: individual match play 100% of the unrounded Course Handicap, four-ball match play 90%, and foursomes 50% of the combined team handicap. In match play, the lowest Playing Handicap normally plays from zero and the others receive the difference; the Terms of the Competition can specify another approach.
When should I choose best ball instead of Ryder Cup format?
Choose best ball when each player should play their own ball and a side's lowest hole score should decide a straightforward match. Choose Ryder Cup format when a larger group wants a team event combining four-ball, foursomes and singles matches with points across scheduled sessions.