Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when you want a structured side or match in which each side's best individual hole score decides the result. Choose Snake when you want an informal putting side bet where three-putts transfer the snake and the final holder pays the agreed pot.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
Snake in brief
A putting side bet where the last player to three-putt loses the pot.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | Snake |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | A putting side bet where the last player to three-putt loses the pot. |
| 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; ideal 3-4 players in an individual field. It can run alongside a head-to-head match, but Snake itself is not a match-play competition. |
| 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. | Three-putts on completed holes. The first three-putt starts the snake, each later three-putt transfers it, and the player holding it after the agreed round is the loser. |
| 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%. | No standard WHS handicap allowance applies to Snake because it is an informal putting side bet, not a WHS competition format. If it accompanies an underlying handicap competition, use that competition's Committee-specified allowance; do not invent a Snake percentage. |
| 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. | Agree a fixed dollar amount per three-putt before play. Add that amount to the pot each time, then have the final snake holder pay the pot to the other players; agree in advance whether the amount doubles, how unfinished rounds are handled and how any tie is resolved. |
| 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 the same as ordinary stroke play when everyone holes out in turn, but it can be slower if players debate whether a putt counts or add a separate token-and-settlement routine. |
| 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. | Three or four players who want a simple putting-focused side bet alongside their normal round or another agreed game, with clear stakes and no gimmes unless the group agrees otherwise. |
| 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 final loss can depend on one late three-putt rather than overall scoring, and informal conventions differ on putts from the fringe, conceded putts, doubling and the payout. |
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. Under a chosen last-three-putt Snake rule, Alex holds the Snake at the end and pays $2 to each of Ben, Chris and Dana: net −$6 for Alex and +$2 for each other player. Agree the trigger before play.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 3 (match play); WHS Rules of Handicapping Appendix C (Four-Ball match play); Snake has no governing Rules of Golf format
Sources: www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.golfdigest.com
Common questions
How do best ball and Snake 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 Snake: Three-putts on completed holes. The first three-putt starts the snake, each later three-putt transfers it, and the player holding it after the agreed round is the loser.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs Snake?
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%. Snake: No standard WHS handicap allowance applies to Snake because it is an informal putting side bet, not a WHS competition format. If it accompanies an underlying handicap competition, use that competition's Committee-specified allowance; do not invent a Snake percentage.
When should I choose best ball instead of Snake?
Choose best ball when you want a structured side or match in which each side's best individual hole score decides the result. Choose Snake when you want an informal putting side bet where three-putts transfer the snake and the final holder pays the agreed pot.