Page type: Format comparison (two named formats)
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When each fits
Choose best ball when players want individual balls but a side’s lower hole score to count, with the player arrangement stated. Choose Vegas when four players want a volatile paired-score betting game and agree its house rules, handicap treatment and dollar value per point.
best ball in brief
A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole.
Vegas in brief
A two-team game pairing each side's hole scores into a two-digit number.
Table
| Comparison | best ball | Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| One line | A low-score team game where each side records its best individual score on every hole. | A two-team game pairing each side's hole scores into a two-digit number. |
| 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: two teams of two; ideal 4 in one foursome. It is a head-to-head team game, 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. | Points per hole, calculated as the difference between the two teams' paired two-digit scores; the agreed dollar value per point converts the running total to money. |
| 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%. | Vegas has no demonstrated Vegas-specific WHS allowance. If the group uses net hole scores, state that house rule before play. A defensible option for a structured two-team match is the WHS four-ball match-play recommendation: apply 90% to the difference between each player's unrounded Course Handicap and the lowest player's unrounded Course Handicap, then round to Playing Handicaps. This is an adopted four-ball benchmark, not an official rule for the casual Vegas game. |
| 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 value per point before teeing off. Add each hole's point difference to a running team total and settle the final difference at the end; presses, birdie or eagle multipliers and payment splits are optional house rules and must be agreed first. |
| 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. | Slower than ordinary stroke play in practice because each hole requires two-digit pairing, possible score flips and point arithmetic; this is an editorial tendency, not a measured statistic. |
| 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. | A balanced foursome that enjoys a volatile team betting game, accepts large swings and is willing to write down house rules before starting. |
| 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 single birdie flip or high score can create a very large swing, and different groups use different rules for handicaps, 10-plus scores, eagles and presses. |
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 selected no-flip Vegas rule, Alex 4 and Ben 5 form 45; Chris 5 and Dana 6 form 56. At $1 per point per side, the 11-point difference pays $11 from the second side to the first. Agree caps and multi-digit-score handling.
Rule reference: Rules of Golf Rule 23 (Four-Ball context only); Rule 3.2 (match play); WHS Appendix C (Four-Ball match-play benchmark only)
Sources: www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.randa.org , www.usga.org , www.golfmonthly.com , golf.com , www.thefriedegg.com , www.usga.org , www.usga.org
Common questions
How do best ball and Vegas 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 Vegas: Points per hole, calculated as the difference between the two teams' paired two-digit scores; the agreed dollar value per point converts the running total to money.
How do handicaps apply in best ball vs Vegas?
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%. Vegas: Vegas has no demonstrated Vegas-specific WHS allowance. If the group uses net hole scores, state that house rule before play. A defensible option for a structured two-team match is the WHS four-ball match-play recommendation: apply 90% to the difference between each player's unrounded Course Handicap and the lowest player's unrounded Course Handicap, then round to Playing Handicaps. This is an adopted four-ball benchmark, not an official rule for the casual Vegas game.
When should I choose best ball instead of Vegas?
Choose best ball when players want individual balls but a side’s lower hole score to count, with the player arrangement stated. Choose Vegas when four players want a volatile paired-score betting game and agree its house rules, handicap treatment and dollar value per point.