Four-ball (best ball): the friendliest team format
Two players, two balls, one score: whichever partner plays the hole better is the one that counts. It is the format most weekend fourballs default to without ever naming it.
Written and maintained by the Golf Game Bet Calculator team, who build the scoring engine this site runs on. Last reviewed .
In four-ball, each of the four players plays their own ball for the whole hole. At the end of the hole the team takes its better score and discards the other. Two teams of two therefore produce two numbers per hole, and those two numbers decide the hole.
The name confusion is worth clearing up. In Ryder Cup broadcasts "four-ball" means the match-play version of this format, and "best ball" is the American term for the same idea. Strictly, best ball can also describe one player against a team of two or three. In practice, if someone in your group says "best ball", they mean two-player teams taking the lower score.
Match play or stroke play
- Four-ball match play — the better ball of team A against the better ball of team B, hole by hole. Win the hole, go one up. This is how the Ryder Cup runs it and it produces the most drama, because a single conceded putt swings a hole.
- Four-ball stroke play — add the eighteen better-ball scores into one team total. Common in club opens; steadier, less exciting, easier to run for a big field.
Handicap allowances
Because the better ball is already a low score, giving both partners their full handicap inflates a team's advantage. The World Handicap System recommends 85% of course handicap for four-ball stroke play and 90% for four-ball match play, applied per player and then per hole by stroke index.
Casual groups usually simplify: play off the lowest handicap in the game and give everyone else the difference. If the low player is a 6 and the others are 10, 14 and 22, they receive 4, 8 and 16 strokes respectively. It is not statistically ideal but it is instantly understood on the first tee, which matters more.
| Player | Course handicap | WHS allowance (90%) | Strokes received |
|---|---|---|---|
| A | 6 | 90% | 5 |
| B | 10 | 90% | 9 |
| C | 14 | 90% | 13 |
| D | 22 | 90% | 20 |
Match-play four-ball allowance under the WHS recommendation, rounded to the nearest whole stroke.
Worked example
Par 4, stroke index 5. Team Blue is a 6 and a 20 handicap; Team White is a 12 and a 14.
- Blue's 6-handicap makes 4; their 20-handicap makes 6 but receives a stroke, so net 5.
- Blue's better ball is the 4.
- White's 12 makes 5 with a stroke, net 4; their 14 makes 5 with a stroke, net 4.
- White's better ball is also 4. Hole halved.
Notice that White wasted a good hole — both partners produced the same net score, and one of them contributed nothing. That is the strategic core of four-ball: your job is not always to score, it is to make sure the team has at least one ball in play.
Strategy
Decide the order of play deliberately. If your partner has already put a ball on the green in two, you are free to take on the pin from the bunker — there is no downside to a six when the team already has a four banked. Conversely, if your partner has just found the trees off the tee, hit the fairway even if it means a shorter club. Good four-ball partners talk on every tee about who is the safe ball.
The most common mistake is both players attacking the same tucked pin and both finishing short-sided. The second most common is a player picking up "to speed things up" when their partner is in trouble — keep playing until the team's score is secure.
Pace of play in four-ball
Four-ball is naturally slower than singles because two balls per team means up to four balls in play around the green at once. Ready golf is essential: if your partner's ball is clearly out of the hole and yours is the team's only realistic score, play first even if you are technically "away." Agree before the round that once a player's score cannot beat the partner's, they simply mark and wait rather than finishing out a lost cause on a busy course.
A useful house rule for member-guest events: cap the maximum score any player records at par plus two once their ball cannot help the team, purely to keep the group moving. It has no bearing on stroke-play totals if you are only using the better-ball number anyway.
Betting on it
A four-ball match is naturally a two-sided bet, which makes settlement easy: a fixed amount per hole, or a fixed amount on the match with automatic presses. Adding a Nassau structure — front, back and overall — is the standard upgrade and gives a team that loses the front nine something to play for. Junk bets (birdies, closest to the pin, sandies) sit on top happily because they are individual, not team.
A common dispute is whether a wasted score — the partner who did not count — still qualifies for individual junk bets like a greenie or a birdie carry-over. Decide this before the round: most groups pay individual junk on the actual score made, regardless of whether it was the team's counting score.
Variations worth trying
- Aggregate four-ball — both scores count and are added together. Punishes the wasted ball and makes every shot matter.
- Better ball plus worst ball — the team records both, and the worst ball match runs as a separate side bet.
- Rotating partners — change pairings every six holes so everyone plays with everyone, which is the same idea as Las Vegas re-pairing.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between four-ball and best ball?
They describe the same scoring idea — take the lower of two scores on a hole — but four-ball specifically means two-player teams, while best ball can also describe one player taking on a team of two or three. In casual conversation the two terms are used interchangeably for two-player teams.
How many strokes do you get in four-ball?
The World Handicap System recommends 90% of course handicap for four-ball match play and 85% for four-ball stroke play, applied to each player individually. Casual groups often simplify by playing off the lowest handicap in the group and giving everyone else the full difference.
Can both players pick up in four-ball?
Only if the hole is already decided for the team and there is no side bet resting on an individual score, such as a birdie carry-over or closest-to-the-pin. If any junk bet depends on a finished score, both players should hole out.
What happens if both partners make the same score?
Nothing extra — the team simply records that score once. It is a wasted opportunity strategically, because one player's shot contributed nothing, but it does not create any special rule or bonus.
Is four-ball good for beginners?
Yes. Pairing a newer player with a stronger one means the team is rarely exposed by a single bad hole, and the newer player can play aggressively knowing their partner has a safety net. It is widely considered the most forgiving team format after the scramble.