Best ball and four-ball are the same format in almost every case you'll run into on a golf course. Four-ball is the official term used in the Rules of Golf, while best ball is the name most players use at the club level. Scoring, handicaps, and strategy work the same way either way, and we'll walk through all of it below.
TL;DR:
- Four-ball uses 90% handicap allowance in match play and 85% in stroke play, reducing the impact of higher handicaps on results.
- In four-ball, only the better score of the two partners counts for each hole, allowing aggressive play without penalizing the team for poor shots.
- Organizers should focus on clarifying the handicap allowances, pairing strategies, and scoring rules to prevent common confusion during events.
- The format is mostly the same under the names four-ball, best ball, and better ball, with only the terminology and specific event rules varying slightly.
- Tools like live scoring apps simplify event management by automating score entry and leaderboard updates, reducing manual calculation errors.
Table of Contents
- What is four-ball, and how does the scoring work?
- Rules and scoring: how a hole actually gets recorded
- Handicap allowances: what percentage applies and why
- Strategy: playing four-ball to your advantage
- Sorting out best ball, better ball, and four-ball
- Running a smooth four-ball event as an organizer
- What actually matters in this format
- A simple way to score your next four-ball event
- Where to check the official rules and handicap guidance
- Sources
- FAQ
What is four-ball, and how does the scoring work?
Four-ball is a team format for two-player sides. Each partner plays their own ball for the full hole, and the side takes the better of the two scores on that hole as the team result.
You can play four-ball as match play or as stroke play, and the format holds up in both.
- Match play: the side with the lower score wins the hole, ties carry the hole, and the match is decided hole by hole.
- Stroke play: each side's best-ball scores are added up over 18 holes, and the lowest total wins.
- Hole completion: once one partner has the better score locked in, the other partner can pick up. Neither player has to finish the hole once the team score is settled.
That last point trips up a lot of new players. You don't need two completed scorecards to get a valid team score, just one good number per hole.
Rules and scoring: how a hole actually gets recorded
The Rules of Golf on Four-Ball lay out the format cleanly: each side plays two balls (one per partner) rather than the single ball used in foursomes, and the lower of the two scores on a hole becomes the side's score for that hole. Partners can play in whatever order suits the situation, since there's no requirement to alternate shots or follow a strict sequence.
Recent USGA rules guidance on four-ball clears up a common point of confusion: if one partner holes out with the lower score, the other partner doesn't need to finish the hole at all. Their score simply doesn't count.
For scorecards, only the team's counting score has to go on the hole-by-hole line for the competition itself. Individual scores still matter, though, since they get recorded separately for handicap posting and for verifying the team result later.
Here's how a hole plays out in practice:
- Both partners hit their tee shots, approach shots, and putts as normal, playing their own ball throughout.
- Partner A cards a 5 on the hole and Partner B cards a 4. Once B's 4 is secure, A can stop putting if it won't beat that number.
- The side writes down 4 as the team score for that hole, while both individual scores of 5 and 4 still get logged for handicap purposes.
Learn more about how best ball scoring works across a full round, including how totals get tallied for stroke play events.
Handicap allowances: what percentage applies and why
Four-ball uses a reduced handicap allowance because two players are backing each other up on every hole, which softens the impact of a bad score. Under USGA handicap allowance guidance, that allowance is 90% for match play and 85% for stroke play, applied to the difference between partners' Course Handicaps.
Statistic: Four-ball allowances run at 90% in match play and 85% in stroke play, which trims each player's Course Handicap before it's applied to the match.
A USGA worked example for match play shows the process: find each player's Course Handicap, take the difference from the lowest handicap in the group, apply the 90% allowance to that difference, then round to get the Playing Handicap.
| Player | Course handicap | Difference from lowest | 90% allowance applied | Playing handicap |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Player A | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Player B | 14 | 6 | 5.4 | 5 |
Strategy: playing four-ball to your advantage
Four-ball's biggest edge is built-in insurance. If your partner is safely on the green, you're free to fire at a tucked pin or go for a par 5 in two, because a poor result just doesn't count.
- Reachable par 5s and short par 4s are where the aggressive partner should take the risk, since the other partner can lay up and protect.
- Tight, hazard-heavy holes call for one player to play conservatively off the tee while the partner takes the driver out.
- Pairing works best when you mix a steady, fairway-finding player with someone who chases birdies, since one player's consistency covers the other's misses, a dynamic strategy writers have pointed out around events like the Zurich Classic.
- Handicap pairing matters too. Pairing a low handicapper with a high handicapper often balances a side better than two similar players.
Pro Tip: Let your steadier partner play first on tough holes. It gives your aggressive partner a target score to beat or a green light to attack.
Sorting out best ball, better ball, and four-ball
The naming here confuses more golfers than the actual rules do. Best ball and better ball are both casual names for four-ball, and you'll see all three used on tournament flyers without any difference in how the round is scored. The one wrinkle is that "best ball" can also refer generically to the best score out of a larger group, not just a two-player side, so context matters when you read an invitation.
- 4BBB is a common shorthand for four-ball, better ball, standing for the two-versus-two format.
- Net vs. gross four-ball events apply handicap strokes (net) or not (gross), and flyers should specify which.
- Foursomes is a different animal entirely: one ball per side, partners alternate shots, no insurance if your partner hits a poor one.
- Scramble has both partners hit every shot and pick the best result each time, which is far more forgiving than four-ball.
- Shamble blends the two: everyone tees off, the best drive gets picked, then players finish the hole with their own ball.
If you're setting up an event, our page on tournament formats breaks down how each of these plays out for organizers.
Running a smooth four-ball event as an organizer
Four-ball events go wrong in predictable ways: a scorer writes down the wrong partner's number, or nobody's sure whether the round is net or gross. A short checklist before the round starts fixes most of it.
- Set pairings ahead of time, balancing steady players with aggressive ones where you can.
- Confirm playing handicaps for every side using the correct match play or stroke play allowance.
- Announce the format clearly, gross or net, so scorers know exactly what to record.
- Communicate the scoring rule: only the lower of the two partner scores counts per hole.
Live, hole-by-hole entry removes most of the guesswork here. Chase Birdies lets scorers punch in each partner's number as it happens, and the leaderboard automatically keeps the lower score per hole, so nobody has to do that math by hand mid-round.
What actually matters in this format
Most confusion around four-ball isn't really about the rules. Players get the scoring right within a hole or two of learning it. The real gap is in how organizers communicate the format ahead of time, gross or net, match or stroke, which allowance applies, because that's where flyers and sign-up sheets get vague.
The handicap allowance is the piece most casual events skip entirely, and it's the one that actually changes who wins. A club running four-ball at full handicaps instead of the 90% or 85% allowance is playing a different competition than the one the Rules of Golf describe, even if nobody notices until the results feel off.
If you organize club events, spend your prep time on the handicap math and the pairing sheet, not on debating whether to call it best ball or four-ball on the flyer. The name never changes the outcome. The allowance does.
— Jon
A simple way to score your next four-ball event
Running four-ball by hand means someone is doing subtraction on a scorecard every hole, for every group, all day. Chase Birdies is built for organizers who'd rather not do that math themselves.
- Hole-by-hole entry: scorers or players log scores as they happen, and the app keeps the lower ball automatically.
- Live leaderboards: standings update instantly so nobody's guessing who's leading mid-round.
- Simple pricing: Chase Birdies charges $1 per player for the event, with no subscription and no hidden fees.
Take a look at a live Best Ball Test Event to see the format in action, or check pricing for your next outing.
Where to check the official rules and handicap guidance
For the rule itself, see the R&A/USGA Rule 23 and USGA handicap allowance guidance. For a pro event example, see NBC Sports on the Zurich Classic.
Sources
FAQ
What is the easiest golf ball to hit straight?
This depends more on swing speed and construction than on the golf format you're playing. A softer, lower-compression ball generally helps slower swing speeds get straighter flight, though that's a general equipment consideration separate from best ball or four-ball scoring.
What is a marshmallow in golf?
"Marshmallow" is informal to slang some golfers use for a soft, easy putt or a short gimme distance, not an official scoring term. It doesn't appear in the Rules of Golf and isn't tied to any specific format like four-ball or foursomes.
What does 69 mean in golf?
A score of 69 simply means a round finished three strokes under par on a par-72 course, a strong individual score by any measure. It has no special connection to four-ball scoring, which combines two players' best results per hole rather than tracking one player's total.
Which is better: best ball or scramble?
Neither format is better outright, they suit different skill levels and goals. Best ball, or four-ball, rewards individual shot-making since each player plays their own ball, while scramble is more forgiving for mixed-ability groups since everyone plays from the best shot each time.