How to playbest ball.

The rules

1. Two teams of two. Everyone plays their own ball from tee to hole, the whole round.
2. On each hole, the team's score is the better of its two players' scores. The other one doesn't count.
3. Play it as a match (the lower team score wins the hole) or as stroke play (add up the team's best scores over the round).

Officially it's called four-ball, and it's the format of the four-ball sessions at the Ryder Cup. A partner's birdie can cover your double, so you can swing freely.

A worked example

Best ball, scramble or aggregate?

• Best ball: everyone plays their own ball; the better score counts.
• Scramble: everyone tees off, the team picks the best shot, and everyone plays the next shot from there. Much lower scores, and they don't count for a handicap.
• Aggregate: both partners' scores are added together, so every stroke counts.
• Alternate shot (foursomes): partners share one ball and take turns hitting it.

Handicaps in best ball

Each player gets their own strokes, and the team counts the better net score. Events usually use 90% of each player's strokes for four-ball match play and 85% for four-ball stroke play. In a match, the lowest player of the four plays off zero and the others get the difference. Work out the strokes for your group.

Common variations

• Bigger teams: in a group of four playing as one team, count the best one, two or three scores on each hole.
• Low ball, low total: two points a hole, one for the better ball and one for the lower combined score.
• Best ball Nassau: play the team match as a Nassau, with front, back and overall bets.

Free Best Ball scorekeeper

Type each player's score as you go. The card works out every hole and the standing, and it stays in this browser if you lose signal or close the tab.

Updated November 13, 2026 by the Greens team.