Guides

What is four-ball in golf?

Four-ball is the official term for the format most American golfers call best ball: two-player teams, everyone plays their own ball, and the better score of the two partners counts on each hole. The name confuses people every Ryder Cup — it refers to the four balls in play in a two-versus-two match, not to four-person teams. Here is what four-ball actually means, how it is scored, and how to handicap it.

The official definition (Rule 23)

Four-ball is defined in Rule 23 of the Rules of Golf, jointly published by the USGA and R&A. It is a form of play where two partners compete as a side, each playing their own ball, and the side's score for a hole is the lower score of the two partners on that hole. Because the rules were written around the match-play version — two partners against two other partners, four balls on the course — the name four-ball stuck even though only the best one counts.

Rule 23 contains the details that make the format distinctive. Partners may share advice and decide between themselves who plays first — a huge tactical lever, since the partner with a short birdie putt can putt first and free the other to be aggressive. One partner can represent the side alone: if your partner oversleeps, you may play the match by yourself against both opponents. And a penalty incurred by one partner normally does not affect the other's ball, so one player picking up or making a mess does not sink the side as long as the partner finishes the hole.

Four-ball vs best ball: same format, different rooms

Functionally, four-ball and two-person best ball are the same thing: own ball, better score counts. The difference is context and precision. Four-ball is the rulebook term and almost always implies two-player sides — often in match play. Best ball is the everyday American term and gets applied loosely to two-, three-, and four-person teams in stroke-play events, sometimes with variations like the best two of four scores counting.

So a club posting a four-ball match-play bracket and a charity flyer advertising four-man best ball are describing different events, even though the core mechanic — count the best individual score — is identical. If you are writing a rules sheet, use four-ball when you mean two-player sides under Rule 23, and spell out team size and how many scores count for anything else. Neither should be confused with a scramble, where the team plays a single ball together.

Full guide: Best ball vs scramble: what's the difference?

Four-ball in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup

Four-ball is one of the two team formats (alongside foursomes, which is alternate shot) played in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, and Solheim Cup. Each session sends out two-player pairings in match play: on every hole, the better ball of the two Americans is compared against the better ball of the two Europeans or Internationals, and the lower score wins the hole. Matches are scored in holes won — 1-up, 3&2, and so on — and a tied match earns each side half a point.

Watching a Ryder Cup four-ball is the fastest way to understand the format's character. Because a partner's score is always there as a backstop, players fire at pins constantly; birdies win holes and pars often lose them. Captains pair an aggressive player with a steady one for exactly this reason: one makes the safe par first, the other attacks. That same dynamic shows up in your club four-ball — the freedom to be aggressive when your partner is safely on the green is the joy of the format.

Four-ball stroke play vs four-ball match play

Four-ball match play is two sides head to head. Each hole is won, lost, or halved by comparing better balls; the match ends when one side is up more holes than remain. Concessions are allowed — opponents can concede putts, holes, or the match — and because it is hole-by-hole, one partner making a 9 costs nothing more than that single hole.

Four-ball stroke play sends the whole field out and totals each side's better-ball score across 18 holes; lowest total wins. It is the standard format for two-person member-guest and invitational stroke-play divisions. Two administrative details matter: the side's score must be attributable to the right partner on each hole (whose ball counted), and a partner who is out of the hole can pick up — the marker records no score for that player, which keeps pace of play tolerable. In stroke play there are no concessions; the counting ball must be holed.

Handicaps in four-ball

Four-ball uses a reduced handicap allowance because pairing two players and keeping only the better score already boosts net scoring — two shots at every hole means more chances for a net birdie. The World Handicap System recommendation is 90% of course handicap per player in four-ball match play, and 85% per player in four-ball stroke play.

In match play, strokes are applied relative to the lowest handicap in the match: reduce each player to their allowance, then the low player plays off scratch and the others receive the difference, taken on the stroke-index holes. In stroke play each player simply takes their allowance strokes where the card gives them. Either way, strokes belong to the individual player, not the side — a 20-handicapper still gets a stroke on the hardest holes even when their scratch partner does not.

Full guide: Golf tournament handicaps explained

Score the round live

ScrambleBoard runs your event day without paper chaos: players join by scanning a QR code — no app, no accounts — enter scores on their phones (it works offline), and the live leaderboard shows on every phone and the clubhouse TV. It natively scores stroke play, scrambles, and Stableford with gross/net and flights; for four-ball match play, run the round on ScrambleBoard and settle the matches from the live hole-by-hole scores, with skins and closest-to-pin tracked alongside.

Frequently asked questions

What does four-ball mean in golf?

Four-ball is a two-player team format defined in Rule 23 of the Rules of Golf: each partner plays their own ball, and the side's score on each hole is the lower of the two. The name comes from the four balls in play in a two-versus-two match, not from four-person teams.

Is four-ball the same as best ball?

Essentially yes for two-player teams — own ball, better score counts. Four-ball is the official rulebook term and usually implies two-player sides, often in match play. Best ball is the informal American term and gets stretched to cover three- and four-person team versions too.

How does four-ball work in the Ryder Cup?

Two players from each team form a pairing and all four play their own ball in match play. On each hole, the better score on each side is compared; the lower one wins the hole. The match is scored in holes won, and a tied match is worth half a point to each team.

What is the handicap allowance for four-ball?

The World Handicap System recommends 90% of course handicap per player in four-ball match play and 85% in four-ball stroke play. In match play, strokes are then taken relative to the lowest player in the match on the stroke-index holes.

Can one player play alone in a four-ball match?

Yes. Under Rule 23 a side may be represented by one partner for all or part of a match — if your partner is late or leaves, you simply play your own ball against both opponents. The absent partner may join between holes, but not in the middle of one.