Four-Ball (Best Ball) — How It Works
In four-ball, two players form a team, and each of the four golfers plays their own ball for the entire hole. When everyone has holed out, each team records its better of two scores on that hole. If you make a 5 and your partner makes a 4, your team scores 4.
The appeal is obvious: you always have a partner as a safety net. You can take on a risky, aggressive line knowing that if it goes wrong, your partner’s steady par still counts. That freedom makes four-ball fun, fast-scoring and forgiving — perfect for club events and casual games alike.
“Four-ball” vs “best ball” — same thing?
For everyday purposes, yes. Four-ball is the official rules-book name (two vs two); best ball is the common American name for the same idea — play your own ball, count the team’s best score. The only technical difference is that “best ball” can also describe teams of three or four using the same rule.
How It Differs From Foursomes and a Scramble
These three team formats get mixed up constantly, but they play completely differently. Here is the clean comparison:
| Format | Balls in play | How the team scores | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-ball / Best ball | Each plays own ball | Better of the two scores | Moderate |
| Foursomes (alternate shot) | One ball per team | Partners take turns; one score | Hardest |
| Scramble | All hit, pick best | One team ball from the best spot | Easiest |
The quick way to remember it: in four-ball you play your own ball and keep the best score; in a scramble you play the best shot as a group; in foursomes you and your partner share a single ball and alternate hitting it.
Where Four-Ball Is Played
Four-ball is everywhere. At the top level it is one of the two team sessions in the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup (paired with foursomes). At clubs it is the backbone of member-guest events, league nights and weekend money games, because it keeps every player involved on every hole while still rewarding a hot round from either partner.
How Handicaps Work in Four-Ball
To keep it fair across abilities, each player receives handicap strokes on their own ball. Under the World Handicap System, four-ball stroke play commonly uses 85% of each player’s Course Handicap, allocated by hole using the stroke index. The team then takes the better net score on each hole.
Getting the strokes right starts with an accurate number for everyone — grab each player’s Handicap Index from our free calculator before you tee off.
Four-ball is one of many ways to turn a round into a team game. For head-to-head and points formats, see match play vs stroke play and our full guide to golf betting games.