Ask ten golfers what a fourball is and you will get two answers. Most will say it is four people playing together. Under the Rules of Golf it means something more specific: two teams of two, everyone playing their own ball, each side counting only its better score on each hole.
Both answers are in daily use, and neither is wrong in context. This guide covers the format properly — how it is scored, what handicap allowance to apply, how it differs from foursomes, and the rules that trip groups up.
How a four-ball works
Four players. Two teams of two. Every player plays their own ball from tee to hole, exactly as they would in an ordinary round. On each hole, each side records the lower of its two scores, and that number becomes the team score for the hole.
The effect is enormous. If one partner puts a drive into the trees, they can simply pick up and let the other one play the hole. Nobody is ever out of a four-ball, which is why it is the most popular format in society and social golf worldwide.
A worked example
| Hole | Par | Player A | Player B | Team score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 | 7 | 5 | 5 |
| 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| 5 | 4 | pick up | 5 | 5 |
Across five holes the team has posted 21 against a par of 20, despite two blow-up holes and a pick-up. That resilience is the whole appeal of the format.
Four-ball match play vs four-ball stroke play
Match play is hole by hole. The side with the lower better-ball score wins the hole; level scores halve it. The match ends when one side is more holes up than there are holes remaining — the classic "3&2" result.
Stroke play adds the better-ball scores over 18 holes for a single team total. This is what most societies and outings run, usually with Stableford points instead of strokes, because Stableford lets a side write off a disaster hole without wrecking the card.
Handicaps in a four-ball
The recommended allowance for both four-ball match play and four-ball stroke play is 85% of course handicap. In match play, strokes are usually taken off the lowest handicapper in the match, so the low player plays off scratch and everyone else receives the difference.
Plenty of societies simplify this — 90%, or full handicap for a purely social game. What matters is that everyone knows the allowance before the first tee shot, and that it is applied consistently across every group.
If you would rather not do this arithmetic on the first tee, Fourball adjusts each player’s handicap to the course automatically using slope and course rating.
Fourball vs foursomes vs greensomes
| Format | Balls in play per side | Pace | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Four-ball (better ball) | Two | Slowest | Mixed abilities, social days |
| Foursomes (alternate shot) | One | Fastest | Tight tee sheets, serious matches |
| Greensomes | One after both tee off | Quick | A gentler alternative to foursomes |
| Texas Scramble | One from the best of all | Moderate | Corporate days, wide ability spread |
Rules that catch groups out
- Order of play. Partners may play in whichever order they think best. If your partner is on the green in two, you can play first to see the line.
- Advice. You may freely give and receive advice from your partner and their caddie — but not from opponents.
- Picking up. In match play, once your partner has secured the hole you may lift your ball at any time. In stroke play you must hole out unless the side’s score is already recorded from the partner.
- Penalties. A penalty applies only to the player who incurred it — with the exception of an action that helps the partner’s play, in which case both are penalised.
- Wrong ball. Playing a wrong ball costs the general penalty and that player is out of the hole; the partner’s score still stands.
Pace of play
A four-ball is the slowest common format because there are always four balls in play. Ready golf fixes most of it: play when you are ready and safe rather than waiting for honour, walk to your ball while others play, and pick up as soon as your partner has the hole covered.
Scoring a four-ball without the paperwork
Better-ball scoring is easy on one hole and tedious over eighteen, especially across several groups. Fourball handles it for you: pick your course from 35,000+ worldwide, add players, and share a join link or QR code. Everyone taps in their own scores and the better-ball leaderboard updates live for every group at once.
There is nothing to download and nothing to pay — see better ball Stableford for the points version of this format, or 4BBB explained if that is the term your club uses.