Four-ball Format

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Four-Ball, commonly referred to as “better ball,” is a format in which two golfers compete together as a side, with each player playing their own ball. A side’s score for a hole is the lower score of the two partners on that hole. It can be played as GROSS or NET and as stroke play or match play or Stableford.

• Partners: Two partners compete as a team (a "side").
• Individual balls: Each player plays their own ball throughout the hole.
• Scoring: The side's score for the hole is the best score of the two partners.
• Types of play: The format can be either match play (competing against another side) or stroke play (competing against the field). 

When both partners hole out, the lower score is the side’s score for the hole. When only one partner holes out, that partner’s score is the side’s score for the hole. The other partner does not need to hole out.

Unlike in other formats, the player furthest away from the hole doesn’t necessarily have to play first – rather, each team can play in the order that they determine is best. For example, if “A” and “B” are partners and A is further from the hole, side “A-B” could decide to have “B” play first.

• 85% of playing handicap per player (according to R&A/USGA recommendations for Fourball).

Some clubs may use:

• 90%
• Full handicap
• Percentage based on competition level

• Representing the side: One partner can represent the side for the entire round.
• Joining the game: A partner who arrives late can join the match only at the start of a new hole.
• Arriving mid-hole: A partner who arrives after play has started on a hole must wait until the next hole to join the match. 

A player may take any action concerning the partner’s ball that the partner is allowed to take before making a stroke, such as marking the spot of the ball. Partners are allowed to share clubs or play from the same bag if the total number of clubs they have together doesn’t exceed 14, and partners are allowed to provide advice to each other such as club selection.

Conversely, any action taken by the player concerning the partner’s ball or equipment is treated as having been taken by the partner, and the partner is subject to the penalty. For example, a penalty would be applied to the partner’s score if the player causes their partner’s ball to move in the rough or fails to mark the spot of their partner’s ball before lifting it.

For full details on the Rules of Four-Ball, click HERE.

• In such a case, the single player will record their own net Stableford points on each hole.
• Sides with two players will record the best net Stableford score between the two players on each hole, as defined in the competition terms.
• A single-player side will naturally submit only the individual player’s score.

This approach ensures that all participants may compete fairly under the Stableford scoring method while preserving the structure of the Fourball format for teams with two players.