How Do You Play Four Ball In Golf

Iv balls is when a pair of golfers class a team and whichever of the pair makes the amend score on each hole counts equally the team score for that hole.

How Does Golf's 4 Ball Format Work?

4 balls is a team format where a squad of two golfers each play their ain ball.

The teammate with the lower score on each hole provides that team's score for that pigsty.

For this reason, the format is also often called Fourball Better Brawl (4BBB) every bit the better score of the pair is counted each time.

The format tin can exist used in strokeplay or matchplay such as in the Ryder Cup (opens in new tab) or Solheim Cup.

Related: What is the divergence between strokeplay and matchplay? (opens in new tab)

Each squad is responsible for recording their gross score on a hole on a single scorecard and identifying which player shot this. (This is because the internet score could be different for each player depending upon their handicaps.)

Spieth and Thomas preparing for a four ball match at the 2018 Ryder Cup (Getty Images)

On each hole the squad can elect to tape both players' score or only one.

If one player cannot better the score of their partner then he or she demand not hole out.

Under the World Handicap System, each actor will get 85% of handicap allowance in 4 balls strokeplay or Stableford competitions. In four balls matchplay information technology is 90%.

Related: What is foursomes? (opens in new tab)

Although each actor has to play their own ball, in several respects the players are treated as the same player.

Thus a role player may, for example, mark his partner'southward brawl, or lift and clean it, or driblet it under penalty. (If these are done incorrectly, the player whose ball it is is the i who is penalised.)

Similarly a player and the player'due south caddie may also requite help to the partner in the same way that the partner'due south own caddie would exist allowed to do.

I partner can likewise act for the team in actions such every bit conceding a shot or a pigsty.

Or indeed in playing a hole. If one partner fails to plough upwardly on time, his or her partner can play alone for that team until the latecomer does turn up.

Partners may as well play in the club the side considers best when it is one of their turn to play.

So if Alex and Pecker are a fourball team, and Bill would have the side by side putt equally his ball is the furthest abroad from the hole, the squad can elect that Alex plays first, and then Neb, if they so wish.

Contributing Writer Golf courses and travel are Roderick's detail interests and he worked equally contributing editor for the first few years of the Golf Monthly Travel Supplement. He writes travel articles and general features for the magazine, travel supplement and website. He is a fellow member of Trevose Golf & Land Guild and has played golf in around xx countries. Cricket is his other main sporting love. He is the author of five books, four of which are however in impress: The Novel Life of PG Wodehouse; The Don: Across Boundaries; Wally Hammond: Gentleman & Player and England's Greatest Post-War All Rounder.