How to Play Best Ball

What's the deal?

Best Ball (officially Four Ball) is probably the most common team format in recreational golf. You play with a partner, you each play your own ball the entire round, and the lower score between you counts as the team score for each hole.

You can make a triple bogey and your partner's par saves the team. Combine it with handicaps and it becomes the most well-rounded betting format there is — every player matters, but nobody is ever truly out of a hole.

Setting the stakes: Best Ball is usually played as a match — a flat bet for the 18-hole result, or per-hole stakes. Stack a Nassau on the team match (front, back, total) for three bets in one, and press when you fall two holes down.

How to play Best Ball

1. 1Split into two teams of two. Everyone plays their own ball all round.
2. 2After each hole, each team records the lower of its two scores.
3. 3Teams compare best-ball scores on each hole — lower score wins the hole.
4. 4Play 18 holes match play or stroke play — decide up front.
5. 5Bet on the match result, flat or per-hole. Stack a Nassau on top for maximum stakes.