How to play Best Ball
Team format where each team uses their best score per hole.
4-8 players · Easy
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Best ball golf rules (four-ball): each player hits their own ball, the team takes the lower score. Why it fits most weekend groups.
The CutJuly 31, 2026 · 1 min read
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Best ball golf rules (four-ball) are the default team format for people who still want to play their own ball: partners each complete the hole, the team posts the lower score.
That single sentence is why best ball fits most groups better than a scramble. You keep your card. You keep your pride. You still get a partner safety net. Full guide: best ball.
Scrambles erase individual identity. Alternate shot creates hostage situations. Best ball lets the 14-handicap make a net birdie that saves the team while the 4-handicap plays aggressively knowing a partner exists. Both styles of golfer stay engaged.
Most money groups play net. Apply strokes by hole handicap before choosing the better ball. If you skip that step, you do not have a fair game - you have a low-handicap exhibition.
If your foursome argues about formats every Saturday, default to best ball. It is the Switzerland of team golf. Score it live in caddie.fun, then add a Nassau wrapper when the group wants teeth.