Playing in a two-man best ball tournament is one of the most enjoyable ways to compete on the golf course, blending individual play with team strategy. It allows you to swing freely, knowing your partner has your back, and often leads to making more birdies than you would on your own. This guide will walk you through the format's rules, scoring nuances, and most importantly, the strategies that will help you and your partner work together like a well-oiled machine.
Two-man best ball, officially known in the Rules of Golf as "Four-Ball," is a team competition where you and your partner play against another team of two. The format is elegantly simple:
For example, if you make a 4 and your partner makes a 5, the team score for that hole is 4. If you both make a 4, the score is still 4. It’s a straightforward format that rewards good shots and offers a safety net for the inevitable bad ones.
It's important not to confuse Best Ball with a Scramble. In a scramble, both players hit a shot, choose the best one, and then both play their next shot from that spot. In Best Ball, you play your own ball the entire way. It’s a true test of individual skill within a team context.
While the basic concept is easy, understanding how handicaps and scoring work is what separates the average team from the winning team. The format is designed to be fair for golfers of all skill levels, and that's achieved through a proper application of handicaps.
Handicaps ensure that a team of 20-handicappers can have a fair and exciting match against a team of 5-handicappers. In a formal Best Ball competition, players will typically not receive their full course handicap. The USGA recommends that each player receives 85% of their course handicap in a best ball competition (90% for a match-play event). Always confirm the specific percentage with the tournament committee, but 85-90% is a standard starting point.
Here’s how it works in practice:
Understanding how net scores work is everything in best ball. Let's walk through an example on the #3 handicap hole.
On this hole (the #3 difficulty):
The team score for the hole is the lower of the two net scores, which is Player A's net 3. That score will likely win the hole against another team's score.
A huge benefit of Best Ball is its positive impact on the pace of play. If your partner has already made a net 4, and you are lying 5 with a putt for 6 and no stroke on the hole, your score cannot possibly beat your partner’s. In this scenario, you should simply pick up your ball.
This does two things: it speeds up the game and reduces the mental pressure on you. There's no need to grind over a meaningless double-bogey putt when your partner has already secured a good score for the team.
Playing well individually is important, but playing well as a team is how you rise to the top of the leaderboard. This goes beyond just adding up the scores, it involves smart hole management, good communication, and providing mental support.
A classic and effective best ball strategy is to assign roles on each shot, particularly off the tee. Often, the player who tees off first plays the "protector" role, aiming for a safe shot in the fairway or on the green. Once one ball is safely in play, the second player - the "aggressor" - is now free to take a more aggressive line, fire at a tucked pin, or try to drive a short Par 4.
However, successful teams are flexible. Don't get locked into these roles based on the tee order. The decision of who plays protector and who plays aggressor should be based on:
Think about a Par 5. Player 1 lays up to a comfortable wedge distance. Player 2, now knowing a par is almost guaranteed, has a green light to go for the green in two. This simple strategy can turn pars into birdies and birdies into eagles.
The best partners talk constantly - but about the right things. Good communication isn't about complaining about a bad bounce, it's about sharing useful information that helps the other person.
Equally important is being a mentally supportive partner. High-five the good shots, but more importantly, have empathy for the bad ones. A simple, "Don't worry about it, I've got you on this hole," can do wonders for your partner's confidence and free them up to play better on the next shot.
Look at your scorecard before the round starts and circle every hole where you and your partner get strokes. These are your "opportunity holes." On a hole where you get a stroke, making a net par feels like a birdie. You don't have to be a hero.
For example, if you're on a hole where you get a stroke and your partner is already safely in play for a gross par, your mission becomes simple: just make a bogey. Your gross 5 becomes a net 4, which "pushes back" against your partner's score and gives the team two solid chances to par the hole. Don't press and try to hit an unnecessary hero shot that brings a double or triple bogey into play. Playing smart and leveraging your handicap strokes to secure net pars is a quiet-but-effective way to win matches.
The core of best ball psychology is the concept of "freeing up" your partner. This is the positive cascade that happens when one player executes a great shot.
Imagine your partner steps up and hits a drive right down the middle of the fairway. When you step onto the tee box, that tight, fearful feeling evaporates. You feel like you can swing with abandon. Similarly, if your partner sticks their approach shot to 10 feet, your 30-foot putt suddenly feels like a "free run" at birdie. You can be more aggressive with your putt because you know the par is already secured.
Being a good partner means understanding this dynamic. Your goal on every shot, especially when you're hitting first, is to put a good, safe swing on it to take the pressure off your partner and let them play with that wonderful sense of freedom.
Two-man best ball is a fantastic format that highlights the best parts of golf: shot-making, camaraderie, and strategy. By understanding the scoring, planning your approach on each hole, and communicating effectively, you and your partner can protect against mistakes and give yourselves more chances to score.
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