What Is a 4-Ball Competition in Golf?

Ever showed up to the first tee for a company outing or a weekend match and heard your group is playing a 4-Ball competition? It’s one of the most popular and fun formats in golf, but the name alone can be confusing. This guide is here to clear up everything. We'll break down the rules, how to use handicaps, and most importantly, the simple strategies you and your partner can use to play a smarter, more successful round of 4-Ball golf.

What Exactly Is a 4-Ball Competition? A Simple Breakdown

At its heart, 4-Ball is a team game that allows you to play your own ball the entire time. It gets its name from the fact that there are four balls in play on every hole within your group. You’ll see it called by a few different names, like "Four-Ball Better Ball" or simply "Best Ball," but the idea is the same. It's a fantastic format for golfers of all skill levels because it takes some of the pressure off, knowing you have a partner backing you up.

Here’s the basic setup:

• The Teams: The competition is played by two teams of two players each. So, you'll have one partner, and the other two golfers in your group will be your opponents for the match.
• Playing the Game: Each of the four golfers plays their own ball from the tee to the hole, just like you would in a normal round of stroke play. There are no alternate shots or scrambles here - your score is your score.
• How a Team Scores: After everyone has holed out, the two partners on each team compare their individual scores. The lower of the two scores becomes that team's official score for the hole. This is the "better ball" or "best ball" part of the format.

Let's walk through a quick example on a par-4 hole:

Team 1: You and Your Partner

• You make a 4 (par).
• Your partner struggles a bit and makes a 6 (double bogey).
• Your team's score for the hole is a 4.

Team 2: Your Opponents

• Opponent A drains a nice putt for a 3 (birdie).
• Opponent B makes a 5 (bogey).
• Their team's score for the hole is a 3.

In this scenario, Team 2 wins the hole with a score of 3 against your team's 4. Your partner's 6 and Opponent B's 5 don't end up mattering for the team score on this particular hole.

Understanding the Rules: Match Play vs. Stroke Play in 4-Ball

While the scoring on each individual hole is the same, 4-Ball can be played in two primary formats: Match Play or Stroke Play. These two structures completely change the overaching goal of the competition. Knowing which one you’re playing is absolutely essential.

4-Ball Match Play (The Ryder Cup Format)

If you've ever watched the Ryder Cup or Presidents Cup, you've seen 4-Ball match play in action. It's an exciting, head-to-head format where the goal is to win more individual holes than your opponents. The total score over 18 holes doesn't matter, it's all about the hole-by-hole battle.

• Winning a Hole: As in our example above, your team wins a hole by posting a lower score than the other team. You go "1 up."
• Halving a Hole: If both teams post the same best-ball score (e.g., both teams make a 4), the hole is "halved" or "pushed." No one wins, and the score of the match remains the same.
• The Scorecard: Instead of writing down a total numerical score, you keep track of who is "up" or "down." If you win the first two holes, your team is "2 up." If the opponents then win hole number three, you are now "1 up."
• Concessions: A unique part of match play is the ability to concede putts, or even an entire hole. If you have a two-foot putt, your opponent might say, "That's good," meaning you don't have to putt it. You can also pick up your ball if your score can no longer help your team. For example, if your partner already has a par 4 and you're lying 5 with a putt for 6, your score can't a) win the hole or b) halve it against an opponent's confirmed 4. Picking up saves time and keeps the game moving.
• Winning the Match: The match is over when one team is leading by more holes than there are left to play. For example, if you are "4 up" with only 3 holes remaining, the match is over. You've won "4 and 3."

4-Ball Stroke Play (The Club Championship Format)

This is the version you're more likely to encounter at a charity tournament, member-guest, or local club event. In stroke play 4-Ball, the goal is simply to record the lowest possible team score over the entire 18-hole round. You aren't playing head-to-head against the other team in your group, you are competing against the entire field of teams.

• Continuous Scoring: On each hole, you take your team's best score and add it to your running total.
• Complete Every Hole: Unlike match play, you generally want both players to finish out every hole if possible. Your partner might be on the green in two while you're in a greenside bunker. Don't just pick up thinking he's got it covered! A sudden three-putt by him could turn his par into a bogey, and your scrappy up-and-down from the sand for your own bogey might become the score you have to use. Never assume a hole is won or lost until the balls are in the cup.
• The End Result: After 18 holes, all the team scores are totaled up. The team with the lowest aggregate score wins the tournament.

Handicaps in 4-Ball: Making It a Fair Fight

One of the great things about 4-Ball is that it's perfect for players with different skill levels, thanks to the handicap system. This allows a 5-handicapper and a 20-handicapper to be competitive partners. However, the application of handicaps can be tricky, so it's good to understand how it an works.

While rules can vary from event to event (always check with the tournament committee!), the standard USGA recommendation for a 4-Ball competition is to give each player a percentage of their full Course Handicap. For *match play* it's typically 90%, and for *stroke play* it's 85%.

Here’s the process:

1. Calculate Your Allowance: Find your Course Handicap for the tees you're playing. Then, multiply it by the competition’s allowance (e.g., 90%). If your Course Handicap is 15, your allowance is 15 * 0.90 = 13.5. Round that to 14. You get 14 strokes for the round.
2. Apply the Strokes: Your 14 strokes are applied to the 14 toughest holes, as ranked by the "Stroke Index" or "Handicap" row on the scorecard. You get one shot on each of the holes labeled 1 through 14.
3. Determine the Net Score: On a hole where you get a stroke, you subtract one from your gross (actual) score to get your net score. If you make a 5 on a par-4 that is the 10th-hardest hole, your net score is a 4.

The team score for the hole is the lowest net score between the two partners. This is how a player making a gross 5 can beat an opponent who made a gross 4 - if their net score is lower.

Winning Strategy for 4-Ball: Playing Smart as a Team

4-Ball isn't just about good golf, it's about smart teamwork. Having a game plan with your partner can be the difference between a fun round and a victorious one.

1. The "Safe Player" and the "Aggressive Player"

This is the fundamental strategy of 4-Ball. On any given shot, especially approaches into greens, one player should aim to secure a par while the other can take on more risk.

• Player 1 (The Safe Play): The first partner to play their approach shot should aim for the fattest part of the green. Ignore the sucker pin tucked behind a bunker. Your job is to get on the green, two-putt for par, and get a solid score "on the board."
• Player 2 (The Aggressive Play): Once your partner is safely on the green, you are free to play with aggression. Now you can aim for that tough pin or try to hit a tricky shot closer. If you pull it off, you might make a birdie to win the hole. If you miss the green, no big deal - the team still has your partner's ball in play for a likely par. The "safe" ball liberates the "aggressive" ball.

2. Communicate on Every Shot

Constant communication is your greatest asset. Before any shot, talk to your partner:

• Club Selection & Wind: "I'm hitting a 7-iron right at the front edge. The wind seems to be helping a little." This information is a massive help for your partner, who can then adjust their own club selection.
• Putting Lines: The person who putts first has a very important job: providing information to their partner. After your putt, tell your partner what you saw. "It was way faster than I expected," or "It didn't break nearly as much as I thought." This intelligence is often worth a stroke.

3. Order of Play is Your Secret Weapon

In match play, the team that won the previous hole has the "honor" and tees off first. But after the tee shots, you and your partner can choose who hits next. Use this to your advantage.

• If you are in the fairway and your partner is in trouble, you should almost always hit first. Putting a safe shot on or near the green puts pressure on your opponents and gives your partner the freedom to attempt a heroic recovery shot without dooming the team.
• On the green, the strategy can vary. Some teams like to have the person with the harder putt go first to gather information. Others prefer the person with the better chance at birdie to putt first to put pressure on the opponents to match it. Talk it over and decide what feels best.

4. Never Give Up on a Hole

It can be tempting to mentally check out when your partner stuffs their approach to two feet. But your job isn’t over. What if an opponent drained a 40-footer for birdie from off the green? Suddenly, your partner's two-footer is only good for a halve. Or what feels like an easy two-putt for your partner can turn into a shocking three-putt. Your "unimportant" 10-foot putt for par or even bogey might just become the score that saves your team. Stay engaged until every ball is holed or formally conceded.

Final Thoughts

In the end, a 4-Ball competition is one of the most social and strategic formats in golf. It brilliantly merges individual performance with team dynamics, letting you play your own game while contributing to a shared goal. To succeed, you and your partner must blend good communication with a smart mix of safe and aggressive decision-making, turning a simple round of golf into an exciting chess match on the fairways.

Developing that winning game plan starts before you even swing, weighing the risks and deciding on the best play for your specific situation. When you and your partner are deciding who plays the "safe" shot, being confident in your own strategy is a game-changer. For those tricky on-course moments where you're stuck between clubs or are looking at a challenging shot, our Caddie AI acts like a world-class strategist in your pocket. Getting that instant second opinion can provide the clarity you need to commit to the right shot, whether it's the conservative play to secure a par or the aggressive one to go for the win.