Best ball is the format where each player on the team plays their own ball all the way from tee to hole, and where only the best result on the team counts on each hole. That makes the format both relaxed and social, since a bad swing rarely punishes the whole team. At the same time, there's a clear tactical layer beneath the surface, where the players complement one another and take turns taking risks. This article goes through the rules, how the score is counted, the difference from related formats, and how you set up the game smartly together with your partner.
How best ball golf works on each hole
In best ball, two or four players form a team, and everyone plays their own ball throughout the entire hole. When everyone has holed out, the lowest score on the team is recorded as the team's result on that hole. If you play two against two and one partner takes four strokes while the other takes five, the team's result is four. The higher score is struck entirely and affects nothing.
This means you never need to abandon a hole just because it goes wrong. If your ball ends up in the water, your partner can keep chasing a good result, and vice versa. The format is built on at least one player on the team succeeding on each hole, not on everyone succeeding at the same time. That's precisely why best ball works excellently when players with different handicaps team up, since a less experienced golfer can grab a hole when the seasoned player has an off day.
How the score is counted in best ball
The scoring follows the same principle regardless of whether you play stroke play or match play. In stroke play, the team's best result on each hole is added up to a total for the round, and the team with the lowest total wins. In match play, the team's best ball is compared hole by hole against the opposing team's best ball, and the team with the lowest score on the hole wins the hole.
Many clubs run best ball as Stableford, where each hole awards points based on the player's result in relation to the hole's par and playing handicap. Then the highest points on the team are recorded on each hole instead of the lowest score, but the logic is the same. The team's strongest performance on that particular hole is what counts. If you want to refresh how Stableford works at its core, you can read more in our walkthrough of Stableford golf.
The difference between best ball and scramble
Best ball is often confused with scramble, but the formats work completely differently. In scramble, everyone tees off, the team picks the best shot, and then everyone plays their next shot from that spot. The team thus plays a single shared ball for the rest of the way. In best ball, each player keeps their own ball throughout the entire hole and never plays from someone else's position.
This means best ball is more individual. You play your own round fully, and the team only picks up the best result at the end of each hole. Scramble is more of a team game stroke by stroke. If you want to compare the formats more closely, there's a separate guide to scramble golf rules, and a broader overview in our article about golf formats.
Best ball in teams of two or four
The most common variant is fourball, where two teams of two players each face off and each team's best ball counts. If you play four people in the same group, you also get good pace in the game, since everyone hits at roughly the same time and no one has to wait for a shared ball. There are also variants where larger teams count more balls, for example the two best results on each hole, which raises the demand for several players on the team to perform.
Regardless of team size, the basic rule is the same. Everyone plays their own ball, and the results that count are the ones you agreed on before the round. Feel free to read more about how partner play in a foursome works in our guide to foursome golf, which covers a completely different team format where you instead share a single ball.
Strategy that wins holes in best ball
The big advantage of best ball is that one player can take risks while the other plays safely. If your partner is already safely on the green in the right number of strokes, you can go for the flag on a difficult pin placement without putting the team at risk. If the putt drops, you've gained a lot; if it misses, your partner still has a good result to fall back on. This division of roles is the heart of how best ball is played in golf at a level where the team truly cooperates.
Agree on each green about who putts first. The player who is farther away can read the line for the one who is close, and the safe putter plays before the one going for a longer gamble. On the tee shots, one player can choose a controlled club to get the ball in play, so that the other can swing freely with the driver. Then the team always has at least one ball in a good position.
When best ball is best to play
Best ball is a rewarding format for club tournaments, corporate golf and rounds where players with different levels of experience are mixed. Since a single bad hole doesn't sink the team, the pace stays high and the mood easygoing, while the competitive feel remains. It's also a good format when you want everyone to feel involved without the weakest player becoming a burden.
For anyone who wants to explore more ways to set up a round, there's plenty of inspiration in our walkthrough of different golf formats. If, on the other hand, you're new to the course and still learning the basics, it may be worth starting with our guide to golf rules for beginners before diving into the team formats.
The right clothing makes team logistics easier
Since everyone on the team plays their own ball, you often move in different directions on the course, and then it helps not to have to think about your clothes. A tech polo in navy breathes well during a long team round and keeps a sharp look even after several hours on the fairway. For cooler mornings, a q-zip midlayer in dark green is easy to pull on and off between holes when the temperature fluctuates.
Down on your legs, a pair of tech shorts in beige gives freedom of movement in the swing when you're chasing a good result during the warmest rounds. Anyone who wants the garments collected will find more options among polo shirts, and you can get an overview of everything when you want to see the full range at Local Rule ahead of your next team competition.
