Golf Formats Explained: Scramble, Best Ball & Foursomes
Sooner or later every golfer gets an invitation that assumes you already know the rules: a member guest, a charity outing, a buddies trip with a format sheet taped to the cart. The game itself does not change, but who plays which ball, and whose score counts, changes a lot.
Here is a plain explanation of the formats you are most likely to meet, what the rules actually say about each one, and how to play them well once you are on the tee.
Four Ball, Usually Called Best Ball
This is the most common team format in casual and club golf. Two partners each play their own ball for the whole hole, and the lower of the two scores counts for the side. The Rules of Golf cover it under Rule 23, which defines four ball as a format where each partner plays a separate ball and the side takes the better score. Only one partner needs to hole out for the side to have a score, partners may play in whichever order helps them, and they are allowed to share clubs.
Most golfers call this best ball, and most event organizers use the terms interchangeably. Strictly speaking, older usage of best ball described one player competing against the better ball of two or three opponents, but if your flyer says best ball with two player teams, you are playing four ball.
Strategy comes down to who goes first and who gets to gamble. Once one partner is safely in play or on the green, the other can attack a tucked pin or take on a carry, because a bad result costs the team nothing. The mistake most teams make is both players playing conservatively, which wastes the entire advantage of the format.
Foursomes, The Alternate Shot Test
Foursomes is the format golfers most often misunderstand, partly because the name sounds like any group of four. Under Rule 22, two partners play a single ball and alternate strokes, with one player teeing off on odd numbered holes and the other on even numbered holes for the entire round. Penalty strokes do not change whose turn it is.
Golf fans see this at the Ryder Cup and the Solheim Cup, where captains pair it with four ball across the two days of team play. The short version is that four ball is a scoring party while foursomes is a pressure cooker.
The strategy is decided before you tee off. Look at the card and work out which holes reward the longer driver or the player who shapes the ball the right way, then assign tee shots accordingly. During the round, the winning habit is leaving your partner comfortable yardages rather than squeezing an extra 15 yards out of a layup, and playing to the fat side of every green.
Scramble, The Outing Standard
In a scramble, every player tees off, the team picks the best shot, and everyone plays their next shot from that spot, usually within one club length and no nearer the hole. Repeat until the ball is holed, and the team records one score. The distinction most outing rookies get wrong is simple: in a scramble the whole team plays every shot from one chosen spot, while in best ball everyone plays their own ball all the way to the hole.
Many events add local conditions worth checking before you start: a minimum number of drives that must be used from each player, a maximum score per hole, or a rule about where the ball must be placed relative to the marker. Handicaps are usually reduced sharply, because a team picking the best of four shots scores far below its individual parts. The USGA notes that allowances vary by format and are set by the committee, with the widely used USGA four player scramble allowance taking 25, 20, 15 and 10 percent of each player's course handicap from lowest to highest.
The best scramble teams treat order of play as a tool. Send the shortest or least confident player first so nobody is hitting after watching three great shots, then have your most reliable player go last with the pressure off. On the green, everyone should putt the same line in turn, since the first attempt tells the rest of the team exactly what the putt does.
Outing formats also reward gear that lasts the day: a glove that still grips at the end of a four and a half hour scramble, and a rangefinder for picking the smartest drive in a shamble.
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Shamble, The Hybrid Worth Requesting
A shamble starts like a scramble and finishes like stroke play. Everyone tees off, the team selects the best drive, and then each player finishes the hole with their own ball. Depending on the event, the team score is the best one or two net scores on each hole.
This format suits mixed groups that still want their own golf. Weaker players get a decent starting position on every hole, stronger players still have to produce approach shots and putts, and the pace sits between a scramble and a full stroke play round.
When choosing the drive, pick the one that leaves a comfortable number for everyone rather than automatically taking the longest. A drive that leaves 130 yards from flat ground is usually worth more to a team than one that is 20 yards longer but sitting in a divot or behind a bunker lip.
Stableford And Points Based Scoring
Stableford replaces strokes with points, so one disaster hole cannot wreck a round. A common scale awards 1 point for a bogey, 2 for par, 3 for a birdie and 4 for an eagle, with nothing for a double bogey or worse, and the highest total wins. Modified versions change the values, and the committee running the event sets the points scale, including the version the PGA TOUR uses at its one Stableford tournament each year.
The practical benefit is pace. Once a hole is beyond scoring points, you pick up and move on, which keeps a field moving and keeps struggling players in the game. Most club events use net Stableford, where your handicap strokes fall on the holes shown by the stroke index on the card.
Strategy shifts noticeably. Because the worst outcome on a hole is zero points, going for a reachable par 5 or taking on a tight pin costs less than it would in stroke play. Aggression pays in Stableford in a way it rarely does when every stroke counts.
Side Games Worth Knowing
Bingo bango bongo awards three points on every hole: one for the first ball on the green, one for the closest to the pin once all balls are on, and one for the first ball in the hole. Because points depend on who is away rather than who hits it farthest, higher handicap players compete surprisingly well, which makes it a good choice for mixed groups.
Skins gives each hole a value that carries over until someone wins it outright, which rewards one great hole rather than steady play. Wolf rotates a captain each hole who chooses a partner after watching tee shots, or plays alone for double points. A Nassau splits one round into three bets: front nine, back nine and the full 18.
These games run alongside whatever your group is already playing, so agree on the stakes and the tiebreakers on the first tee. Also settle how you will handle gimmes, since nothing sours a match faster than an argument about a three foot putt on the 17th.
How To Pick The Right Format For Your Group
Match the format to the range of abilities and the time you have. A scramble is best when players are new, the field is large, or the priority is finishing in four hours. Four ball suits two similar players who want a real match, and foursomes is for partners who trust each other and want the sharpest test.
Two pieces of preparation help in every format. Know your carry numbers, because team decisions get easier when everyone can say honestly how far they hit each club; our breakdown of typical yardages by handicap and swing speed is a useful comparison point, and our look at overlapping clubs and missing yardages shows where your bag leaves holes.
Then pack for the format. A scramble burns through fewer balls than an event where everyone plays their own, but a shamble or a four ball match can empty a pocket quickly on a course with water; our guide to how many balls to bring for 18 holes gives a sensible starting number. Show up knowing the rules of the day, the handicap allowance, and who is hitting first, and the rest is just golf.
Golf Format FAQs
What is a shamble in golf?
A shamble is a hybrid format: everyone tees off, the team plays the best drive, and then each player finishes the hole with their own ball. The team score is usually the best one or two net scores per hole.
Scramble vs best ball: what is the difference?
In a scramble the whole team plays every shot from the single best ball and records one score. In best ball (four ball) each player plays their own ball for the entire hole and the side takes the lower score.
How does Stableford scoring work?
Stableford awards points instead of counting strokes, commonly 1 for a bogey, 2 for par, 3 for a birdie and 4 for an eagle, with nothing for a double bogey or worse. The highest total wins.
What is alternate shot in golf?
Alternate shot is foursomes. Two partners play one ball and alternate strokes, with one player teeing off on odd numbered holes and the other on even numbered holes. Penalty strokes do not change whose turn it is.
