Team Best Ball (Best 2 of 4)
The whole group is one team. Everyone plays their own ball, and the best two (or one, three, four) on each hole count.
What it is
In team best ball, a group of two to four golfers plays as one team. Everyone plays their own ball on every hole, and on each hole only the team's best balls count. "Best 2 of 4" is the classic society-day version: four players, the two best scores on each hole make the team's score.
It comes in two flavours. In Stableford, the counted balls' points add up and the highest team total wins. In stroke play, the counted balls' net scores add up against par and the lowest team score wins. Either way, a bad hole only hurts if a teammate can't cover it.
How scoring works
- 1.The commissioner picks how many balls count on each hole: best 1, 2, 3 or 4 (best 2 is the default).
- 2.Every player records their own gross score; handicap strokes are applied to each player to get a net score.
- 3.Stableford: each ball earns points against par (bogey 1, par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4), and the team's best points on the hole count.
- 4.Stroke play: the lowest net scores count, each against its own par, so best 2 on a par 4 is played against a team par of 8.
- 5.The counted scores add up across the round; highest team points (Stableford) or lowest team score to par (stroke play) wins.
Scoring options in Sunday Singles
- Team Best Ball Stableford
The counted balls' Stableford points add up; highest team total wins. Standard table (par 2, birdie 3, eagle 4) or Modified (par 0, birdie 2, bogey -1).
- Team Best Ball Stroke Play
The counted balls' net scores add up against their pars; lowest team score to par wins. A hole counts once every player in the group has a score.
- How many count
Best 1, 2, 3 or 4 balls per hole, set per round. A threesome on best 4 simply counts all three.
Handicaps
Each player gets their full course handicap on their own tee, allocated by stroke index, and plays their own net ball. Players on different tees score against their own tee's par, so a mixed group ranks fairly.
Best for
Society days, member-guests and the team round of a buddy trip. Every player matters on every hole, high handicappers contribute on their stroke holes, and a blow-up hole is covered by the rest of the group. Counting more balls (best 3 of 4) makes it harder; best 1 is a pure best-ball shootout.
Score Team Best Ball (Best 2 of 4) automatically
Sunday Singles handles the handicaps, the scoring, and a live TV leaderboard for the whole trip. Set up your first round free.
Common questions
What does best 2 of 4 mean in golf?
A foursome plays as one team, everyone plays their own ball, and on each hole the two best scores count toward the team total. The other two scores are dropped for that hole.
Is team best ball Stableford or stroke play?
Either. Stableford adds up the counted balls' points (highest wins) and forgives blow-up holes; stroke play adds up the counted balls' net scores against par (lowest wins). Sunday Singles runs both.
What if a group only has three players?
It still works. Best 2 counts the two best of three; if the round is set to count more balls than a group has, that group simply counts all of its balls.
How is team best ball different from a scramble?
In a scramble the team picks one shot and everyone plays from there, so there is a single team ball. In team best ball everyone plays their own ball the whole way and only the best scores count.