Best ball · Stroke¶
What it is¶
Best ball is the team version of better ball: everyone on the team plays their own ball all the way to the hole, and the side keeps only its single best score on each hole. Blow-ups by the rest of the team cost nothing as long as one player holds the hole together, so it stays relaxed and forgiving even with mixed standards across a team of three or four. This is the stroke-play version: the team's best net on each hole adds up, and the lowest total wins.
How scoring works¶
- Every team member plays their own ball and records a gross score on every hole.
- Each player's net is their gross adjusted for the handicap strokes they receive, which fall on the hardest holes by stroke index. Best ball is played off 85% of each player's handicap by default.
- The team's score for the hole is the lowest net among the members.
- Add the team's hole scores across the round; the lowest total wins.
- Level teams are separated on countback — the better back nine, then the last six holes, then the last three, then the final hole.
Worked example¶
One team of three — Player A, Player B, and Player C — over three holes, net scores shown:
| Hole | Par | Player A | Player B | Player C | Team (lowest) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 5 | 6 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Total | 12 |
The team scores 12 for the three holes. Player C's 6 on the 1st and Player A's 6 on the 3rd never touched the card — one teammate covered each hole, which is exactly what best ball is for.
When to use it¶
A team event of any standard, and especially when the players' handicaps differ — a weaker member can have an off hole without sinking the side. Best ball runs with teams of three or more; a group seats up to four players, so a full team can play and score together. Equally at home in a casual outing or a league team round.
Variations¶
- Counting scores. By default the side's single best net counts each hole (best ball). A competition can instead count the best 2, best 3, or all 4 of a four-player side; the handicap allowance tracks the choice per USGA Appendix C — best 1 → 75%, best 2 → 85%, best 3 or all 4 → 100%.
- Team size. Three or four to a side is typical; the more players, the lower the team's best score tends to run, so handicaps matter more.
- Gross or net. Keep the lowest gross for a scratch result, or apply the handicap allowance (see Counting scores) and keep the lowest net.
- For the points-based version see Best ball · Stableford. For the two-player game it grows out of, see Better ball · Stroke.
Last updated: 2026-05-07