How to run a best ball golf tournament: rules, handicaps and a worked example
Best ball is the format for organizers who want a real competition. Everyone plays their own ball for the whole round, and on each hole the team keeps its best score or scores. A bad hole from one golfer disappears if a teammate makes a normal one, so it stays friendly. But every player still has to hole out, so it feels more like golf than a scramble.
This guide shows how to run a best ball golf tournament: how it works, how it differs from a scramble, how to set the handicap allowance, and how to score a hole, with a worked example you can copy.
The short version
- Every player plays their own ball. The team’s score on a hole is its best one, two or three scores, depending on the format you choose.
- To run a best ball golf tournament, “best 2 of 4” is a good default. One hot golfer can’t carry the team, and most holes count most players.
- Use handicaps. Weaker golfers then matter, and teams are closer.
- Print the rules on one page: how many scores count, the handicap allowance, a maximum score per hole and how ties are broken.
How best ball works
On each hole, all four players tee off and play their own ball in. Nobody picks up a teammate’s ball or takes a teammate’s shot. When everyone has finished, the team looks at its scores and counts the best one, two or three, depending on your format. Add the hole scores together and you have the team’s round.
Teams can be two players, three or four. The common charity choice is four players, with the best two scores counting on each hole. People call that “best 2 of 4” or “two best balls”. Fewer counting scores make a more forgiving game, because one good ball is enough. More counting scores make a more demanding one, because several players have to score.
You can score best ball gross, which means raw strokes, or net, where each player gets handicap strokes first. Some organizers show both and rank by net.
Best ball vs scramble
Both formats work for a charity day, and they suit different crowds.
Scramble
- Easiest for mixed skill. The team plays one ball, so a beginner never holds anyone up.
- Fastest. Players pick the best shot and move on, which suits big fields on a shotgun start.
- Simplest scoring. One score per hole for the whole team.
Best ball
- More competitive. Every player plays and holes out, so skill shows.
- Needs more attention to pace. Four balls in play is a lot, so set a maximum score per hole.
- Needs handicaps and more scoring. You record each player’s score and apply strokes for net.
If your field is mostly casual golfers, a scramble is usually the safer choice. If you have a club field or a corporate group who want to compete, best ball is a good one. Our guide on how to run a charity golf scramble covers the other format, from the rules to the timeline.
How many scores count, and the handicap allowance
If you’re working out how to run a best ball golf tournament, this is the setting that makes it fair. The more scores that count, the higher the recommended handicap allowance. The USGA publishes recommended allowances in Appendix C of the Rules of Handicapping:
| Format | Recommended allowance |
|---|---|
| Best 1 of 4 | 75% |
| Best 2 of 4 | 85% |
| Best 3 of 4 | 100% |
Apply the percentage to each player’s course handicap and round to the nearest whole number. The result is that player’s playing handicap for the event.
You’ll find other figures in other guides, such as 80% for men and 90% for women on four-player teams. They differ from the USGA’s recommendation for these formats, so check which one your association uses. Pick one method, say which on your rules sheet, and stick to it. Read the USGA’s Appendix C for the full table. These allowances are recommendations, not requirements.
Key takeaway: Fix the number of counting scores and the allowance before the first tee, and print both on the rules sheet: 75% for best 1 of 4, 85% for best 2, 100% for best 3.
A worked example: best 2 of 4, net
Take a team of four with course handicaps of 4, 9, 14 and 22, playing best 2 of 4 at 85%. Their playing handicaps are 3, 8, 12 and 19. Now take a par 4 with stroke index 5. A player gets a stroke on this hole if their playing handicap is 5 or more.
| Player | Course handicap | Playing handicap (85%) | Strokes on this hole | Gross | Net |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | 4 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 4 |
| B | 9 | 8 | 1 | 5 | 4 |
| C | 14 | 12 | 1 | 6 | 5 |
| D | 22 | 19 | 1 | 7 | 6 |
The best two net scores are 4 and 4, so the team scores 8 on this hole. Repeat for 18 holes and add the totals. Notice that the handicap stroke turned player B’s gross 5 into a net 4, level with the low-handicap player’s 4. That’s how handicaps let weaker golfers count.
Key takeaway: Playing handicap is the course handicap times the allowance. A player gets a stroke on each hole whose stroke index is at or below it.
How to run a best ball golf tournament: the steps
Pick-ups, maximum scores and ties
Best ball has more balls in play, which can slow the day. A maximum score per hole keeps it moving. A common rule is to pick up once a player can no longer help the team’s score. Many committees also set a hard cap, such as net double bogey. Write your rule on the sheet.
For ties, many committees compare the back nine, then the last six, three or one holes. Any method works if you publish it in advance. Decide before the first tee, not after the scores are in.
How TourneyCommand handles best ball
TourneyCommand supports best ball as a format next to scramble. Organizers choose how many balls count, one, two or three, with two as the default. They choose gross, net or both, and the handicap allowance follows the USGA’s recommendation for that choice (75%, 85% or 100%). The organizer can override it. Players or carts enter their own scores, and the leaderboard works from them. For net scoring, the stroke index on the course card matters, so the Course Setup page includes built-in presets for verified courses, each named with its tee and yardage.
If you want to run a best ball golf tournament without a scoring spreadsheet, see how TourneyCommand works, the registration software overview, or try the live demo. Looking for sponsors for the day? Here’s how to get sponsors for a charity golf tournament.
Four mistakes to avoid
1. Skipping handicaps. Without them, the team with the best golfers wins every time. 2. Choosing an allowance after the scores are in. Fix it, and publish it, before the first tee. 3. No maximum score. One golfer’s 12 on a par 4 slows the whole field. 4. Not collecting handicaps at registration. Chasing them on the first tee is how errors happen.
Handicap allowances are the USGA’s recommendations. Check your own committee’s rules and adjust for your event.
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