| Type | Stroke |
| Alias | Better Ball, Fourball |
| Format | Tournament |
| Number of players | 4, 6, 8 |
| Team or Individual play | Team |
- 2-Person Best Ball is a game intended for two teams of two players.
- This game can be either match or stroke play, although stroke play is most often used for tournaments.
- In either type of play, both players of a team tee off and then play their own balls throughout the round.
Stroke Play:
- The game is initially the same for both types of play. The players of a team tee off and complete a hole.
- After each hole, the score of the player with the best ball (lowest score) serves as the team score for that hole.
- For example, suppose Player A and Player B of Team 1 score 4 and 6 on Hole 1, respectively. In that case, Player A’s score, i.e., 4, will count as the final team score for the first hole.
- The strokes are added at the end of the round to determine the team’s better ball score.
Match Play:
- Players from both teams complete a hole and then compare their scores.
- For example, suppose Players A and B of Team 1 score 4 and 5 on the first hole, respectively. The best ball score, i.e., 4, will count as the team score for that hole. On the same hole, Players C and D of Team 2 score 5 and 6, with their best ball score being 5. Since Team 1’s best ball score is better than Team 2’s, Team 1 wins the first hole.
- The team with the most wins at the end of the round wins the game.
Handicaps
Tournaments of this game usually involve handicaps. Although handicap allowances are set by the tournament organizers, most tournaments follow the USGA handicap manual for determining the handicaps allowed. The methods are as follows:
Stroke Play:
- The handicap allowance for stroke play 2-person best ball is 90% of the course handicap for men and 95% of the course handicap for women.
Match Play:
In match play, the handicap allowance is determined by comparing the course handicap of all four players. The player with the lowest course handicap plays from scratch, while the other three players are allowed their course handicaps after reducing the difference.