Thanks Anyway, But I’ll Just Sit Here and Watch

(Rules for the Game of Golf)

If you are looking for the easiest job in all of golf, I’ve got it figured out! The job is being the partner in a Four-Ball competition of the greatest golfer to have ever lived. Now it’s your responsibility to find out who that GOAT is and get him to agree to your terms, but once you do, you have it made. You don’t have to tee it up, hit a shot, make a putt, or even shake hands (although you should).

History tells us that the game was a variation of stroke play originating in the early 19^th century with a Scottish newspaper reporting a match between two pairs of professionals at St. Andrews. It took another century for a published set of rules for the competition, but only for match play at that time. Around 1952, the first printed rules for four-ball stroke play were adopted.

You may be wondering about that “easiest job” statement I made, and I know it sounds a bit unreasonable, but the facts are the facts. In the game of Four-Ball only one of the partner’s scores is going to count per hole and there are no requirements that both players have a ball in play at any time. If a player arrives at the tee after his partner has begun play, the player may not play that same hole, but he is allowed to give advice or help to his partner. If both players begin a hole and one picks his ball up before holing out, the other partner’s score will be used for the side.

Rule 23 – Four-Ball provides this purpose statement in the book:

• Rule 23 covers Four-Ball (played either in match play or stroke play), where partners compete as a side with each playing a separate ball. The side’s score for a hole is the lower score of the partners on that hole.

There is also a description of a variation of the format called Best-Ball, where an individual player competes against a side of two or three partners and each partner plays their own ball. Some specific rules do exist in these variations and apply to each match.

Scoring is not complicated because there must be a score for the team in stroke play and a determination of who won the hole in match play. If a team has no score in stroke play, the team is disqualified and in match play the team loses the hole.

A scorecard is kept in stroke play and must be accurate with each score clearly identifiable for each player. At least one score must appear on the card but both partner’s scores may appear. The lowest score will be counted toward the team score. If that score does not appear in the correct player’s scoring line, the side is disqualified.

In match play, the holes are won or conceded and the team who wins the most holes of the round, wins the match.

When a player gets a penalty other than disqualification, that penalty normally applies only to the player and not also to their partner, except in the following:

• when a player breaches Rule 4.1b (limit of clubs, sharing, adding, or replacing clubs)
• when a player’s breach helps his partner’s play
• In match play, when player’s breach hurts opponent’s play

There is a laundry list of over twenty rules with disqualification penalties for the side. A highlight reel includes player’s conduct, use of equipment, unreasonable delay, wrong score on a hole, failure to hole out, etc.

This rule has added several clarifications from the recent modernization efforts that provide guidance in areas of determining a score if all players pick up their ball and no one completes the hole. To answer that question, it is the side’s player that is the last to pick up their ball that will win the hole in match play.

Additionally, if a player who is farthest from the hole decides they will not complete the hole, that player has abandoned their rights and may not change that decision after an opponent has played.

These are the types of clarifications and declarations you will find across this format of competition and why having a good understanding of the rules is beneficial when stepping outside the normal stroke or match play competition.

Once again, I remind you that Rule 23 – Four-Ball can be found included in international events such as the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup, Curtis Cup, Walker Cup, Solheim Cup and did I mention the Coomer Cup! I hope you have an opportunity to team up and experience a wonderful format of golf with your best partner. Who knows, it might be the perfect day to do nothing but sit back and watch some great golf!