What is the difference between best ball and scramble?

In best ball, each player plays their own ball all the way through the hole, and the team keeps the lowest individual score. In a scramble, everyone tees off, the team picks the single best shot, and then all players hit again from that spot, repeating until the ball is holed. So best ball is 'play your own ball, count the best score,' while a scramble is 'everyone plays from the best ball each shot.' Scramble is more forgiving; best ball rewards individual good play.

Is a Texas scramble the same as best ball?

No. A Texas scramble is a variation of a scramble, not a best ball. In a Texas scramble the team still plays every shot from the best-positioned ball, but with an added rule that a minimum number of each player's tee shots must be used during the round. Best ball is completely different, since each golfer plays their own ball throughout and the lowest score counts. The two are often confused, but the core mechanic, own ball versus shared ball, is opposite.

How do you play two-ball best ball?

Two-ball best ball is the classic version with two players per team. Both players play their own ball for the whole hole, and the team records the lower of the two scores as its result for that hole. You do this for all 18 holes and add up the team's best-ball scores. It is exactly the format the USGA calls four-ball, popular in club competitions and match-play events.

What is a two-best-ball format?

A two-best-ball format is played with larger teams, usually four players, where instead of counting only the single lowest score, the team adds together the two lowest scores on each hole. It rewards having two players score well rather than relying on one standout, so it spreads the pressure across the team. The phrase is sometimes muddled with 'scramble,' but a genuine best-ball format always means each player holes out their own ball.

Best Ball Golf Format: Rules and How to Score

In the best ball golf format, each player on a team plays their own ball throughout the entire hole, and the team’s score for that hole is the lowest individual score among the teammates. Nobody shares a ball; everyone holes out (or picks up once they are out of it), and only the best number counts toward the team total.

It is one of the most popular team formats in golf because it keeps every player fully involved while taking the pressure off any single bad hole. Here is exactly how best ball works, how to score it, and how it differs from the scramble and Texas scramble it so often gets confused with.

How best ball works

The mechanics of best ball are refreshingly simple. On every hole:

Everyone plays their own ball from tee to green, taking their own shots with no assistance from teammates.
Each player records their own score for the hole, just as in a normal round.
The team takes the best score. In a standard two-player team, that is the lower of the two scores. In a larger team using two-best-ball, it is the two lowest scores added together.

Because each golfer plays independently, best ball feels like a normal round of golf, you are still hitting every shot, but with a safety net: if you make a mess of a hole, your partner’s good score can carry the team. This is why the format is a favourite for club competitions and charity days alike.

Scoring a best ball round

Scoring is straightforward once you know whether you are playing one-best-ball or two-best-ball. Say two partners play a par-4:

Player A makes 5, Player B makes 4. In one-best-ball, the team scores 4.
In a four-player two-best-ball team where scores are 4, 5, 5 and 6, the team adds the two lowest (4 and 5) for a team score of 9 on that hole.

Handicaps are often applied so players of different abilities can compete fairly, with strokes given on certain holes. If the handicap side of things is new to you, our guides to keeping score in golf and the broader rules will help you set it up. Best ball can be played as either stroke play (total strokes) or match play (holes won), a distinction our match play vs stroke play explainer covers.

Best ball vs scramble vs Texas scramble

This is where most of the confusion lives, so here is a direct comparison.

Format	How the ball is played	Team score
Best ball (four-ball)	Each player plays their own ball all hole	Lowest individual score (or two lowest)
Scramble	All hit, then everyone plays from the best shot each time	The single team score made from the best shots
Texas scramble	Same as scramble, but a minimum number of each player’s drives must be used	The single team score, with the drive rule enforced
Shamble	Best drive is chosen, then each plays own ball in from there	Usually best individual score after the drive

The dividing line is simple: in best ball, everyone plays their own ball the whole way. In a scramble (including the Texas variant), the team shares a single position and plays every shot from the best ball. A shamble is the hybrid, best drive, then own ball, and our scramble rules guide breaks down that shared-ball format in full.

Why players love best ball

Best ball hits a sweet spot between team camaraderie and individual golf. You are never sitting out, every shot you hit could be the one that counts, but a blow-up hole does not sink the whole team. That combination makes it welcoming for mixed-ability groups: a strong player and a higher-handicapper can pair up and both contribute.

It also produces genuine drama in match play. When two teams are playing four-ball, a player can attack a pin aggressively knowing their partner is safely in play, which leads to bold, entertaining golf. It is no accident that four-ball is a marquee format in team competitions like the Ryder Cup and Presidents Cup. For a similar two-player team idea with a different scoring twist, the Chapman format is worth a look.

Strategy that makes best ball fun

Because your partner’s score can bail you out, best ball encourages a smart division of roles within a team. On a risky hole, one player can play safe to guarantee a reasonable score while the other attacks a tucked pin or goes for a green in two. If the aggressive shot comes off, the team cashes in a birdie; if it fails, the safe partner’s par still counts. That freedom to gamble without ruining the hole is what makes the format so enjoyable.

Team order matters in match play too. Knowing your partner is already safely on the green lets you take on a putt aggressively rather than lagging it, since a miss costs the team nothing. Good best-ball partners talk between shots, deciding who plays safe and who takes the risk based on where each ball lies. That constant, low-stakes strategising is a big part of why four-ball is such a beloved format among club golfers and tour pros alike.

Getting started

To run your own best ball game, decide three things: team size (two is classic), whether you are counting one best ball or two, and whether you are applying handicaps. Then everyone simply plays their own golf and you record the best score on each hole. That is the entire format, which is exactly why it is such an easy, popular way to turn a normal round into a team event.

The short version: best ball means each player plays their own ball and the team takes the lowest score (or two lowest) on each hole, unlike a scramble where the team plays every shot from the best position. The two-player version is what the USGA calls four-ball, and a Texas scramble is a scramble variant, not a best ball at all.