Best Ball Foursome

[Mullyman]

Can someone please explain this format to me, the Tee it Up for Troops tournament is using it and I have never played in this type of format.

[davep043]

Do you have a reference or website? I've seen the term "Best ball" used for a couple of different formats, including scrambles and other formats where players play their own ball all the way through the hole. My guess, for a charity event, is that they mean a 4-player scramble.

[gioguy21]

Or, everyone plays their own ball out, and then the player with the lowest score by hole is used, to determine the team's score.

[davep043]

> @gioguy21 said:

> Or, everyone plays their own ball out, and then the player with the lowest score by hole is used, to determine the team's score.

 

I agree that this is a possibility. I'm basing my guess on the fact that this is a charity fundraiser, and scrambles are the predominate format for charity events. The format you suggest would be more typical in an actual competitive event, at least in my experience. The only way to know for sure is to read the information from the event organizers.

[Mullyman]

> @davep043 said:

> Do you have a reference or website? I've seen the term "Best ball" used for a couple of different formats, including scrambles and other formats where players play their own ball all the way through the hole. My guess, for a charity event, is that they mean a 4-player scramble.

 

Sorry, there website does not provide any info, I asked for more info and they have provided everything as to the itinerary but nothing as to this format.

[DavePelz4]

Is it gross or net?

[Mullyman]

> @DavePelz4 said:

> Is it gross or net?

Sorry, do not know, all they provided was box lunch, 10:00 shotgun start, best ball foursome. The only other response I received was when I asked if they could switch somebody to the group from this forum and I was told the groups are set.

 

[Moonlightgrm]

If it's a charity event, it's probably misnamed. It would most likely be a scramble format. Everyone tees off, choose the best ball of the foursome and move the other three balls to that spot, and do it again until the ball is holed. However, if it truly is a best ball of the foursome, everyone plays the hole in typical fashion and the lowest score is the team's score. There are a myriad of handicapping scenarios for these events.

[TwistedSister]

Website?

[Augster]

Pretty sure it is a scramble. “Host a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Scramble Event”

 

https://www.teeitupforthetroops.org/organize-an-event/

 

From the “organize an event” page of their website.

 

 

[teejaywhy]

If it really is a scramble, please find the person who published it as a "best ball" and punch them in the face for me.

;)

[raynorfan1]

Best ball is everybody plays their own ball, lowest score on each hole counts.

 

That said, it’s not inconceivable that an event planner who doesn’t know golf would describe a scramble as “best ball”...

[llewol007]

sounds like a 4 man scramble

 

[Sawgrass]

Nice if they’d actually use a real name of an established format. Would eliminate guessing, I guess.

[LeoLeo99]

> @Sawgrass said:

> Nice if they’d actually use a real name of an established format. Would eliminate guessing, I guess.

 

I had a 10 minute discussion with a friend of mine explaining the difference between scramble and best ball and he just couldn't accept it. He still calls it best ball while everyone else calls it a scramble. Some things you just can't fix.

[Colin L]

There can't be any such thing as a Best Ball Foursome. Each side in a foursome plays one ball.

[Newby]

> @"Colin L" said:

> There can't be any such thing as a Best Ball Foursome. Each side in a foursome plays one ball.

Colin

Over there, any group of four players is called a foursome. ;)

 

[antip]

This clearly nonsensically named format must be designed to get discussions going on a golf rules website. There is simply no answer to what it means in the Rules book.

[LeoLeo99]

> @Newby said:

> > @"Colin L" said:

> > There can't be any such thing as a Best Ball Foursome. Each side in a foursome plays one ball.

> Colin

> Over there, any group of four players is called a foursome. ;)

>

 

Indeed. I struggle to remember what it means when the Ryder Cup plays foursomes. We call that alternative shot doubles/partners. (Had to Google this)

 

And we call fourballs better ball doubles/partners.

 

At least in my neck of the woods.

[Newby]

> @LeoLeo99 said:

> > @Newby said:

> > > @"Colin L" said:

> > > There can't be any such thing as a Best Ball Foursome. Each side in a foursome plays one ball.

> > Colin

> > Over there, any group of four players is called a foursome. ;)

> >

>

> Indeed. I struggle to remember what it means when the Ryder Cup plays foursomes. We call that alternative shot doubles/partners. (Had to Google this)

>

> And we call fourballs better ball doubles/partners.

>

> At least in my neck of the woods.

 

We sometimes call foursomes simply 'alternate shot' and frequently call fourball, 'better ball'. Doubles/partners is somewhat redundant.

 

 

[SkiSchoolPro]

The linked site says "Host a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Scramble Event" under "Tee It Up for the Troops"

[raynorfan1]

> @SkiSchoolPro said:

> The linked site says "Host a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Scramble Event" under "Tee It Up for the Troops"

 

While this is undeniably true, my club hosted a Tee it Up For the Troops event that was best ball (which is the tournament format we almost always play).

 

[raindawg1]

In my experience over the years just about everyone I come in contact with use the terms best ball and scramble interchangeably for scrambles. I used to try to correct the person every time it gets mentioned for education purposes but people end up looking at me like I'm speaking a foreign language. And in my parts I've never come across a true team best ball tournament format.

[Colin L]

> @Newby said:

> > @"Colin L" said:

> > There can't be any such thing as a Best Ball Foursome. Each side in a foursome plays one ball.

> Colin

> Over there, any group of four players is called a foursome. ;)

>

I know, but the OP asked a question in a rules forum and I gave a rules-based answer.

[Newby]

> @raynorfan1 said:

> > @SkiSchoolPro said:

> > The linked site says "Host a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Scramble Event" under "Tee It Up for the Troops"

>

> While this is undeniably true, my club hosted a Tee it Up For the Troops event that was best ball (which is the tournament format we almost always play).

>

 

'Better' is a comparative of good, it simply means the higher standard or more suitable of two. So the better score counts in a Better Ball.

'Best' is the superlative of good, ie surpassing **all** others in excellence, achievement, or quality;

It is correct to call a scramble a 'best ball' because scrambles generally mean choosing the preferred ball from more than two. Although there can be two ball scrambles (almost unknown over here).

 

So is it simply a four man team scramble?

[raynorfan1]

> @Newby said:

> > @raynorfan1 said:

> > > @SkiSchoolPro said:

> > > The linked site says "Host a Tee It Up for the Troops Golf Scramble Event" under "Tee It Up for the Troops"

> >

> > While this is undeniably true, my club hosted a Tee it Up For the Troops event that was best ball (which is the tournament format we almost always play).

> >

>

> 'Better' is a comparative of good, it simply means the higher standard or more suitable of two. So the better score counts in a Better Ball.

> 'Best' is the superlative of good, ie surpassing **all** others in excellence, achievement, or quality;

> It is correct to call a scramble a 'best ball' because scrambles generally mean choosing the preferred ball from more than two. Although there can be two ball scrambles (almost unknown over here).

>

> So is it simply a four man team scramble?

 

In our club parlance, “better” ball is two person teams, “best” ball is four person teams.

 

If it was a scramble, we’d call it a scramble.

[Malvern]

Given its a charity day and the organisers want to keep things moving (with non regular golfers), we have played, take the best drive of the 4some and then everyone plays their own ball from there. Best 2 scores count for the competition. Works well.

[SNIPERBBB]

> @Malvern said:

> Given its a charity day and the organisers want to keep things moving (with non regular golfers), we have played, take the best drive of the 4some and then everyone plays their own ball from there. Best 2 scores count for the competition. Works well.

 

Known here as a Shamble

[Imp]

> @SNIPERBBB said:

> > @Malvern said:

> > Given its a charity day and the organisers want to keep things moving (with non regular golfers), we have played, take the best drive of the 4some and then everyone plays their own ball from there. Best 2 scores count for the competition. Works well.

>

> Known here as a Shamble

Yep, that's a shamble.

 

Played a charity/fundraiser scramble yesterday, had a fun time "not playing golf". Just adding a little extra to the whole scramble thing for any people in here that just may organize them, but want to keep play moving... which I hadn't experienced before. "Everything on the green is an automatic two putt." Meaning, your group has 1 chance to get your ball in the hole for that lower score. After that, pick up and move on. Worked out well, greens cleared in a timely manner, the course flowed with 2 groups on every tee even. Finished up under 5 hours (which was amazing in an of itself, some scrambles have gone almost 6 hours).

 

--kC

[SNIPERBBB]

> @Imp said:

> > @SNIPERBBB said:

> > > @Malvern said:

> > > Given its a charity day and the organisers want to keep things moving (with non regular golfers), we have played, take the best drive of the 4some and then everyone plays their own ball from there. Best 2 scores count for the competition. Works well.

> >

> > Known here as a Shamble

> Yep, that's a shamble.

>

> Played a charity/fundraiser scramble yesterday, had a fun time "not playing golf". Just adding a little extra to the whole scramble thing for any people in here that just may organize them, but want to keep play moving... which I hadn't experienced before. "Everything on the green is an automatic two putt." Meaning, your group has 1 chance to get your ball in the hole for that lower score. After that, pick up and move on. Worked out well, greens cleared in a timely manner, the course flowed with 2 groups on every tee even. Finished up under 5 hours (which was amazing in an of itself, some scrambles have gone almost 6 hours).

>

> --kC

 

Haven't heard that one.. around here we do par or bogey max in events that have a lot of teams where your lucky to have one member that can get the ball airborne.