The scoring unit
A pair inside a fourball. A standard fourball produces two pairs, and both are ranked against every other pair in the field.
Two-ball alliance (better ball)
Pairs, taking the better Stableford score on each hole. The pairing comes from the draw, so a fourball usually contains two competing pairs.
What counts on each hole
The higher of the pair's two Stableford scores on that hole. The lower one is discarded for that hole.
The calculation
How a result is arrived at
Written out so a committee can check it by hand for any one hole.
1. Each player scores individually first
Playing handicap, strokes off the stroke index, Stableford points per hole — all exactly as in individual Stableford. The allowance matters more here than people expect, which is why many clubs run better ball at less than 100%.
2. Take the better score on each hole
For each hole, the pair scores max(partner A, partner B). Not the sum, and not the better player's score throughout — the better score on that specific hole, which can alternate all the way round.
A hole where one partner scores 3 and the other 0 contributes 3. A hole where both score 2 also contributes 2, not 4.
3. The pair total
Add the eighteen better-ball scores. Because a blown hole costs nothing as long as the partner scored, better-ball totals run considerably higher than individual ones — typically in the low forties where a good individual round is in the high thirties.
Worked example
On the demo card
The same four synthetic players used everywhere on this site, playing a fictional par 72 at a 95% allowance.
In the demo fourball the draw pairs Fourie with Bhengu, and Nel with Dlamini.
Fourie and Bhengu finish on 40 pointsas a pair, against their individual totals of 33 and 35. The seven-point gain over Bhengu's own round is exactly the holes where Fourie scored better, and it is why better ball rewards a pair who play badly at different times.
Nel and Dlamini finish on 35, against individual totals of 27 and 33.
Format
Handicap allowance
One result per player.
| # | Player | Plays off | Points | Back 9 | Back 6 | Back 3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | T. Bhengu | 8 | 35 | 17 | 12 | 6 |
| T2 | A. Fourie | 13 | 33 | 16 | 10 | 5 |
| T3 | S. Dlamini | 10 | 33 | 15 | 9 | 5 |
| 4 | P. Nel | 17 | 27 | 13 | 9 | 4 |
Two results are level on points. Countback has separated them on the back nine, and the ranks are marked so nobody has to wonder why.
Select this format below. Every number is computed by the production scoring engine.
Edge cases
The parts that catch people out
These are the situations a spreadsheet usually gets wrong.
An incomplete team
A pair with only one player present still scores — every hole simply takes that player's score, since it is trivially the better of the two — but the pair is marked as incomplete.
That marking matters at prize giving. A single player scoring as a pair is at a real disadvantage, and a committee should be able to see that a unit was short rather than assuming a poor round.
A player in the competition with no pairing in the draw does not appear in the better-ball result at all, but still gets a full individual result.
Ties and countback
Applied to the pair's combined hole scores: last nine, last six, last three, last hole.
It is the pair's better-ball figures that count back, not either partner's own card. Two pairs level on 40 are separated by the better-ball total over holes 10 to 18.
Pairs still exactly level after all four share the rank, and the next pair skips a place.
Live in the productLive in the product
Covered by tests, which is why it is listed.
This format's unit construction, rounding and countback behaviour are covered by the automated tests that run against the scoring engine. That is the bar for appearing on the formats page at all.
Questions
About formats
Which competition formats are supported?
Four, each with its rules, rounding and countback behaviour covered by automated tests: individual Stableford, four-ball alliance, two-ball alliance (better ball) and combined Stableford.
For the alliance format you choose how many scores count on each hole, from one to four. The handicap allowance percentage is adjustable per competition, so a format played off 85% is scored off 85%.
If your club plays a format that is not on the list, ask: formats are added on request, and we only list one publicly once its behaviour is under test, because a format that is nearly right is worse than one we do not offer.
How are ties broken?
By countback, in the standard sequence: the last nine, then the last six, then the last three, then the last hole.
If two players or teams are still exactly level after all four, they share the rank and the next rank is skipped, so two players tied on first are both shown as first and the next is third. The leaderboard marks a result where countback did the separating, so nobody has to wonder why one player is above another on the same points.
Does it handle 9-hole competitions?
Yes. Both 9 and 18 hole competitions are scored, and countback adjusts accordingly: over 9 holes it works from the last six, last three and last hole.
Can we apply a handicap allowance?
Yes, as a percentage across the competition, with the common ones a tap away. The playing handicap is calculated from the exact handicap and the allowance, rounded half away from zero, and the leaderboard shows what each player is playing off.
Change the allowance after cards are in and every result is recalculated. You do not re-enter anything.
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