Golf Rules Golf Rule 31 Four Ball Stroke Play (Video) - by Pete Styles
Golf Rules Golf Rule 31 Four Ball Stroke Play (Video) - by Pete Styles

So the next rule here refers to four ball stroke play. So this is where two people combine as a partnership, as a team. They both play their individual ball and the best score on each hole gets attributed to the scorecard. And we can also take account of the best net score. So we’ve got two different people of two different handicaps. We don't just look at that gross score. We look at that net score and refer that to the scorecard. Now it's quite a big complex rule, it's one. It's one I'm going to have to refer back to the app to make sure I get all the correct wording up, because there's lots of different connotations here.

Basic connotations mean that if I'm playing my ball and I make a mistake, I get a penalty for my score that doesn't affect the team score. But there are certain breaches of the rule which would mean the score needs to be -- the penalty sorry needs to be applied for both players in the team. So a representation of the side, so let's say we're playing as a team but you turn up late. I go out on the golf course, I'm allowed to start the round as our team playing on my own. Now clearly I don't have the advantage of having a partner to help me out. I'm just playing my ball and my score is getting written down. But it's better that I go out my own and you join me on the second or third hole rather than both of us missing out on the tee time. It is not even starting at all, because we’re then both disqualified. So one person can play the first hole or a number of holes on their own. Now the scoring side of things, we just write down the best score. We don't actually have to write down two scores. So if I am having an absolute nightmare and I'm going sideways, and you're having a great hole, the legitimate reason for me to pick my golf ball up, help support you while you get up to the hole and I can look after your interest rather than trying and hack around to make a 10 when you're making a three. So sometimes only one ball would need to go in the hole, one ball would need to go on the scorecard. Now the order of play is interesting here, because rules 31.4 covers the order of play. We don't actually have to play in turn. We can take it in turns or we can actually choose to let one person finish the hole before the next person. And the benefits of this is it becomes apparent on the green. Let's say I've got a ten foot putt to make a four, and you're quite close to the hole, but you are going to be tapping in to make a five. Rather than me going for my four first, what I might suggest is you tap in for your five. That gives me an opportunity to have a free putt basically because I know as a team we've secured the five. So I can have a free putt for a four which maybe means I can be a bit more aggressive. I can hit it a little bit harder. And if it goes in, great and if it misses, not a problem because we’ve already got five. There's no risk of me racing past three putting and taking a six. So that's an interesting part of that rule. You don't actually have to play in order. 31. 5 applies to the wrong ball. If one of our team let's say for myself if I played the wrong ball, the penalty for playing the wrong ball is applied to me, not applied to us as a team, even if the wrong ball that I play is yours. So if I hit your ball by mistake, we identify the problem before you hit yours. We can then bring that ball back. I get the penalty, but not the entire team getting a penalty. Now there's a few other connotations that might be added into there as well. But they go into really deep detail about disqualifications, and all sorts of things like that. So let's just try and keep this relatively simple as a four-ball stroke play competition. Effectively, we're playing our own ball. Our penalties don't get combined, don't get added together. But then when we get to the green, we only need to put one score on the scorecard. Let's make sure that's the best score and it doesn't matter if you want to play out of turn. Good tactics might dictate that, that would be better to improve your team score. 2015-07-23

So the next rule here refers to four ball stroke play. So this is where two people combine as a partnership, as a team. They both play their individual ball and the best score on each hole gets attributed to the scorecard. And we can also take account of the best net score. So we’ve got two different people of two different handicaps. We don't just look at that gross score. We look at that net score and refer that to the scorecard. Now it's quite a big complex rule, it's one. It's one I'm going to have to refer back to the app to make sure I get all the correct wording up, because there's lots of different connotations here.

Basic connotations mean that if I'm playing my ball and I make a mistake, I get a penalty for my score that doesn't affect the team score. But there are certain breaches of the rule which would mean the score needs to be — the penalty sorry needs to be applied for both players in the team. So a representation of the side, so let's say we're playing as a team but you turn up late. I go out on the golf course, I'm allowed to start the round as our team playing on my own. Now clearly I don't have the advantage of having a partner to help me out. I'm just playing my ball and my score is getting written down.

But it's better that I go out my own and you join me on the second or third hole rather than both of us missing out on the tee time. It is not even starting at all, because we’re then both disqualified. So one person can play the first hole or a number of holes on their own. Now the scoring side of things, we just write down the best score. We don't actually have to write down two scores. So if I am having an absolute nightmare and I'm going sideways, and you're having a great hole, the legitimate reason for me to pick my golf ball up, help support you while you get up to the hole and I can look after your interest rather than trying and hack around to make a 10 when you're making a three.

So sometimes only one ball would need to go in the hole, one ball would need to go on the scorecard. Now the order of play is interesting here, because rules 31.4 covers the order of play. We don't actually have to play in turn. We can take it in turns or we can actually choose to let one person finish the hole before the next person. And the benefits of this is it becomes apparent on the green. Let's say I've got a ten foot putt to make a four, and you're quite close to the hole, but you are going to be tapping in to make a five. Rather than me going for my four first, what I might suggest is you tap in for your five.

That gives me an opportunity to have a free putt basically because I know as a team we've secured the five. So I can have a free putt for a four which maybe means I can be a bit more aggressive. I can hit it a little bit harder. And if it goes in, great and if it misses, not a problem because we’ve already got five. There's no risk of me racing past three putting and taking a six. So that's an interesting part of that rule. You don't actually have to play in order. 31. 5 applies to the wrong ball. If one of our team let's say for myself if I played the wrong ball, the penalty for playing the wrong ball is applied to me, not applied to us as a team, even if the wrong ball that I play is yours.

So if I hit your ball by mistake, we identify the problem before you hit yours. We can then bring that ball back. I get the penalty, but not the entire team getting a penalty. Now there's a few other connotations that might be added into there as well. But they go into really deep detail about disqualifications, and all sorts of things like that. So let's just try and keep this relatively simple as a four-ball stroke play competition. Effectively, we're playing our own ball. Our penalties don't get combined, don't get added together. But then when we get to the green, we only need to put one score on the scorecard.

Let's make sure that's the best score and it doesn't matter if you want to play out of turn. Good tactics might dictate that, that would be better to improve your team score.