Four-ball strategy

A Practical Guide to Four-Ball Strategy

A practical opener that turns four-ball strategy into decisions you can use on the course.

A Practical Guide to Four-Ball Strategy illustration

Start with the real shot

A Practical Guide to Four-Ball Strategy should feel useful before a golfer ever reaches for another browser tab. Picture one partner safe in the fairway while the other attacks; the point is to make that moment clearer, not to bury it under theory.

What to notice

Start with decide who leads off on tight holes, then connect it to the result you can actually see. On the match tee, a good read shows up as a better target, cleaner contact, or a mistake that leaves a playable next shot.

  • First check: Decide who leads off on tight holes.
  • Second check: Protect against two balls in the same trouble.
  • Scorecard check: Did it support helping both partners play their roles?

Use it today

For this article, success is modest: one decision around four-ball strategy should feel easier the next time the situation appears.