Rule 23 of Golf Explained: Four-Ball Scoring, Scorecards and Partner Penalties
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How we wrote this: A plain-English summary of Rule 23 of the Rules of Golf as published by The R&A (the same Rules the USGA publishes), checked October 29, 2026. Read the official Rule text for every detail.
What Four-Ball is (Rule 23.1)
- Two partners play as a side, and each plays their own ball.
- The side's score for a hole is the lower of the two partners' scores.
- It can be played in match play or stroke play.
- Best-Ball is a match play variation: one player plays against a side of two or three partners.
The side's score for a hole (Rule 23.2a)
- Both partners hole out: the lower score counts.
- Only one holes out: that score counts, and the other partner doesn't need to finish.
- Neither holes out: the side has no score. In match play the side loses the hole. In stroke play the side is disqualified unless the mistake is corrected in time.
Scorecards in stroke play (Rule 23.2b)
- Enter the side's gross scores on a single scorecard. At least one partner's score must be there for each hole.
- Each score must be clearly marked as the individual partner's score. Labelling it just "side" isn't enough, and leads to disqualification.
- Only one partner needs to certify the scores.
- The Committee decides which score counts and applies any handicaps. If the scores are equal, it can use either one.
Playing as partners
- A player may take any action concerning the partner's ball that the partner could take, such as marking, lifting and replacing it.
- Partners may share clubs, as long as they have no more than 14 clubs between them (Rule 23.7).
- A player must not stand on or close to an extension of the line of play behind the ball while the partner makes a stroke, to gain information for their own next stroke. The penalty is the general penalty (Rule 23.8).
- A penalty other than disqualification normally applies only to the player, and penalty strokes go only on that player's score. Rule 23.9 lists the exceptions where the penalty applies to both partners.
Related: Rule 21 formats, match play vs. stroke play, advice and caddies.