By Sr. Rules Officials: Pete Scholz and Terry McEvilly
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Four-Ball Match and Stroke Play

A Four-Ball competition is a form of play where two players play as partners (a side) and each player plays his or her own ball. The score for a side on each hole is the lower score of one of the partners. A Four-Ball competition may be either match play or stroke play. While Rules 1-20 govern general play, Rule 23, which is specifically written for Four-Ball, modifies the other Rules in both forms of play.

Test your knowledge with the following questions regarding Four-Ball. In all questions, Players A and B are partners and represent a side.

Questions: True / False

1. In stroke play, during play of the second hole, Player A realizes he has 15 clubs in his bag. Player A must add two strokes to his score for each of the first two holes, but Player B incurs no penalty. Therefore, if player B had made the lower score for both holes, the penalty is irrelevant.
2. Each partner must have their own clubs and are not allowed to ever share clubs.
3. During play of a hole, Player A plays a wrong ball, which turns out to be Player B’s ball. Both players are penalized.
4. The partners are searching for Player A’s ball in the rough. Player B finds a ball but is unable to see an identification mark on it. She marks and lifts it for identification and discovers it is Player A’s ball and replaces it. Neither player incurs a penalty.
5. After playing nine holes, Player A stops by the clubhouse for refreshments. He tells his partner to begin the back nine without him and that he will join him later. Player B plays the 10th hole and tees off on the 11th hole. Side A/B must be disqualified because both partners did not play the hole and the mistake was not corrected before one of them began play of the next hole.
6. Hole by hole scores on the scorecard must be individually identifiable to the partner who made the score. The Committee is responsible for deciding which partner’s score will count.
7. In stroke play, both partners must complete each hole by holing out.
8. Player A takes a stance and makes a stroke on the putting green while player B is standing on an extension of the line of play behind the ball to see the break for his own putt. Only player B is penalized for standing behind the ball on an extension of the line of play while player A makes a stroke.
9. Player A’s ball lies on the putting green and farther from the hole than her partner B’s ball. Player A makes a stroke before Player B, whose turn it was to play. In match play, the opponents may require Player A to cancel the stroke and play in proper order.
10. Only one of the partners needs to sign the scorecard along with the marker before returning the card to the Committee.
     

Answers:

1. False. Rules 4.1b and 23.8(2). In a Four-Ball competition, both partners may be penalized for a breach by either partner under certain Rules. Rule 4 (Clubs) is one such Rule. Therefore, both players A and B must add two strokes to each of the first two holes.
2. False. Rules 4.1b(2) and 23.7. Partners in either form of play may share clubs provided that the total number of clubs they have together is not more than 14. Therefore, if Player A forgot his putter at home, he or she may not use Player B’s putter unless together they are only carrying 14 clubs.
3. False. Rules 6.3c and 23.8(2) If one of the partners plays a wrong ball, only the partner who played the wrong ball will incur the general penalty of loss of hole in match play or two strokes in stroke play. This is true even if the wrong ball belongs to the partner. The partner may continue to represent the side in either forms of play.
4. True. Rule 23.5a. This Rule allows a partner to take any action concerning the player’s ball that the player is allowed to take. Therefore, Player B may mark, lift, replace and even drop a ball for player A if applicable. It is important to note that if an action taken by one of the partner’s involving the other partner’s ball results in a breach of the Rules, the partner whose ball is involved incurs the penalty.
5. False. Rule 23.4. A side may be represented by either partner for all or any part of the round, i.e., both partners need not be present. An absent player may join his or her partner between holes, but not during the play of a hole. Therefore, since Player B already started the 11th hole, Player A may not play the 11th but may join his partner on 12th hole.
6. True. Rule 23.2b. The Committee must be able to determine which partner made each score at every hole. If the scorecard is returned without the scores being individually identifiable, the side is disqualified.
7. False. Rule 23.2a. This Rule allows a player to pick up and not complete the hole if the player is clearly “out of the hole” in regards to the side’s score. No score is needed for that partner or an X may be recorded. Additionally, any number greater than what the other partner scored is also permitted.
8. False. Rules 10.2b(4) and 23.8a and Interpretation 23.8a(2)/1. This question is false in more than one way. First, Player A is in breach for taking a stance for the stroke while his or her partner is standing behind the ball on an extension of the line of play. Additionally, because the breach assisted Player B, in that he or she gained information regarding the break of the putt, he or she is also penalized. Therefore, both partners incur a two stroke penalty in stroke play or the side loses the hole in match play.
9. False. Rule 23.6. In Four-Ball match and stroke play it is important to remember that balls belonging to a side may be played in the order the side considers best when it is the side’s turn to play. Since it was Player B’s turn to play, Player A may play first without any breach of the Rules.
10. True. Rules 3.3b(2) and 23.2b(1). Only one of the partners needs to sign the card to certify the scores. Additionally, the marker who kept the scorecard for the side must also sign it before the side promptly returns the card to the Committee.
     

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