Team Golf

Most of the golf championships may be singles, but there is such a thing as team based golf. The Ryder Cup is one such example in which the U.S. and EU teams play for the Ryder Cup trophy. This is a match-play championships, but there are various formats for team golf rounds. With a group of four these team golf scoring formats are worth noting.

For example, there is best ball. This is actually quite simple, each player finishes a hole, and then each team records their best single score for the hole. Best ball becomes Four Ball with the match-play format. Then the team with the lowest score for the hole wins the hole.

Scramble is another alternative. With scramble everybody tees off, but then only one spot where the team's balls have landed is selected for the next. The others pick up their balls, and then play from within one club length of their team's selected ball. Then it's the same again until both teams have holed out.

Those are two of the more widespread team scoring formats for championships, but you can always set up your own customized team formats for your own rounds. For example, why not consider combining everybody's scoring for a single hole? As such, in doubles two scores would be added for each team. That's one way, or you could take it in turns to play through holes instead so that only one from a team plays a hole. This would be a quicker team golf format than some of the others.

So overall, there's a few team golf formats. Best ball is probably the most straightforward, and in that respect is the format of choice for many.