How to fill out a Four-Ball scorecard in stroke play

You use one scorecard for the side and enter at least one partner's gross score on every hole. Each score must be clearly marked with the player's name — not just "side" — or the side is disqualified. Only one partner needs to sign the card.

What goes on the card

The side turns in a single scorecard. On each hole you must write down the gross score of at least one partner. You can write both partners' scores if you want — there's no penalty for that — but every number on the card has to be labeled with the name of the player who made it. Writing "4" or "side 4" without a name gets the side disqualified.

Who signs and what the committee does

Only one partner has to certify the hole scores (sign the card) under Rule 3.3b(2). After you hand it in, the committee decides which score counts for the side on each hole. If only one score is written down, that's the one. If both are there and they're different, the lower gross or net score counts. If they're the same, the committee can pick either — but if the one they pick turns out to be wrong, they'll use the other.

Exceptions that change the answer

• A score on the card is not clearly identified to the individual partner who made it → The side is disqualified, even if the score itself is correct.
• The partner whose score the committee would count is disqualified for the play of that hole → The side is disqualified.

Frequently asked questions

Do both partners have to sign the Four-Ball scorecard?

No. Only one partner needs to certify (sign) the hole scores on the side's scorecard under Rule 3.3b(2).

Can I write both partners' scores on every hole?

Yes. There is no penalty for entering more than one partner's score on the scorecard, as long as each score is clearly identified to the correct player.

What happens if I write "4" on a hole but don't put a name next to it?

The side is disqualified. Every score must be clearly identified as the score of the individual partner who made it — identifying it as the side's score in general is not enough.

If both partners hole out with different scores, which one counts?

The committee uses the lower gross or net score for that hole. If the scores are the same, the committee may count either one.

What if neither partner holes out on a hole in stroke play Four-Ball?

The side has no score for that hole and is disqualified unless the mistake is corrected in time under Rule 3.3c.