Foursomes is golf's oldest team format and still its most nerve-racking: two partners, one ball, taking turns. It's the format the Ryder Cup opens with, the one club championships use to test friendships, and the one where you will, at some point, watch your partner chip your beautiful drive sideways. Golfers in the US usually call it alternate shot; the rule book calls it foursomes. Same game.
In foursomes golf (alternate shot), two partners play one ball and alternate hitting it until it is holed. One partner tees off on the odd-numbered holes, the other on the evens, and the alternation continues from wherever the ball lies. The team records a single score per hole, usually in match play.
The rules of foursomes, in order
- Pick your tee holes. Before the round, each side decides which partner tees off on the odd holes and which takes the evens. That assignment is locked for the full 18, no matter what happens.
- Alternate every stroke. Whoever didn't hit the last stroke hits the next one. Putts included: hole out with a tap-in and your partner still tees the next hole if it's theirs.
- One ball, one score. The side's ball is the only ball. The team's single score per hole goes on the card.
- Penalty strokes don't change the order. This is the rule everyone gets wrong (Rule 22.3). If your partner tees off out of bounds, the penalty doesn't reset the rotation: the next stroke belongs to you, so you replay from the tee. Plan your sympathy accordingly.
- Usually match play. Foursomes runs fine as stroke play, but the classic game (and every Ryder Cup session) is match play: lowest team score wins the hole.
Foursomes vs four-ball vs best ball
The names get scrambled constantly, and the formats could not be more different:
| Format | Balls in play per side | How the score works |
|---|---|---|
| Foursomes (alternate shot) | One | Partners alternate strokes on a single ball; that ball's score counts |
| Four-ball | Two | Both partners play their own ball; the better score counts. See the best ball guide |
| Scramble | One (chosen) | Everyone hits, the team picks the best shot, everyone plays from there |
Four-ball is forgiving: your bad hole disappears behind your partner's par. Foursomes is the opposite: every mistake is inherited by the person you like most on the course. That's exactly why match-play purists love it.
Greensomes, Chapman, and the friendlier cousins
Straight foursomes is demanding, so most social versions soften the start of each hole:
| Variant | The twist |
|---|---|
| Greensomes | Both partners tee off, the side picks the better drive, then alternates from there (the player whose drive was not chosen hits next) |
| Chapman (Pinehurst) | Both tee off, then each plays their partner's ball for the second shot; the side picks one ball after that and alternates it in |
| Scotch foursomes | Naming varies by club: sometimes straight alternate shot, sometimes greensomes. Agree on the tee what yours means |
| Ryder Cup foursomes | The pure form: 18 holes of match play, one ball, no rescues |
Handicaps in foursomes
Because a side plays one ball, the side gets one handicap. The standard World Handicap System allowances:
- Foursomes match play: 50% of the combined team course handicaps; the lower-handicap side gives strokes on the difference.
- Foursomes stroke play: 50% of the combined team course handicaps.
- Greensomes: 60% of the lower partner's course handicap plus 40% of the higher.
As always, strokes fall hole by hole where the stroke index says, which keeps mixed-handicap matches honest.
Strategy that actually wins alternate shot
- Assign tees by the par 3s. Look at the card first: give the partner with the better long irons the set of holes with more par 3s, and the straighter driver the tight tee shots.
- Pair complements, not clones. A grinder plus a bomber beats two bombers. What the format punishes is two players who miss in the same direction.
- Play to your partner's comfort. The approach that leaves a 20-foot uphill putt for a good putter beats the hero shot that leaves a short-sided chip for someone who hates chipping.
- Forgive instantly. The teams that win foursomes are the ones still speaking on the 15th tee. One "my fault, I'll get it back" beats any swing tip.
Betting on foursomes: yes, it presses
Foursomes is match play, and match play has a match state, which means the format is fully pressable. Fall 2 down and the classic convention starts a press, a fresh match over the remaining holes at the same stakes, while the original match plays on. Run it as a Nassau (front, back, overall) and each leg presses independently. The auto-press at 2 down is just the convention; a manual press is always available whenever the trailing side wants one.
Alternate Shot in Press Tracker
Alternate Shot is the closing act of Press Tracker's BRB format: one team match that rotates through Best Ball (holes 1-6), Scramble (7-12), and Alternate Shot (13-18), with holes 7-9 as the Alternate Shot segment in a 9-hole match. You enter one score per team per hole, and the segment is its own pressable side game: go 2 down inside the Alternate Shot holes and an auto-press can fire right there (or throw a one-tap manual press at any moment, no cap, even all square), with BRB Total running across the whole match as a fourth pressable game. The running net keeps every segment, press, and chain live, and a skins pot can ride alongside.
Press Tracker is a scorekeeping companion for entertainment use only. It does not accept, hold, or process money; dollar figures are illustrative. For the full format menu, see golf side games.
Frequently asked questions
- What is foursomes in golf?
- Foursomes is a team format where two partners play one ball and alternate strokes until it is holed. One partner tees off on odd-numbered holes and the other on the evens, the side records a single score per hole, and the match is usually played as match play. In the US the format is commonly called alternate shot.
- Is foursomes the same as alternate shot?
- Yes. Alternate shot is the everyday American name and foursomes is the rule-book name for the same format: one ball per side, partners alternating strokes, fixed tee-off rotation on odds and evens.
- What is the difference between foursomes and four-ball?
- In foursomes the two partners share one ball and alternate hitting it. In four-ball (best ball) each partner plays their own ball and the side counts the better score on each hole. Four-ball forgives a bad hole; foursomes makes the team live with every shot.
- What happens after a penalty stroke in foursomes?
- The alternation does not change: penalty strokes never affect the order of play (Rule 22.3). If your partner drives out of bounds, the next stroke belongs to you, so you replay from the tee under stroke and distance.
- What is greensomes?
- A friendlier foursomes variant: both partners tee off, the side chooses the better drive, and from there they alternate shots, starting with the partner whose drive was not chosen. Common handicap allowance is 60% of the lower partner's course handicap plus 40% of the higher.
- Can you bet on a foursomes match?
- Yes. Foursomes is match play, so it carries every classic match-play wager, including presses: fall 2 down and a new match at the same stakes can start over the remaining holes, automatically by convention or manually whenever the trailing side wants one. Press Tracker runs Alternate Shot as a pressable segment of its BRB format with the running net live all round.