You’ve probably heard the term “foursome" in golf and just figured it’s a group of four golfers playing together.

While that’s true, there’s another meaning to the term "foursomes". It’s actually a format of play, also known as alternate shot. 

Not to be confused with “four ball,” which means there are four balls in play in the actual foursome of players, the foursomes format means that two-person teams will each play alternate shots with one ball.

It’s a format that’s most recognizable in the Ryder Cup, Presidents Cup and Solheim Cup - professional golf's prominent international team competitions - but it's also more commonly played by casual golfers in Europe than the United States. Because only two balls are being used throughout the round, pace of play is faster, something golfers in Great Britain and Ireland seem to value much more highly than their American counterparts. Foursomes is a good way to keep things moving.

Player A begins by hitting a tee shot, and unless it goes into the hole, player B hits the next shot with the same ball from where the first shot came to rest. This goes on until the ball is holed. And just like you were playing just your own ball, you simply add up the number of times the ball is struck, plus any penalty shots, and that’s your team’s score. It’s that simple, right? Well, yes, and no. 

There are also a few variations of foursomes. It can be match play or stroke play, for example, which we will explain shortly.

Most golfers and golf fans are probably more familiar with foursomes from watching it in various team events, most notably the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup, or Presidents Cup. The first two days of the Ryder Cup and Solheim Cup, the Europeans and Americans put together their best two-man teams in both four-ball and foursomes matches. 

For foursomes or alternate shot, each captain is definitely looking to pair players who have strengths that complement one another. Since each member of the team must alternate who tees off first – player A would hit the tee shot on the odd-numbered holes and player B on the even number holes – the captain would be wise to set up the teams in the order to take advantage of the players’ strengths. For instance, you might set it up so the better driver of the golf ball tees off on the more difficult driving holes, while pairing up the better iron player to tee off on the par 3s and to hit the tougher approaches.

European golfers are much more comfortable with foursomes play than American golfers. Since 1993, Europe has built an incredible 62 1/2 to 49 1/2 lead in foursomes in the Ryder Cup, including winning seven of eight foursome matches in 2023 at Marco Simone Golf and Country Club near Rome, Italy.

“I was brought up playing foursomes. ... It's not really alien to us,” Padraig Harrington was quoted as saying when he was captain of the 2021 European Ryder Cup team. “I think sometimes when people haven't played it, they can over-complicate it.”

Ironically, 2021 wasn’t Europe's shining moment in Ryder Cup history, losing to the Americans 19-9, including a 2-8 record in foursomes matches at Whistling Straits in Wisconsin. But that’s definitely been the exception over the past three decades. 

Match play is the most common form of foursomes. Scoring is determined on a hole by hole basis. If the first twosome scores 4 on a hole, and the other team finishes with a 5, then the team with the lower score wins the hole. If both teams have the same score on the next hole, it's tied, leaving the first team 1-up in the match.

Just like individual match play, the goal is to win and tie enough holes to build a lead bigger than the number of holes remaining. In other words, if the first team is up by three holes with three to play, then wins the next hole, it wins the match 4 and 2, meaning it was 4-up with two holes to play.

In stroke play, neither team is technically out of it until all 18 holes are completed (unless there’s a local rule limiting the maximum score a team can make on a hole). A trailing team could be down by seven shots, for example, going into the last hole, but if it somehow made a 3 on the 18th, and the other team had a disastrous 11, then the team that made the 3 would actually have rallied for the win.

It should also be noted here that just like any form of golf, handicaps can also be used to keep things even during competitions between different levels of players. 

Foursomes is arguably one of the more difficult formats to play in, especially for high-handicappers, because any bad shots can really wreck a hole. That’s one of the reasons foursomes play is almost always match play, because you can put together a really high number in stroke play if one or both players are really struggling. Plus, the pressure on struggling players can be immense since they probably feel like they are letting their partners down.

One way to ease the format is to play Scotch foursomes, where both players get to hit a tee shot, then they get to pick the better ball and play alternate shots from there. It’s similar to a shamble, which is a variation of a scramble, except players play their own ball after the tee shot. In a two-person scramble, the players get to pick the best of the two shots throughout play.

Here’s a couple of more variations, which can make foursomes even more difficult.

Bloodsomes or gruesomes is played like Scotch foursomes with a very interesting twist. The opposing pair gets to pick which shot you play, which really puts the pressure on both players to hit good tee shots.

There’s also a format called Chapman, which also is known as Pinehurst or American foursomes. In Chapman foursomes, the pair each play a tee ball, then play their partner’s ball for the second shot before selecting which ball they will use to complete the hole, alternating shots. The game is named for American amateur Dick Chapman, who collaborated with the United States Golf Association to develop the format. 

Foursomes golf isn't as prevalent in America because it offers such strong pros and cons.

One of its benefits is you can play faster since your group is hitting roughly half as many shots than if each golfer was playing his or her own ball. That fact has a downside, though, too: If you’re paying a full green fee, getting in half as many swings might not feel like you’re getting your money’s worth. 

Another pro: The format is also a great way to develop focus, knowing that each shot you hit is ultra-important and you are playing for your partner as well as yourself. Or you can look at that fact as a con: The pressure can feel unbearable to some, making the round less fun.

Playing "foursomes" probably isn't the best format for high handicappers because it’s certainly more difficult and more pressure-packed. But if you're looking for a change of pace and to really test your skills, playing foursomes could really shake things up in your foursome.

See what I did there?

Do you love or hate playing foursomes? Let us know in the comments below.

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