Four-ball vs foursomes: the Presidents Cup formats, and which one fits your outing
When the Presidents Cup tees off at Medinah at the end of September, the U.S. and International teams will spend their days playing two formats and only two: four-ball and foursomes. No individual stroke play, no scramble — just pairs. If you have ever watched a match-play cup and wondered how those team formats would work at your own event, the four-ball vs foursomes question is worth understanding before you copy it. The two look nearly identical on a tee sheet — two-player teams, one match — but they play nothing alike, and picking the wrong one for your field is the fastest way to turn a fun idea into a five-hour grind.
Four-ball vs foursomes: the two formats, defined
Both are two-player team formats, and that is where the similarity ends.
In four-ball (often called better ball), both players play their own ball for the entire hole. The team's score on each hole is the better of the two. Two golfers, two balls, take the lower number — simple.
In foursomes (alternate shot), the two players share one ball and take turns hitting it. One player tees off on the odd holes, the other on the even holes, and from there they alternate every shot until the ball is holed. One golfer, one ball between two people, no bailout.
That single difference — two balls or one — changes everything about how the round feels.
Four-ball: the format almost any field can handle
Four-ball is the friendlier of the two, and for most outings it is the right call. Because each player always has their own ball in play, a weaker golfer can pick up on a bad hole without hurting the team — their partner's ball still counts. Nobody is stuck grinding out a triple bogey while their partner watches. It rewards the good holes and forgets the bad ones, which is exactly what a mixed-ability field needs.
It also keeps everyone engaged. Both players hit every shot, so there is no standing around waiting to matter. Pace stays close to a normal round, and pairings are easy: put a stronger player with a weaker one and both have a good time. If you are running a Ryder Cup-style two-team event, four-ball is the session where your whole field can contribute without anyone feeling exposed.
Foursomes: the one that scares people (and why that can be the point)
Foursomes is a different animal. Sharing one ball means every mistake lands on your partner. Hit it in the trees and they play the recovery; miss a short putt and they had a good shot wasted. It is genuinely harder, slower to warm up to, and unforgiving of a bad day — which is why casual golfers dread it and why it produces the most dramatic golf at a cup.
That pressure is the appeal, but only for the right group. Foursomes works when your players know each other, want a real challenge, and will laugh off a bad hole instead of blaming a partner. It is a poor fit for a charity scramble full of once-a-year golfers. If you do run it, keep it short — a single session, a few designated holes, or a nine-hole twist — rather than a full 18 that drags. And spell out the alternate-shot order up front so nothing surprises anyone on the first tee.
One practical note on pace: foursomes moves quickly when it works, because there is only one ball to track per group. But it can crawl when a team struggles, because there is no second ball to save the hole. Know your field before you count on the clock.
Which one belongs at your outing?
Default to four-ball. It fits nearly any field, keeps pace honest, and lets every player contribute — the same logic behind choosing a forgiving outing format in general. Reserve foursomes for a shorter, spicier session with players who actively want the challenge, the way a cup mixes both across its days instead of committing to one.
Whichever you run, the scoring is where team formats go sideways — better-ball math and alternate-shot order are easy to botch on paper at the turn. Running the event on Greenside Golf keeps each match's format, pairings, and live score on one leaderboard, so a four-ball session and a foursomes session tally cleanly side by side and your players watch the board instead of arguing over a card. Get the format right for your field, and the Presidents Cup's team golf becomes the most memorable day your group plays all year.