Fourballs received a proper overhaul as part of the changes to the World Handicap System in the spring of 2024.
Not only are competition scores in the fourball betterball format now eligible for your handicap records – if you hit some strict criteria – but the way handicaps are applied in 4BBB and foursomes match play games was also altered.
In betterball, all four players previously worked out their Course Handicap and applied the 90 per cent format allowance to calculate their Playing Handicaps.
After doing this, they worked out how many shots they received from the lowest Playing Handicap.
But a guidance document to the Rules of Handicapping, produced by the four home unions of England Golf, Scottish Golf, Wales Golf and Golf Ireland and which outlined the 2024 changes to WHS and how they should be implemented, revealed a subtle change to that calculation.
Four ball match play allowance changes: A more familiar and intuitive calculation
Players now calculate their Course Handicap and then take shots from the lowest golfer. It’s only at this point, they work out the 90 per cent allowance.
In foursomes, it’s 50 per cent of the difference between each team’s combined Course Handicaps.
The observant among you might note the change replicates what happened before the introduction of WHS in November 2020.
What’s the difference? In a small number of cases the change in calculation may marginally increase or reduce the number of shots a player could receive compared with the previous arrangements.
But handicap chiefs also believe the process is more familiar and intuitive to golfers and makes working out shot allocations a far less stressful 1st tee experience.
Now have your say
What do you think of these changes to the fourball match play calculations? Let me know by leaving a comment on X.
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