Partner match play · foursome

How to play 2-Man Teams

Two against two, hole by hole. Pick a partner (or let FLOG auto-assign for you), play best ball or both balls, and the lower team score wins the hole.

Players
4 or 6
Format
Team match play
Scoring
Best ball or both balls
Structure
One match or 3 by 6 holes
The basics

How 2-Man Teams works

Four players, two teams, one match per hole. The math is the only thing that changes between variations.

1

Split the foursome into teams

Two against two. You can pick partners, throw up balls, or let FLOG auto-assign teams for you so everyone partners with everyone once.

2

Pick a scoring method

In 2-Man Teams it's always match play, hole by hole. Best ball uses each team's lower partner score on the hole. Both balls (high/low) adds both partner scores together. Either way the lower team score wins the hole. Best ball is the standard.

3

Apply handicap strokes

Strokes go to the hardest holes by stroke index. The most common way to play is off the low man in the group: the lowest handicap plays scratch and every other player gets the difference in strokes against them. A stroke turns a net 5 into a net 4 on that hole.

4

Settle the match (or each 6-hole match)

In a standard 18-hole match, the team that wins more holes wins the stake. In a 3 by 6-hole format, each 6-hole match settles on its own and the session's pairings rotate. Tie a 6-hole match and the stake pushes.

Variations

The ways groups play it

Two structural choices and one handicap quirk. Pick before the first tee and the round runs itself.

Structure

One 18-hole match

Two fixed partners for the whole round, one match, one stake. The classic setup. Same partners for 18 holes means the chemistry counts.

Structure

3 rotating 6-hole matches

The round splits into three 6-hole matches and partners rotate every six holes. Player A partners B for the front 6, C for the middle 6, D for the back 6. Every pairing gets a turn.

Scoring

Best ball

Each team's lower partner score counts on the hole, compared match-play against the other team. One hot partner can carry the team. The most forgiving format.

Scoring

Both balls (high/low)

Both partner scores add together hole by hole, compared match-play against the other team's combined score. No throwaway, no hiding a blow-up: high and low both count.

Handicap

Strokes off the low man

The lowest handicap in the group plays scratch, and every other player gets the difference in strokes, allocated to the hardest holes by stroke index. The standard.

Handicap

Desert Rules (half-strokes)

A half-stroke variation. Same low-man baseline, but when the handicap delta is odd, the leftover half-stroke goes on the hardest hole that doesn't already have a full stroke. Common in skins-style groups.

In the app

What it looks like in FLOG

FLOG handles best ball vs both balls, the 6-hole-match rotation, and the Desert Rules half-stroke automatically. Tap a match to see the scorecard.

👥 2-Man Teams Best ball · 3 by 6 holes
Match 1 · Holes 1–6
MH + AK vs RD + BW · 3 up thru 6 +$20
Match 2 · Holes 7–12
MH + RD vs AK + BW · 1 down thru 9 −$20
Match 3 · Holes 13–18
MH + BW vs AK + RD · not started $0

The 2 Man tab. Three 6-hole matches, three pairings, each match scored hole-by-hole with strokes off the low man.

Play smart

Strategy & etiquette

Best ball rewards aggression. Both balls rewards safety.

If your partner is in the fairway in two, best ball says go for it: a birdie's a real result, a double doesn't count. In a both-balls match, that same play can sink the team. Read the format before the swing.

Questions

2-Man Teams FAQ

What is 2-Man Teams?
A partner match-play format for a foursome. Four players split into two teams of two and play hole-by-hole match play. Best ball uses the lower partner score; both balls adds both partner scores together. Lowest team score wins the hole.
What's the difference between best ball and both balls?
Best ball takes each team's lower partner score on the hole. Both balls (high/low) adds both partner scores together. Either way it's match play: the lower team score wins the hole. Best ball rewards a hot partner; both balls punishes any blow-up because high and low both count.
How does the 3 by 6-hole format work?
The round splits into three 6-hole matches and partners rotate. Player A pairs with B for holes 1–6, with C for 7–12, and with D for 13–18. Every pairing happens exactly once. Each 6-hole match settles as its own small match for its own stake.
How are handicap strokes allocated?
The most common way is off the low man in the group: the lowest handicap plays scratch and every other player gets the difference in strokes against them, allocated to the hardest holes by stroke index. A stroke turns a net 5 into a net 4 on that hole.
What are Desert Rules?
A half-stroke variation. Same low-man baseline, but when the handicap delta is odd, the leftover half-stroke goes on the hardest hole that doesn't already have a full stroke. Common in skins and team-play groups where every fraction matters.
How much do groups play 2-Man Teams for?
Whatever the group settles on. A flat per-6-hole-match stake like $20 per player per 6-hole match is common. In the 3 by 6-hole format that's a $60 max swing per player. Some groups press it Nassau-style when a team goes two down in a 6-hole match.
Can you tie a 6-hole match?
Yes. If holes-won is equal at the end of a 6-hole match, it's a push and no money changes hands. In the 18-hole-match version, a tie pushes the whole bet.
Can you play 2-Man Teams in a sixsome?
Yes. Six players form 3 teams of 2 and rotate through a 6-hole round-robin: every team plays every other team for 6 holes. Same scoring, more matches, more money in play.

Pick partners. We'll run the math.

FLOG handles best ball, both balls, the 6-hole-match rotation, and the Desert Rules half-stroke without anyone touching a scorecard.

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