Team Better Ball
Better ball is one of the most popular team formats in golf. Each player plays their own ball, and the team's score on each hole is based on the best individual score (or scores) from the team. Golfify supports several better ball variations — from standard pairs through to four-person teams with custom scores-to-count settings.
Make sure you've already created an event and selected your course. You'll configure the competition format during event setup.
This video covers setting up a standard pairs Better Ball event.
What is Better Ball?
In a better ball event, every player plays their own ball on every hole. The team's score for each hole is determined by the best (lowest in Strokeplay, highest in Stableford) individual score among the team members. The key points:
- Every player plays their own ball throughout the round
- The team records the best score from its members on each hole
- Teams can be pairs, three-person, or four-person groups
- You can configure how many scores count per hole (e.g. best 2 from 4)
Better ball works well for club championships, inter-club matches, and social team events because everyone gets to play their own game while contributing to the team.
Choose your variant
Golfify offers three Better Ball configurations. Pick the one that suits your event.
- Pairs Better Ball
- Four-Person (Scores to Count)
- Flexible Tee Sheet (Group Team)
Pairs Better Ball
The classic format — two players per team, best score counts on each hole.
How to set it up:
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From your event, tap the gear icon to open the Host Menu.
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Tap Event Settings, then scroll to Format & Scoring.
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Under Competition Format, select Pairs Betterball.
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Choose your scoring method — Stableford (recommended for better ball) or Stroke Play.
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Set the aggregation method:
- Addition — adds the counting scores together (most common)
- Multiply — multiplies the counting scores (use with caution — a zero wipes the team score for that hole)
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Go to Host Menu → Player Manager and tap the TEE SHEET tab.
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Assign players to pairs in the tee sheet. Each tee slot holds one team of two.
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Tap Activate on the HOME tab when ready.
Four-Person Better Ball with Scores to Count
Four players per team, with the option to count only the best 2 (or 3) scores per hole. This is a popular format for corporate days and society events.
This video covers setting up a four-person team event with 2 scores to count.
How to set it up:
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From your event, tap the gear icon to open the Host Menu.
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Tap Event Settings, then scroll to Format & Scoring.
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Under Competition Format, select Four-Person Betterball.
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Choose your scoring method — Stableford is recommended, as it's more forgiving if a player picks up mid-hole.
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Set the Scores to Count — for example, 2 out of 4. Only the best 2 individual scores on each hole will contribute to the team total.
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Set the aggregation method to Addition (recommended).
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Go to Host Menu → Player Manager and tap the TEE SHEET tab.
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Assign players to groups of four. Each tee slot holds one team.
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Tap Activate on the HOME tab when ready.
Golfify automatically calculates team totals based on the best scores per hole. Both individual and team leaderboards update in real time.
You can also customise which scores count on specific holes rather than using a blanket setting. See Custom Scores to Count for details.
Group Team Better Ball — Flexible Tee Sheet
In standard better ball, teammates must share the same tee time. The Group Team Better Ball format removes that restriction — players from the same team can be scattered across different tee times and still contribute to the team leaderboard.
This is ideal for larger events where you want team competition but need flexible tee time allocation.
This video covers the Group Team Better Ball format with flexible tee sheet assignments.
How to set it up:
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From your event, tap the gear icon to open the Host Menu.
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Tap Event Settings, then scroll to Format & Scoring.
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Under Competition Format, select Group Team Better Ball.
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Set the scoring method to Stableford or Stroke Play, and set the playing mode to Individuals.
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Enable Flexible Group Team.
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Enter the number of teams and number of players per team.
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Set the Group Team Scoring Method to Sum per Hole and choose how many scores to count per hole (e.g. best 2 from 4).
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Go to Host Menu → Player Manager.
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Tap Add Team to create your teams. You can customise team names, logos, and colours.
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Add players to each team by tapping Add Players under the team.
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Tap the TEE SHEET tab and assign tee times. Players from the same team do not need to share a tee time.
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Tap Activate on the HOME tab when ready.
How the leaderboard works:
The Group Leaderboard aggregates the best hole-by-hole scores from each team's players. Team names, logos, and colours appear on the leaderboard for easy identification. An individual leaderboard is also available if enabled.
Scoring rules
In all Better Ball formats, scoring works the same way at a high level:
- Each player enters their own scores on their scorecard
- Golfify automatically selects the best score(s) from each team per hole
- The team leaderboard updates in real time as scores come in
- If handicaps are enabled, net scores are used to determine the best score
Stableford is the recommended scoring method for better ball events. If a player is struggling on a hole, they can pick up their ball and score zero points without affecting the team's result — the other teammates' scores still count.
Make sure all players are assigned to teams on the TEE SHEET tab before you tap Activate. Players added after activation may not be correctly grouped.
Related Articles
- Custom Scores to Count — customise how many scores count per hole or per specific holes
- Set Up Handicapping — enable net scoring for your better ball event
- Set Up Divisions and Flights — split your team leaderboard into groups