Rule 31 Four-Ball Stroke Play
This document contains general information on the Rules of Golf for four-ball stroke play and does not supersede the
Rules of Golf. The information is also not exhaustive and should be viewed as a resource to assist you in familiarizing
yourself with the Rules of Golf as they apply to this format.
If a player (or side) were to have any questions regarding the Rules of Golf, they are encouraged to seek guidance the
guidance of a zone referee or, if assigned to their group, the walking referee. You, as a referee, are encouraged to seek
guidance from a Rover should you have any questions regarding the Rules of Golf.
31-2 – Representation of Side
A side may be represented by either partner for all or any part of the stipulated round; both partners need not
be present. An absent competitor may join his partner between holes, but not during the play of a hole.
Once your partner has teed off on a hole, if you are absent, you may not join your partner until the next hole. However,
while you may not play that hole, you may exchange advice with your partner (Decision 30-3a/2).
31-3 – Scoring
The marker is required to record for each hole only the gross score of whichever partner’s score is to count.
The gross scores to count must be individually identifiable; otherwise the side is disqualified. Only one of the
partners need be responsible for complying with Rule 6-6b.
Your side is only required to record one score for each hole, but the score must be on the line of the score card
associated with the partner who made the score (i.e., individually identifiable). Your score card needs to be signed by
your marker and either you or your partner. The Committee is responsible for determining the better-ball score for the
side.
31-4 – Order of Play
Balls belonging to the same side may be played in the order the side considers best.
If your side has the honor when starting a hole, you or your partner may play first. If your side is away during play of a
hole, you or your partner may play the next stroke.
31-5 – Wrong Ball
If a competitor is in breach of Rule 15-3b for making a stroke at a wrong ball, he incurs a penalty of two strokes
and must correct his mistake by playing the correct ball or by proceeding under the Rules. His partner incurs
no penalty, even if the wrong ball belongs to him.
When you play a wrong ball, your partner will never incur a penalty, even if your partner is assisted by your play of the
wrong ball (See Decision 30-3c/1). In other words, when 31-5 applies, 31-8 never will. If the wrong ball that you played
belongs to your partner, your partner should place a ball on the spot from which you played the wrong ball.
Rule 8-1 Advice
During a stipulated round, a player must not:
a. give advice to anyone in the competition playing on the course other than his partner, or
b. ask for advice from anyone other than his partner or either of their caddies.
If you ask for or give advice in breach of Rule 8-1, in four-ball play this breach is treated the same way as a breach of
Rule 31-5 (Wrong Ball). Therefore, if you are in breach of Rule 8-1, your partner never incurs a penalty, even if your
partner is assisted by your breach (See Decision 8-1/25).
However, while 31-8 never applies when you breach Rule 8-1, see section below on “where the context so admits”
for additional guidance related to this Rule.
Effects of Penalties
The remainder of this document provides information on how penalties in the Rules of Golf are applied in four-ball
stroke play.
31-6 – Penalty to Side
A side is penalized for a breach of any of the following by any partner:
•
Rule 4 Club
•
Rule 6-4 Caddie
•
Any Local Rule or Condition of Competition for which there is a maximum penalty per round.
If you (or your caddie) are in breach of these Rules, the penalty is applied to your side and both you and your
partner incur the penalty, as appropriate.
Example: Between the 3rd and 4th holes, your caddie rides in a golf cart when transportation is prohibited and
this is questioned as the caddie arrives at the next teeing ground.
As the breach occurred between the play of two holes, the penalty applies to the next hole (see penalty
statement for Transportation Condition of Competition, Appendix I, Part C, Item 8). Therefore, both you and
your partner incur a two-stroke penalty on 4th hole.
If both you and your partner are in breach of these Rules, the penalties for both breaches are applied to your side.
Example: You and your partner are each carrying more than 14 clubs and you discover this during play of the
second hole. Both you and your partner take 5 strokes to complete both holes.
You and your partner must immediately declare the excess club(s) out of play. Additionally, both partners incur
two separate two-stroke penalties on each of the first two holes. Therefore, both you and your partner score 9
on the first two holes.
31-7a – Disqualification of Side
A side is disqualified if either partner incurs a penalty of disqualification under any of the following: Rule 1-3,
Rule 3-4, Rule 4, Rule 5-1, Rule 5-2, Rule 6-2b, Rule 6-4, Rule 6-6b, Rule 6-6d, Rule 6-7, Rule 7-1, Rule 10-2c,
Rule 11-1, Rule 14-3, Rule 22-1, Rule 31-3 or Rule 33-7
31-7b – Breach By Both Partners
(i)
A side is disqualified if both partners incur a penalty of disqualification under any of the following: Rule
6-3 or Rule 6-8.
(ii)
If, at the same hole, each partner is in breach of a Rule the penalty for which is disqualification from
the competition or for a hole.
31-7c. For the Hole Only
In all other cases where a breach of a Rule would result in disqualification, the competitor is disqualified only
for the hole at which the breach occurred.
Your side is disqualified only if:
• for any of the Rules listed in Rule 31-7a either you or your partner or
• for any of the Rules listed in Rule 31-7b(i) both you and your partner
incur a penalty of disqualification under these specific Rules, noting that many of these Rules have a tiered penalty
structure and Rule 31-7 only applies when the penalty escalates to disqualification.
Examples of a breach of Rule 31-7a, where your side would be disqualified, include:
- the discovery that you are carrying more than 14 clubs during the second hole and you fail to
immediately declare the excess club(s) out of play or
- Two partners agree to leave a ball in a position to assist any other competitor, including themselves.
Examples of a breach of Rule 31-7b(i), where your side would be disqualified, include both you and your partner:
- failing to arrive within five minutes of your starting time (Rule 6-3a) or
- failing to stop play in accordance with Rule 6-8b when the Committee has suspended play.
Because you have both incurred a penalty of disqualification under these specific Rules, your side would be
disqualified from the competition.
Examples of a breach of Rule 31-7b(ii), where your side would be disqualified, include:
- On the same hole, you fail to hole out in breach of Rule 3-2 and your partner plays a wrong ball and fails
to correct the mistake in breach of Rule 15-3b or
- On the same hole, you fail to correct your mistake of starting a hole from outside the teeing ground in
breach of Rule 11-4 and your partner fails to correct a serious breach of playing from a wrong place in
breach of Rule 20-7c.
Rule 31-7c is fundamental to four-ball stroke play for it provides you the ability to “pick-up” or decide not to
correct an error that, in individual stroke play, would result in your disqualification from the competition. In the
below examples of this Rule, it is assumed that your partner returns an acceptable score on the hole where you
are in breach of a Rule in which this Rule applies. For example, you:
- fail to hole out in breach of Rule 3-2,
- fail to correct the playing of a wrong ball, or
- fail to correct a serious breach of playing from a wrong place.
Effects of Other Penalties
The analysis below is only applied when the Rule breached and corresponding penalty incurred are not covered in the
preceding sections of Rule 31 discussed on the previous pages.
This section provides information on how to analyze a player’s actions while also accounting for the partner’s specific
situation. In this analysis, there are two major scenarios presented.
•
•
If you are in breach of a Rule, under Rule 31-8, it must be determined if your breach assists your partner (see
explanation of Rule 31-8 below).
Alternatively there are actions you can take that, with respect to your own ball or situation, are NOT a
breach of the Rules for you but that would be a breach of the Rules if the same action was performed by
your partner (see explanation of the Definition of Partner and “where the context so admits” in the final
section below).
31-8 – Effects of Other Penalties
If a competitor’s breach of a Rule assists his partner’s play, the partner incurs the applicable penalty in addition
to any penalty incurred by the competitor.
In all other cases where a competitor incurs a penalty for a breach of a Rule the penalty does not apply to his
partner.
In all of the examples below, you are in breach of a Rule. To properly apply 31-8 and determine if your partner will
also be held in breach of the same Rule in addition to you, an analysis must be made to determine if your breach:
• assisted your partner.
The following are examples of how to analyze whether or not your partner has been assisted by your breach. Note
that the standard in Rule 31-8 is “assist” and not “might assist,” as is used in many other Rules.
Example 1 (Sharing/Transfer of Information): You and your partner’s balls are at rest in the same bunker. You
test the condition of the hazard.
You are in breach of Rule 13-4a and incur a two-stroke penalty. It now must be determined if your partner was
assisted by your breach. In this situation, you have gained more information than was permitted and your
partner is assisted only with the sharing or the transfer of this information. If the information is shared or
transferred, your partner also incurs the same two-stroke penalty. If this information is not shared or
transferred, your breach does not assist your partner and only you incur the two-stroke penalty.
Example 2 (Physical Improvement): You and your partner’s balls are at rest on the fringe of the putting green.
You remove sand from the fringe. This act improves your line of play. The sand you removed also improved your
partner’s line of play.
You are in breach of Rule 13-2 for improving your line of play and incur a two-stroke penalty. Because your
partner’s line of play was also improved by your actions, your partner was assisted by your breach. Therefore,
your partner also incurs the same two-stroke penalty for your breach of Rule 13-2 (see Rule 31-8).
Example 3 (Outcome): Your partner is preparing to chip from off the putting green and your ball is at rest on the
putting green between your partner and the hole. Your partner chips and, while the ball is in motion, you mark
and lift your ball so that your partner’s ball will come to rest closer to the hole. Your partner’s ball would have
struck your ball and come to rest well short of the hole. Instead the ball comes to rest very near the hole.
When you lifted your ball, the lifting might have influenced the movement of your partner’s ball in motion in
breach of Rule 16-1b, for which you incur a two-stroke penalty. Because your lifting allowed your partner’s ball
to come to rest in a more favorable position, you assisted your partner. Therefore, your partner also incurs the
same two-stroke penalty for your breach of Rule 16-1b (see Rule 31-8).
See also Decisions 30-3f/1, 30-3f/2, 30-3f/7 and 30-3f/13
Definition of Partner and the meaning of the phrase “where the context so admits”
A “partner” is a player associated with another player on the side.
In threesome, foursome, best-ball or four-ball play, where the context so admits, the word “player” includes his
partner or partners.
In all of the examples below, your partner’s action is NOT in breach of the Rules with respect to the position of their
ball or their particular circumstances. However, your partner’s action with respect to the position your ball or your
particular circumstances would be a breach of the Rules if you had done it. In such cases, the meaning of “where
the context so admits the word “player” includes his partner” means that your partner’s act is treated as if you had
performed it. This language allows for an economy of words while both permitting your partner to take an action or
fulfill a requirement on your behalf (e.g., informing the other side you are playing a provisional ball or fulfilling the
procedural requirements to identify your ball) and preventing your partner from circumventing the Rules to benefit
you (see examples below).
Some examples include:
Example 1: Your partner’s ball lies through the green and your partner removes a loose impediment from a
nearby hazard in which your ball lies.
As your partner’s ball is not in a hazard, your partner cannot be in breach of Rule 13-4. However, because your
ball is in the hazard, it is a breach of Rule 13-4c for you to remove a loose impediment from the same hazard.
Therefore, when your partner removes a loose impediment from that hazard, “the context so admits” means
that your partner’s act is treated as if you had performed it. Therefore, you incur the two-stroke penalty for a
breach of 13-4c.
Example 2: Your partner’s ball is at rest on the putting green and your ball is at rest on the fringe. Your partner
removes sand from the fringe and this action improves your line of play.
Your partner is not in breach of Rule 13-2 as this action has no effect on your partner’s upcoming stroke.
However, because of the position of your ball and the fact that your partner’s action improved your line of play,
“the context so admits” means that your partner’s act is treated as if you had performed it. Therefore, you incur
the two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule 13-2.
Example 3: Your side has the honor on a par-3 hole and your partner plays from the teeing ground onto the
putting green. As you are preparing to play, your partner asks your fellow-competitors what club they plan to
play.
Your partner is not in breach of Rule 8-1 based on the fact that your partner has already played from the teeing
ground. However, because you have yet to play, “the context so admits” and you incur the two-stroke penalty
for a breach of Rule 8-1.
This situation is different than what was discussed earlier in this document where Rule 8-1 Advice was compared
to the playing of a wrong ball and Rule 31-5. In that explanation, if your partner is in breach of Rule 8-1, you
never incur a penalty regardless of whether or not you are assisted by their breach. In this example, your
partner is not in breach of Rule 8-1 and incurs no penalty for the act. However, because “the context so admits”
and the act would have been a breach if you had done it, you incur the two-stroke penalty for a breach of Rule
8-1.
Note about the Definition of “Competitor”
The phrase, “where the context so admits” is also included with the Definition of “competitor.” However, because
of the increased utility of the word “player,” in that it applies equally to match play and stroke play, the language of
the Rules default to “player” rather than “competitor.” Because of this, while the above analysis is more limited in
application, it applies in the same manner. For example a competitor’s partner may fulfill the announcement and
selection requirements of Rule 3-3a on behalf of the competitor.