GUIDES · BETSLIP DOCTOR
In foursomes alternate-shot golf, does a penalty stroke change which partner plays next?
Under the R&A’s 2023 Rule 22, foursomes partners play one shared ball in alternating order. After the side’s first tee shot, they alternate strokes; the partner who tees first changes on the next hole. Penalty strokes do not change that order.
For Golfers following a foursomes or alternate-shot scorecard. · Updated
Foursomes uses one ball and an alternating sequence
Partners play as one side with a single ball. On each hole, they alternate who plays first from the tee, then alternate strokes after that opening tee shot. The side may choose which partner plays from the first teeing area unless the Terms of the Competition specify who must play first. This differs from four-ball, where partners play separate balls.
A penalty stroke does not hand the turn to the other partner
The order follows the partners’ sequence of strokes, not the running stroke total. A penalty stroke is added to the side’s score but does not reset who is due to play the next shot.
A wrong-order stroke has a limited correction window
If a side makes a stroke in the wrong order in stroke play, the side gets the general penalty and must correct the mistake by having the right partner play from where the first wrong-order stroke was made. The wrong-order stroke and strokes made before correction do not count. The side must correct before making a stroke to begin another hole, or, on the final hole, before returning the scorecard.
A fictional penalty-area shot in foursomes
On fictional hole 8, Partner A tees first. Partner B plays the side’s next stroke, and the ball finishes in a red penalty area. The side chooses one-stroke penalty relief under Rule 17. The penalty is added to the side’s score, but it does not change the rotation: Partner A plays the side’s next stroke. Because A teed first on hole 8, Partner B tees first on hole 9. The starting partner can depend on the competition’s terms.
Related questions
What if the wrong partner plays in stroke play?
The side must correct the wrong-order stroke from the original spot using the right partner before beginning the next hole, or before returning the scorecard on the final hole. The wrong-order stroke and strokes before correction do not count; the side also receives the general penalty.