🏌️‍♀️ Guidance for Clubs — Four‑Ball Better‑Ball (4BBB) Competitions

Overview

Under the updated World Handicap System (WHS), Four‑Ball Better‑Ball (4BBB) competitions are now recognised as an acceptable format for handicap purposes.
However, a player’s score will only count towards their Handicap Index if three specific conditions are met.

These checks are handled automatically by Scottish Golf’s Central Database of Handicaps (CDH) once the competition results are uploaded from your club’s software — so clubs don’t need to calculate anything manually.

The Three Triggers for a Player’s Score to Count

1. Individual Contribution

   • The player’s own score must contribute to the team score on at least 9 holes.
   • This ensures the player has played a meaningful part in the team’s result.

2. Team Performance

   • The team’s net score must be at least 6 strokes better than par,
     or 42 points or more in Stableford format.
   • This confirms the overall team performance meets the WHS threshold for an acceptable score.

3. Individual Standard

   • The player’s individual Stableford score, calculated from their contribution to the team,
     must be equal to or better than 36 points.
   • This shows the player performed to a level consistent with their handicap.

How It Works in Practice

• When the competition results are returned from your local system (e.g. ClubV1, HowDidiDo, IntelligentGolf), the Scottish Golf CDH automatically checks these three conditions.
• If all are met, the player’s score is accepted and posted to their handicap record.
• If any condition isn’t met, the score will not be used for handicap purposes.

Club Responsibilities

• Ensure the competition is correctly set up as a qualifying Four‑Ball Better‑Ball event.
• Confirm that results are submitted through verified software linked to Scottish Golf.
• No manual adjustment or calculation is required — the CDH handles all validations.

Key Takeaway

4BBB competitions can now count for handicap purposes — but only when all three WHS triggers are met.
The process is fully automated through Scottish Golf’s systems once scores are submitted.