The 2-By-4 Golf Format Explained

The "2-By-4" game is a format for golf competitions involving 4-person teams. The numbers in the format's name refer to the number of scores used on each hole: on most holes, two players' scores are combined for the team score. But on four holes, four players' scores are combined for the team score. (Note that the game's name can be rendered in different ways, including "Two-By-Four" and "2 by 4.")

These are the basics of 2-By-4:

• 4-players teams are used.
• Net scores (scores with handicaps) are used.
• On 14 holes, the lowest two scores among the team members are combined for the team scores. On four holes, all four team members' scores are combined for the team scores.
• The 4-score holes are Holes 1, 9, 10 and 18 — the first and last holes of both the front nine and back nine. All the other holes use the teams' two low scores.

At the end of the tournament, scores are tallied and low score wins. But in addition to the overall standings based on the format rules above, tournament organizers have a lot of options to add bonus pools (or "honey pots") to the 2-By-4 format. For example, tournament organizers can give out smaller prizes based on the teams' scores on the 14 holes on which the two low balls are used. They can give out another based on the four holes only on which all four team members' scores count.

They can even, if they really want to maximize the prize-giving, concurrently run an entirely different format (so long as it is one that works with 4-player teams and stroke play) using gross scores.

But all that is extra to the 2-By-4 format and not necessary. Again, the basics are these: 4-player teams; net scores; all four scores count on Holes 1, 9, 10 and 18; the team's two low scores are used on all other holes.

More formats:

• How to play the Man In the Box format
• The Low Ball/High Ball format explained
• How to play a Money Ball tournament