In a foursome , a team of two players plays together with only one ball. Each player takes it in turns to hit the ball from the tee into the hole. One of the two players always tees off on the odd-numbered holes, 1, 3, 5 etc., the other player on the even-numbered holes 2, 4, 6 etc.. This is determined in advance of the round. The preferences of the individual players can be taken into account. Penalty strokes also have no influence on the order of play.
Determining the handicap
To determine the handicap in the foursome, the handicaps of the two team players are usually added together and divided by two. This results in the team handicap. Incidentally, the foursome is called a classic foursome in German!