At the Solheim Cup, we watched pros do something difficult that a lot of average golfers attempt, too: play team golf. It’s different from typical stroke play, or even one-on-one match play events. Pros, like the test of us, usually play their own ball. But in the Netherlands, they had to play with a partner in foursomes and four-ball. It’s a serious change from what they’re used to.
Making that shift from playing your own ball to playing a team format might be something you struggle with, too. We talked to Megan Johnston, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher at Big Cedar who played on the Northern Ireland junior team with Solheim Cup standout Leona Maguire, about how average players can more seamlessly make the transition into team play.
“The biggest adjustment for the average golfer is realizing that the goal of the format may not be to shoot your lowest individual score,” Johnston explains. “In four-ball, foursomes or a scramble, you’re making decisions based on what your team needs. That changes everything—from club selection, to risk management, to how aggressive you should be at the right times.”
This is how Johnston says you should think about these two different team formats.
Four-ball
Johnston says that in four-ball, even though you and your partner are both playing each hole with separate balls, you’re not playing your own round.
“You’re playing for the team score,” Johnston says. “If your partner is safely in play, that may give you an opportunity to be more aggressive. But if your partner is already in trouble, your job may be to hit the percentage shot and keep the team alive.”
Instead of focusing on your own game, you need to be completely aware of what your partner is doing. That means managing your partners emotions alongside your own.
“You must handle your own emotions on how you react to a poor shot and be supportive of a partner without putting too much pressure on them,” Johnston says. “This is where personality match and skill level match on strengths and weaknesses are so key for the captains at the Solheim Cup.”
Also commonly called alternate shot, foursomes is about as different from stroke play as you can get.
“You are no longer in charge of your own ball,” Johnston says. “You also need to understand your partner’s tendencies. If they tend to miss right, for example, you may want to think about where you’re leaving your approach shot. You’re essentially building a strategy together. Setting myself up for a draw shot may suit my eye but does it suit my partner’s tendencies or game?”
Johnston recommends getting out with your partner before the event you’re playing. Even just getting nine holes in will help you get into that team golf mentality and gain an understanding of how you can work together when the tournament starts.
It can feel intimidating to take on a new format, but Johnston says: “The good news is that you don’t have to become a different golfer to play these formats well. You just must become a better decision-maker. Once you understand what the format is asking you to do, it becomes much easier—and a lot more fun.”
This article was originally published on golfdigest.com
