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For some reason some find it hard to wrap their heads around what foursomes golf is. It's simply a different shot so one player tees off on odd-numbered holes and the other player tees off on evens.
Then, from there, you play the hole in turn. It doesn't matter who dug out the previous hole; one player plays draws and the other plays games.
The obvious downside is that you play short golf so it works best as a second/warm up round on a 36 hole day but the benefits are many.
1) The first rule of foursomes is to never say sorry. If one or both of you are off your game it can be brutal and you will find yourself in some funny places. From personal experience, the shank and top of your first two shots of a 36-hole golf tournament are no longer ideal. The best way to deal with this is to make peace with both of you before the round and have an understanding that neither of you is leaving the other on purpose and repeatedly.
2) Look at all of this as character building. You might secretly want to hang your partner out to dry but be the big guy and move on to the next shot. It's good for the soul to know that you put your head down and get the team back on track. Good things will come to good people.
3) Part of the fun comes before the round as you try to figure out who might like to go over the par 3's or who might get into the par 5's. This is a great exercise in strategy (and maybe some overthinking) but, if you have a few bogey tee shots, then there's a good chance you might not even need to hit it.
4) Fourballs is a great engaging game but it can also take ages with four players playing, waiting on the fairway, looking for balls and four players pulling out. There are four handicaps to consider and everything takes a very long time. Foursomes have an incredible speed to them and, if you do it right, you can even wait on the fairway for your partner's shot (and then go back to the tee to hit for a while).
5) You will focus better on every shot. There will be interactions and overthinking in each shot but you will definitely be unlocked. You will pay more attention to what makes a good putt and what makes a putt. You will guess what guns are in the hole and play them accordingly. You may experience a strange recovery but you will with the support of your partner. And when you pull it off there will be a collective sense of accomplishment.
6) What could be more satisfying than one of you finding a narrow fairway, followed by another player finding a small green and then the first player rolling in the putt? Everyone has played their part, every shot will be well thought out. It's not often you play golf when you can do more and you get to celebrate these small wins with your teammates.
7) This is the true beauty of the format; you have a partner. You win as a pair and you lose as a pair. One of you may stand out and vice versa but you match. Fourballs can rely on one player having the most success or one player having the most shots, foursomes are the nuts and bolts of golf pairs.
8) It's not a given but you really should see the line of the putt better. Most of us are very lazy in our study of the putt and usually look at it from one angle, here you have to see the putt differently. It's a good idea to quickly agree on how much pre-putt conversation you want as the latest 'right-handed' entry if you've got it two cups from the left won't do your prospects any favors.
9) We all have our weaknesses and with foursomes these may not be shown so easily. Therefore, although we may spend many rounds, with various wrong chips on top of the house, you may not face any if you look at the skillful play of your partner. Or, of course, you may have a sequence of them so choose your partner wisely.
10) You should be round in three to three and a half hours which will hopefully leave room for 36 holes. You may not hit the same number of shots but you still get the same workout and chance to chat and you should get more one-on-one time with your odds/evens opponent.
READ MORE: Stop moaning! A top mental health coach reveals four tricks to staying positive on the golf course
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