How do Ryder Cup golfers decide which ball to use in alternate shot?

Golf is a hard game, but when you introduce the pressure of potentially putting your partner in a terrible spot because of your mistake, it can get even harder. Maybe that’s why Foursomes, a game in which two golfers alternate hitting shots until the hole is completed, is not played too much in America.

Ryder Cup captains take a lot of factors into consideration when they create teams and partnerships for Foursomes. They often blend big hitters with elite wedge players, good iron players with outstanding putters, or sometimes opt to match up guys who have very similar styles in the hope that they blend together smoothly.

All the players at the 2023 Ryder Cup at Marco Simone Golf Club in Rome, Italy, will be using their own clubs, but when they are paired together in Foursomes (which is often referred to as alternate shot), whose ball does they use? The answer is, both.

“The One Ball rule is not in effect,” confirmed U.S. Ryder Cup captain Zach Johnson during his press conference on Tuesday.

Technically, what Johnson was referring to is Model Local Rule G-4, which states, “During an entire round, each ball at which the player makes a stroke must be the same brand and model as found in a single entry on the current List of Conforming Balls.” Simplified, that means when Model Local Rule G-4 is adopted by a tournament or event, golfers have to use the exact same type of ball throughout the round. You are free to use a Titleist, TaylorMade, Callaway, Bridgestone, Srixon or any other ball you find on the Conforming List, but once you hit it off the first tee, that’s the ball you need to use the whole time.

According to the USGA, the purpose of the One Ball rule is to, “prevent a player from using balls with different playing characteristics depending on the nature of the hole or shot to be played during a round.” In other words, the rule prevents you from using a distance-oriented ball on long par 5 and then switching to a spinny ball on short par 3.

So, when Johnson said that the One Ball rule is not in effect at the Ryder Cup, he is also revealing that teams in Foursomes can, and almost certainly will, use different balls on different holes. Teams have to use the same ball throughout a hole, but they are free to switch any time a different ball before the start of a hole.

Collin Morikawa and Max Homa practicing at…