How it plays
- 1Decide before the round which partner tees off on odd holes and which on even holes. That order never changes for the full nine.
- 2Partners then alternate strokes until the ball is holed — if your partner drove, you hit the second shot.
- 3Putts alternate too. Missing a two-footer hands the next one to your partner.
- 4Penalty strokes do not change the alternation: the same player who would have played next still plays next.
- 5One score per team per hole.
Scoring and handicaps
- One card per team. Scores are higher than a scramble and often higher than individual play.
- Handicap allocation for foursomes is typically 50% of the combined team handicap.
- League team weeks pay 8 to each winner, 3 to each loser.
Over nine holes
Nine holes is exactly the right length for alternate shot. It is a genuinely difficult format and an eighteen-hole version tests a friendship harder than it tests a golf swing.
How to actually win it
- Put your better driver on the tee of the harder holes — decide odd/even by looking at the card, not by flipping a coin.
- Play to your partner's strengths, not the pin. Leaving a full wedge for a partner who hates half shots is how teams lose holes.
- Say nothing after a bad shot. Say nothing. The camera is running.
Questions people ask
What is alternate shot in golf?
Alternate shot, known formally as foursomes, is a team format where two partners play a single ball and take turns hitting it. One partner tees off on odd-numbered holes, the other on even, and they alternate strokes until the ball is holed.
Who tees off after a penalty in alternate shot?
A penalty stroke does not change whose turn it is. If your partner hit a shot out of bounds, they take the penalty and you play the next stroke, exactly as the normal alternation would dictate.
What handicap do you get in foursomes?
The standard allocation is 50% of the two partners' combined course handicaps, applied to the team score by stroke index.
Watch it played
We film Alternate Shot (2v2) live, badly, every season
Five friends, one camera, nine holes, and a forfeit waiting for whoever finishes last. The full round card for every Alternate Shot (2v2) week is on this site the day the episode drops.