WHS Allowance Changes:
Four-Ball Explained.
Most golf clubs and websites still say four-ball is 85%. That's only half right. The WHS distinguishes between matchplay and stroke play — and the allowances are different. Here's what changed and why it matters.
Current WHS rule
Four-ball matchplay: 90% allowance. Four-ball stroke play and Stableford: 85% allowance. These are two different competitions with different allowances — applying 85% to a four-ball matchplay game is incorrect under WHS.
Why the distinction matters
The WHS sets allowances lower in four-ball formats because having a partner reduces the effect of any single bad hole — you only need the best score between the two of you. But matchplay and stroke play have different scoring pressures, and the R&A updated the allowances to reflect this:
| Format | Allowance | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Four-ball matchplay | 90% | Higher allowance — matchplay hole-by-hole pressure means every stroke matters more |
| Four-ball stroke play (better ball) | 85% | Lower allowance — aggregate scoring; bad holes average out more across a full round |
| Four-ball Stableford | 85% | Same as stroke play; bad holes are already capped (you just score zero) |
Compare these to the full WHS allowance table for all formats — singles matchplay (100%), foursomes (50%), greensomes (0.6/0.4) are unchanged.
The logic behind 90% vs 85%
In matchplay, every hole is its own contest — a triple-bogey on one hole doesn't "average out" across the round the way it does in stroke play. Players can't rely on future holes to recover from a disaster; losing a hole is losing a hole.
In four-ball matchplay specifically, each player plays their own ball and only the better score counts per hole. The higher-handicap player in a pair can contribute on the holes where they receive strokes, while their partner covers the holes they can't. This creates a different risk dynamic to stroke play — the partner's coverage is more consistent, hole by hole.
The 90% figure acknowledges this: the partner doesn't fully cancel the effects of a bad hole in matchplay the way they do in a stroke play round. A slightly higher allowance makes the game fairer.
Using a 24-handicap player as an example on a standard course (Slope 113, CR 72, Par 72):
The difference is 2 shots for this player. In a closely contested match, applying 85% instead of 90% would deprive this player of 2 shots they're entitled to — potentially changing the result.
How GB&I national bodies govern allowances
The WHS is administered in Great Britain and Ireland through four home unions: England Golf, Scottish Golf, Golf Union of Wales, and Golf Ireland. All four adopted WHS in November 2020 and follow the same R&A-published allowances.
The allowances in the table above are the WHS defaults and apply at every affiliated club in GB&I. Individual clubs can adopt different allowances for their own competitions under local conditions — but the four-ball matchplay/stroke play split is the recommended standard.
| Body | Country | WHS since |
|---|---|---|
| England Golf | England | November 2020 |
| Scottish Golf | Scotland | November 2020 |
| Golf Union of Wales | Wales | November 2020 |
| Golf Ireland | Republic of Ireland & Northern Ireland | November 2020 |
Common questions
My club has always used 85% for four-ball — should we change?
If you're playing four-ball matchplay, yes — the WHS recommendation is 90%. Many clubs haven't updated their local conditions since WHS launched in 2020 and are still applying a single 85% figure regardless of format. The four-ball matchplay calculator and the four-ball stroke play calculator use different allowances for a reason. Raise it with your club's handicap committee.
What about 4BBB — is that 85% or 90%?
4BBB (four ball better ball) is a stroke play format — each team records the better net score per hole and the totals are compared at the end of the round. That's stroke play, so the allowance is 85%. Four-ball matchplay decides each hole independently, so that's 90%. The key question is: are you counting holes won or strokes taken?
Do the same allowances apply in Scotland, Wales and Ireland as in England?
Yes. All four home unions follow the same R&A-published WHS allowances. The 90%/85% four-ball distinction is not an English Golf rule — it's the WHS standard and applies at affiliated clubs in Scotland, Wales, Ireland and England equally. Individual clubs can set their own allowances for club competitions, but the default published standard is the same everywhere.
How do I know which allowance applies to our society day?
It depends on the format of play. If you're playing four-ball matchplay (deciding each hole hole-by-hole and counting holes up/down), use 90%. If you're recording scores and counting the lower net score per hole to compare totals at the end (better ball stroke play), use 85%. If you're doing Stableford points, use 85%. Dormie asks you to select the format and applies the correct allowance automatically.
Are there any other recent changes to WHS allowances I should know about?
The other allowances (singles matchplay 100%, singles stroke play 95%, Stableford 95%, foursomes 50%, greensomes 0.6/0.4) have remained consistent since WHS adoption in 2020. The four-ball distinction between matchplay and stroke play is the most commonly misapplied. Always check the R&A's current WHS guidance or your national union's competition conditions for the most up-to-date figures.
Related guides
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