Side game · 4 (2v2) players
How to play Low Ball / High Ball
Also called: low ball high ball · best ball worst ball · two-point
Two points a hole: one for the better ball, one for the better of the two worse balls. Your best plays their best and your worst plays their worst.
The rules
- Two points are available on every hole.
- One point goes to the team with the lower individual score on the hole — the low ball.
- One point goes to the team with the lower of the two highest scores — the high ball.
- A tie on either comparison washes that point.
- A team can win both, split, or lose both. Both partners matter, which is the appeal.
A worked example
Setup. Two teams of two.
- Hole 5 — Team A scores 4 and 6; Team B scores 5 and 5.
- Low ball: A wins it, 4 against 5.
- High ball: B wins it, 5 against 6.
Result. One point each — the hole splits. A big number from one partner cost A the hole they had won on the low ball.
This is exactly how Bagpipe Golf settles it: hole by hole, zero-sum, no arguing at the 19th.
Variations and house rules
- Some groups play a third point for combined total. That is closer to Scotch.
- Others play low ball for two points and high ball for one. The app plays them evenly.
How it works in the app
- Add Low Ball / High Ball at setup with four players in two teams and a unit per point.
- Enter individual scores; both comparisons come off them.
- Settlement shows the two points by hole.
Low Ball / High Ball FAQ
- Is high ball the worst score or the best of the worst?
- The better of the two teams’ high scores. You are not trying to have a bad hole — you are trying for your weaker score to beat their weaker score.
- Net or gross?
- Both work. Net is the default so handicaps count on both comparisons.