Rules · Lesson
How Alternate Shot Works
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In foursomes, or alternate shot, you and your partner share one ball. Rule 22 sets the order. You take turns teeing off on each hole. Then you take turns hitting until the hole is done. Penalty strokes don't change whose turn it is. If a stroke is cancelled, the same partner plays again. A provisional is hit by the partner whose turn is next. Playing out of order gets the general penalty. You can share clubs if you carry 14 or fewer between you.
Step by step
- Take turns teeing off.
- Then take turns every stroke.
- Penalty strokes don't change the order.
- Fix a wrong-order stroke in stroke play.
- Share clubs within 14 total.
Why it works
Alternate shot treats you and your partner as one side playing one ball, so the rules need a fixed order to decide who hits next. The order is set by the tee shots and then follows each stroke actually played. Penalty strokes are not played strokes, so they do not pass the turn. That is why the order stays predictable even after a lost ball or a drop.
Common mistakes
- You both tee off on the same hole twice in a row, or you swap the tee order without agreeing it.Decide before the round who tees off on odd holes and who on even holes, and keep that pattern for every hole.
- You treat a penalty stroke as a turn, so the other partner hits after a penalty drop.Ignore penalty strokes when working out the order and let the partner whose turn was next play the next stroke.
- You hit a provisional yourself because you are standing closest to the tee.Have the partner whose turn is next hit the provisional, and replay a cancelled stroke with the same partner who hit it.
How you'll know it's working
- You can say who hits next on every shot without stopping to argue about it.
- After a penalty drop, the correct partner steps up and nobody has to ask.
- Your combined bag has no more than 14 clubs and you can name them.
Make it easier or harder
Easier: Write the tee-off order on your scorecard before you start, such as A on odd holes and B on even holes, and check it at every tee.
Harder: Play a full round of alternate shot where you work out the order aloud after each penalty, lost ball, provisional or cancelled stroke.
Common questions
Does a penalty stroke change who hits next in foursomes?
No. A penalty stroke is added to the score but it does not use up a turn, so the order stays as it was.
What happens if my partner and I play out of order in alternate shot?
Your side gets the general penalty of two strokes. In stroke play, you then fix it by playing the next stroke from where the wrong-order stroke ended, with the correct partner.
