At the Solheim Cup, we watched pros do something difficult that a lot of average golfers attempt, too: play team golf. It's different from typical stroke play, or even one-on-one match play events. Pros, like the test of us, usually play their own ball. But in the Netherlands, they had to play with a partner in foursomes and four-ball. It's a serious change from what they're used to.
Making that shift from playing your own ball to playing a team format might be something you struggle with, too. We talked to Megan Johnston, a Golf Digest Best Young Teacher at Big Cedar who played on the Northern Ireland junior team with Solheim Cup standout Leona Maguire, about how average players can more seamlessly make the transition into team play.
"The biggest adjustment for the average golfer is realizing that the goal of the format may not be to shoot your lowest individual score," Johnston explains. "In four-ball, foursomes or a scramble, you're making decisions based on what your team needs. That changes everything—from club selection, to risk management, to how aggressive you should be at the right times."
This is how Johnston says you should think about these two different team formats.
Four-ball

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