Individual stroke play may be the most common form of competitive golf in the United States, but there is something different about playing in team events.
Team golf introduces a different kind of pressure. Every shot still counts, but suddenly there is another person beside you to give encouragement, pick you up after a mistake and, in some formats, determine what shot you have to hit next.
That is part of what makes events like the Ryder Cup, Solheim Cup and Presidents Cup so compelling. Fans aren't simply watching individual players compete, they are watching partnerships develop, momentum shift and teammates find ways to succeed together.
AZ GOLF hosts several team competitions throughout the year, giving some of Arizona's top amateurs the opportunity to experience a side of competitive golf that requires a different approach than traditional individual events. The 65th Bob Goldwater Cup, on September 21 at Phoenix Country Club, pits Arizona's top amateur players against Southwest PGA Section professionals.
Later this fall, Arizona's top amateurs will travel to St. George for the 35th Arizona-Utah Shootout, another Ryder Cup-style competition made to test Arizona’s amateur golfers against Utah’s.
So what makes a successful team golfer?
To find out, AZ GOLF spoke with several of the amateurs who will represent Arizona in these competitions.
Ask almost anyone who regularly plays team golf what they enjoy most, and the answer is likely the camaraderie.
When you're playing with a teammate, you get to know that player on a more personal level. Sometimes it is a lifelong golfing friend. Other times, it is someone you've never met before.
For Joe Cabrera, this year's Arizona Senior Amateur Champion, getting to know a new teammate is part of the appeal.
By the end of a team event, partners can learn an incredible amount about each other both on and off the golf course.
“In the team aspect, you are rooting for each other and relying on each other,” Cabrera said. “I think it’s better if you understand that individual and where they come from. If you can build that in a short amount of time, it helps you throughout the round.”
That understanding becomes especially important when the golf gets difficult.
There will inevitably be a hole where one player finds trouble or has a difficult shot. The key, Cabrera believes, is understanding that team golf is a two-way street.
You may have to save your partner on one hole, but there is a good chance your partner will return the favor later.
Kris Marshall, the 2021 Arizona Amateur Champion, has grown to appreciate team golf more as he's gotten older.
Part of that is because there is someone to cheer for, someone to celebrate with and someone who is doing the same for you. But Marshall also believes one of the biggest mistakes players can make is putting additional pressure on their partner.
“It takes a little bit of pressure off and where I think players make mistakes is they apply pressure to their partner,” Marshall said. “That is not how it’s supposed to be played. The idea is that you’ve got a partner with you and a support mechanism in there that is different than individual play.”
Your partner already knows when they hit a bad shot. They don't need a reminder. Instead, successful partners focus on what comes next.
A bad drive doesn't have to become two bad shots. A missed putt doesn't have to become a bad attitude. And a mistake by one player doesn't need to become a mistake by both.
The best teams understand that their job isn't to eliminate their partner's mistakes. It's to help them move past those mistakes.
The mentality changes somewhat depending on the format.
In four-ball, each player plays their own ball throughout the round, with the team's better score counting on each hole. That makes the format feel relatively familiar because both players are still playing their own ball.
The biggest difference is knowing that you have another score available.
Scott Cahill, the 2026 Arizona Mid-Amateur and Arizona Match Play Champion, says knowing your partner is playing well can sometimes free you up to be more aggressive.
That makes communication and awareness important.
Know what your partner has done. Know what score you need. And understand when the best play is to attack and when the best play is simply to keep the team in the hole.
If four-ball still feels relatively familiar, foursomes is where team golf becomes a completely different game.
Also known as alternate shot, foursomes has two players playing as a side with one ball. The players alternate shots until the hole is completed.
That means every shot becomes connected.
Your drive determines the situation your partner inherits. Their approach determines what you face next. A missed green may leave your teammate with a difficult recovery. A great shot can give them a chance to capitalize.
There is no opportunity to simply hit your own ball and move on.
Cahill believes that makes foursomes much more dependent on trust and on-the-fly decision-making.
“If you’re going to be successful in foursomes, you have to be able to play on the fly and have a lot of trust,” Cahill explained. “Don’t get upset with your partner, instead try to pick them up when they need it. Hopefully they can do the same when you need it.”
One of the biggest adjustments in foursomes is understanding that you aren't always playing the shot you would choose for yourself.
You have to think about your partner.
That can mean considering what yardages and lies your partner is more comfortable playing with.
If you hit a bad shot, the natural instinct will be to apologize, but Marshall takes a different approach.
“Apologies are not accepted in team golf, we don’t even go there,” Marshall said. “There is no ‘I’m sorry,’ because golf is hard, everyone is going to hit a bad shot and you’ve gotta have players who understand each other.”
“The beauty of alternate shot is that it exposes weaknesses. The players who are really good at picking each other up are the players who accelerate.”
If you’re interested in playing team golf, AZ GOLF has opportunities for you this fall.
The 29th Arizona Club Team Championship takes place December 15 at Anthem Golf & Country Club’s Ironwood Course. Qualifiers will be held throughout October and November, with the top teams advancing to the championship.
Teams consist of two golfers from the same member club and are flighted based on Handicap Index. New in 2026, the top Male/Male, Male/Female and Female/Female teams from the Club Team Championship will earn an invitation to compete and represent AZ GOLF at the National U.S. Doubles Golf Championship, hosted at The Bear’s Club the following fall.
Another team golf opportunity is Arizona Foursomes, set for November 14-15 at Talking Stick Golf Club’s O’odham Course. The 36-hole foursomes (alternate shot) event is open to all male AZ GOLF members who meet the age-based Handicap Index requirements.