Sixes / Threes
Partners rotate so you team with each of the other three across the round.
4 players
Sixes, also called 6-6-6, Round Robin, or Hollywood, is a four-player game built on rotating partnerships. The eighteen holes split into three six-hole segments, and you partner a different one of the other three players in each segment, so everyone teams with everyone once.
On a nine-hole round the same idea becomes Threes: three three-hole segments. It's a great equalizer because you're never stuck with the same partner all day.
How to play Sixes / Threes
- 1Split into three segments
Divide the round into three six-hole blocks (holes 1-6, 7-12, 13-18). On nine holes, use three-hole blocks.
- 2Rotate the partnerships
In each segment the four players form two teams of two, arranged so that across the three segments you partner each of the other three players exactly once.
- 3Play best ball per hole
On every hole, each team's better net score counts. The team with the lower better-ball wins the hole.
- 4Win the segment
Whichever team wins more holes takes that segment. Score across all three segments to see who comes out ahead.
How the partnerships rotate
- Segment 1 (holes 1-6): you and player B vs. players C and D.
- Segment 2 (holes 7-12): you and player C vs. players B and D.
- Segment 3 (holes 13-18): you and player D vs. players B and C.
- By the end you've partnered everyone once, and your result depends on all three pairings.
Common variations
A nine-hole round uses three-hole segments instead of six, which is where the 'Threes' name comes from.
Most groups use net best ball so handicaps count; you can also play it gross.
Award a point or a stake to the winning pair of each segment, so a round is worth up to three.
Frequently asked questions
Why is it called Sixes or 6-6-6?
Because an eighteen-hole round is split into three six-hole segments and you rotate partners each segment. The three sixes give it the name.
How many players do you need for Sixes?
Exactly four, so the partnerships can rotate and everyone teams with each of the other three once.
What's the difference between Sixes and Threes?
They're the same game at different lengths: Sixes uses six-hole segments over eighteen holes, Threes uses three-hole segments over nine.
Skip the 18th-green math
Three Putt scores Sixes / Threes for you and shows exactly who owes who. Everyone can score from their own phone, or one person can handle it. Nothing to download.
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