Sixes (6-6-6)

Sixes — also called 6-6-6 or “round robin” at some clubs — splits the round into three six-hole matches, and changes who you are playing with in each one. It is the format built for a fourball of friends who would rather not spend four hours with the same opponent or the same partner.

The idea is the same as the Nassau — one round, several bets — with one key difference: here it is not just the scoreboards that reset, it is the people.

The three segments

Segment	Holes
First	1 to 6
Second	7 to 12
Third	13 to 18

Each segment is a closed, independent bet, settled after the 6th, the 12th and the 18th. What happened in the first does not carry into the second.

The two versions

This is the decision to make on the first tee, because they play completely differently.

Singles Sixes: you switch opponent

All four players play for themselves, and each segment pits you against a different opponent. By the 18th you have played a six-hole match against each of the other three.

Segment	Matches
Holes 1-6	Ana vs Ben, Carl vs Dana
Holes 7-12	Ana vs Carl, Ben vs Dana
Holes 13-18	Ana vs Dana, Ben vs Carl

Each segment is played hole by hole like a short match: the segment goes to whoever wins more of the six.

Pairs Sixes: you switch partner

Same three segments, but played two against two. Each segment gives you a different partner, so you end up playing with each of the other three exactly once.

Segment	Pairings
Holes 1-6	Ana + Ben vs Carl + Dana
Holes 7-12	Ana + Carl vs Ben + Dana
Holes 13-18	Ana + Dana vs Ben + Carl

Each hole is decided by the better net ball of each pair, just like Best Ball. It is the most sociable version of the format and the one that copes best with mixed abilities: nobody is left alone against the group’s best player for eighteen holes.

How to play it, step by step

1. On the first tee, pick the version (singles or pairs) and write down the rotation for the three segments. Writing it down prevents the argument on the 7th.
2. Agree what each segment is worth. Usually the same value for all three.
3. Work out handicap allowances and allocate them by stroke index, as in any net match.
4. Play the segment hole by hole. Lowest net score wins the hole; a tie halves it.
5. After the 6th, close the segment, call out the result and reset the scoreboard to zero.
6. Repeat for segments two and three. At the end, add up each player’s three results.

Write the rotation on the card before you start. On the 12th, tired and in the sun, nobody remembers who was paired with whom, and the format collapses the moment that gets debated.

What happens when a segment ties

A six-hole segment ties fairly often. There are three usual ways to resolve it, and you have to pick one before teeing off:

• It is void. Nobody collects that segment. Simplest and most common.
• It carries over. The value of the tied segment rolls into the next one, like the carryover in Skins. It raises the stakes of the final segment enormously.
• The last hole decides it. The segment goes to whoever won the 6th, 12th or 18th. Fast, but a little arbitrary.

Strategy

• Six holes go by fast. In an 18-hole match you can afford a bad start; in a six-hole one, a double bogey on the opening hole is a third of the match.
• Look at which holes fall in which segment. If your handicap strokes cluster on holes 13 to 18, the third segment is your strong one: that is where to raise if the group allows it.
• In pairs, talk to your partner on the segment’s first tee. You have six holes to get organised, not eighteen. Settle quickly who attacks and who anchors.
• A lost segment carries no weight. The reset is real: do not drag the frustration of the last six holes into the next six.
• The 6th, 12th and 18th carry the most pressure, because each one closes an entire match. Play them with a cool head.

Common variations

Nines and nines. The same idea with two segments of nine instead of three of six. At that point you are playing a Nassau.

Sixes on points. Instead of match play per segment, each hole won is worth a point and all 18 are added at the end. It removes tied segments and softens the format.

Cumulative Sixes. Tied segments add their value to the next one. The third segment can end up worth triple.

Sixes for three. With three players the rotation does not work the same way; for a threesome the natural format is Nines.