Umbrella

Umbrella — also called six-point — is the most complete pairs bet there is, because it does not reward just one thing. Every hole puts six separate achievements in play, each worth a point. You can lose the hole on strokes and still walk away with three points.

The name comes from what happens when one team takes all six: the umbrella opens and the hole is worth double.

The six achievements

This is the most widespread list. Each one is worth a point to the team that earns it:

#	Achievement	How it is won
1	Low ball	The lowest individual score on the hole
2	Low total	The lower combined team score
3	Birdie	Any player on the team makes birdie or better
4	Closest to the pin	The nearest ball on hitting the green in regulation
5	Sandy	Saving par from a bunker
6	The sweep	Both team members beat both opponents

The six get shared out hole by hole. A typical hole splits 4-2 or 3-3; the hole where one team takes all six is rare, which is exactly why it pays so well.

The doubling: when the umbrella opens

If a team takes all six achievements on a hole, the value of that hole doubles. That is the move the format is named after.

There are two usual ways to apply it, and they are very different for your wallet:

• Only that hole doubles. The six points count as twelve. This is the sensible version.
• The point value doubles for the rest of the round. Every sweep doubles the base and they compound. Two sweeps on the front and the 18th is worth four times what the 1st was. This is the version that needs a cap.

Like the rest of the format, this gets agreed before you tee off. It is the rule that causes the most arguments when nobody raised it on the first tee.

How to play it, step by step

1. Form two pairs and write down the list of six achievements the group will use. This step is not optional.
2. Agree the point value and, crucially, how the doubling works and whether it is capped.
3. Decide gross or net. In net, handicap strokes are applied before scores are compared.
4. Play the hole. Everyone plays their own ball and holes out.
5. Award the six points achievement by achievement. If an achievement does not occur on that hole (nobody made a birdie, nobody was in a bunker), that point is not awarded: it is void.
6. If a team swept all six, apply the doubling.
7. Total the round’s points and settle the difference.

Achievements that do not happen are void, not shared. A hole with no birdies and no bunkers awards four points, not six. It is the number one question from anyone playing Umbrella for the first time.

A worked hole

Par 4. Team A shoots 4 and 6. Team B shoots 4 and 5. A player on B saved par from a bunker; nobody made a birdie.

Achievement	Winner	Reason
Low ball	Tied	Both best scores were 4
Low total	Team B	9 against 10
Birdie	Nobody	None made
Closest to the pin	Team A	Their ball was nearer in regulation
Sandy	Team B	Par from the bunker
The sweep	Nobody	A won at least one achievement

Result: B takes 2 points, A takes 1, and three points are void (low ball tied, no birdie, no sweep). No umbrella.

Strategy

• The six achievements reward different things, and that is the point. You can lose the hole on strokes and come out ahead if your approach finished close and your partner got up and down from sand.
• The sweep is built with your partner, not alone. To take all six, BOTH of you have to beat both opponents. If your partner is out of the hole, the umbrella is off: switch to collecting individual points.
• Closest to the pin is the cheapest point on the board. It does not depend on your score: a controlled approach earns a point even if you miss the putt afterwards.
• Stop chasing the birdie once low ball and low total are gone. That point has left; concentrate on the ones still live.
• Cap the doubling. Play with compounding doubles and no cap and the round gets decided on a hole nobody remembers.
• Share information with your partner. It is the format in this library where knowing which achievements are already won matters most before choosing your next shot.

Common variations

Six-point for three. The six points are shared between three individuals instead of two pairs. It changes the format completely, but it is a good option for a threesome.

Umbrella with a short list. Only four achievements: low ball, low total, birdie and the sweep. Far easier to track and almost as much fun. It is the best way to start.

Umbrella with proximity on par 3s only. The closest-to-the-pin point is limited to par 3s, where “in regulation” is beyond argument.

Umbrella without doubling. Six flat points a hole, no umbrella. It loses the drama and gains predictability. If anyone in the group is uneasy about the risk, this is the right version.