6x3
Six 3-hole matches, each its own bet, plus an optional stroke play match over the whole round.
2 or more players
6x3 splits the round into six short matches of three holes each. Every match is its own bet, so a bad start doesn't sink your day. There's always a fresh match a few holes away.
The "+S" adds a seventh bet: net stroke play over the whole round. Win the most matches and still lose the day on total strokes, or the other way around.
How to play 6x3
- 1Set a stake per match
Agree on what each match is worth, say $5. With +S there are seven bets in an 18-hole round.
- 2Use your handicaps
Strokes come off by stroke index, the same way your course handicap from GHIN gives them. Every match is played on net scores.
- 3Play six 3-hole matches
Holes 1 to 3 are the first match, 4 to 6 the second, and so on. Win more of the three holes than your opponent to win the match. Tied matches push.
- 4Add the stroke match (+S)
Total your net scores for the round. The lower total wins one more stake.
- 5Settle up
Add up matches won and lost. With more than two players, everyone plays everyone, and each pair settles on its own.
Two players at $5 a match
- You win matches 1, 2, 5 and 6, lose match 3, and halve match 4.
- That's four wins and one loss, so you're up $15 on the matches.
- You also have the lower net total, so you win the +S for another $5.
- You collect $20. Most days it ends closer than that, with someone up $5 or $10.
Common variations
On a 9-hole round there are three matches, plus the stroke match if you play +S.
Play just the six matches if you want the bet to be all about short sprints.
Frequently asked questions
What does 6x3+S mean?
Six matches of three holes each, plus a stroke play match over the whole round. Each one is worth the same stake.
What happens when a match is tied?
It pushes. Nobody wins that match, and no money changes hands for it.
How does it work with three or four players?
Everyone plays their own 6x3 against everyone else. Each pair's matches settle separately, and Three Putt nets it all out at the end.
What's the most I can lose?
Every match lost to every opponent. Head to head at $5 with +S, that's seven matches, or $35.
Skip the 18th-green math
Three Putt scores 6x3 for you and shows exactly who owes who. Everyone can score from their own phone, or one person can handle it. Nothing to download.
Start a round