6-6-6, also called Round of Three or Triple Threat, is a 2v2 team format where the format shifts every six holes.
Teams stay the same for all 18 holes, but the format rotates underneath them. The standard rotation is Best Ball for holes 1–6, Scramble for holes 7–12, and Alternate Shot for holes 13–18, though any two-person team format can be subbed in if your group prefers.
It’s the format that exposes one-trick teams. You can’t coast on one strength — you have to be good at three different games inside the same round, and the format won’t let any of them off the hook.
Here’s how to set it up, score it, and the spots where most groups blow it.
MORE 4 PLAYER FORMATS WORTH RUNNING
- Sixes — same six-hole structure, but the partners rotate instead of the formats.
- Wolf — the iconic foursome format. Rotates pressure to a different player every hole.
- Best Golf Games for 4 Players — the full foursome library when you want options.
Game Setup
Four players in two fixed teams of two, with the round split into three six-hole segments. Same partners from the first tee to the last green; only the format changes.
Settle these before the first tee shot:
- Pick your three formats. Standard rotation is Best Ball for holes 1–6, Scramble for holes 7–12, and Alternate Shot for holes 13–18. Any two-person team formats work. Greensomes, Chapman, Four-Ball, Low Ball Low Total — pick whatever combination your group desires. The classic three are popular because they cover the full range of foursome play: individual ball-striking, team selection, and partner trust.
- Order matters. Most groups go Best Ball first because it’s the easiest opener and lets both teams find a rhythm. Alternate Shot lands at the end on purpose. It’s the highest-variance of the three, and putting it on the back six means the round stays alive to the 18th green. Lock the order on the first tee.
- Set the stakes per match. Standard is $5 or $10 per segment, settled separately at the end of each six-hole match. The most you can lose across the full round is three betting units.
- Handicaps. Each format applies handicaps differently, which is exactly where most groups slip up. Best Ball uses 85–90% of course handicap, Scramble uses a weighted percentage formula across all players, and Alternate Shot uses 50% of the combined team handicap. Run all three through our free golf handicap calculator before the round (the Scramble formula alone takes most groups longer than the first three holes do), and if you want the math behind any of those allowances, we cover how a golf handicap is calculated in detail.
STRATEGY TIP
Save Alternate Shot for last. It’s the highest-variance format of the three, and you want that volatility carrying weight on the back six when the round is on the line.
With the formats locked and the handicaps sorted, the scoring is the easy part.
How to Play (Rules & Scoring)
Each six-hole segment plays by the rules of its assigned format, scored as match play within that segment. The lowest team score wins the hole, and the team that wins more holes wins the segment. A tied segment is typically halved. Most groups split the stake on a tie or roll it into the next six holes.
The three matches are scored independently of each other, which is the whole reason the format works. You can lose your first match by 4 holes and still take the overall round 2–1 if you win the next two segments. No single bad run kills you, and no early lead is safe.
Quick example:
- Holes 1–6 (Best Ball): Team A wins 2 up.
- Holes 7–12 (Scramble): Team B wins 1 up.
- Holes 13–18 (Alternate Shot): Team A wins 3 & 1.
Team A wins two segments to one and takes the round.
COMMON MISTAKE
Applying one handicap allowance to all three segments. Best Ball, Scramble, and Alt Shot each have their own WHS handicap formula, and the differences aren’t subtle. Run one allowance across all three segments and you’re either giving strokes away or stealing them by accident.
That’s how the standard 6-6-6 runs. Some groups tweak it to fit their crew. Here’s a menu of formats to choose from to suit your preference.
Game Variations
Below are a few variations that groups mix in when playing 6-6-6:
- Cumulative scoring. Instead of three independent match-play segments, total all 18 holes’ strokes (each segment scored by its format’s rules) for one combined low score.
- Stableford 6-6-6. Replace match play with Stableford points within each segment. Less win-or-lose pressure, more reward for steady play across the round.
- 9-9 or 3-3-3. Same concept, different segment lengths. 9-9 splits the round across two formats (faster to set up but loses the third format entirely) and is honestly the most underrated of the three. If your group has never run 6-6-6 before, start here. 3-3-3 cycles six formats across 18 holes, which is chaos but works for groups that want maximum variety.
- Player-pick rotation. Each team picks one of the three formats before the round starts, and the third format is mutually agreed. Stops one team from stacking the deck with their strengths.
Check out these few things groups ask about before they run the 6-6-6 format for the first time.
Frequently Asked Questions
Best Ball for 1–6, Scramble for 7–12, Alternate Shot for 13–18. The order isn’t a hard requirement, just the most common. It scales the difficulty up across the round and saves the highest-variance format for closing time.
Yes. Any three two-person team formats work. Common substitutes are Greensomes, Chapman, Four-Ball, and Low Ball Low Total — Golf.com has a clean breakdown of the formal Rules-of-Golf distinction between Four-Ball and Foursomes (alternate shot) if you want the breakdown. The only rule that actually matters is locking the three on the first tee and not changing them mid-round.
No. Sixes is a 4-player format where the partners rotate every six holes but the format stays the same. 6-6-6 is the opposite: partners stay fixed, and the format rotates instead. Same six-hole structure, completely different game.
Each format uses its own handicap allowance. Best Ball is 85–90% of course handicap. Scramble uses a weighted percentage formula across players. Alternate Shot uses 50% of the combined team handicap. You can also play scratch and skip handicaps entirely if all four players are close in skill, which keeps the math simple and lets the formats do the work.
Final Thoughts
6-6-6 earns a permanent spot in your foursome rotation. Easy enough once everyone knows the rules and decides on the 3 formats. Deep enough that no team wins it on talent alone. You have to play three different games on three different scorecards in one round, and trust your partner for the whole ride
Run it once. You’ll bring it back the next round.
