The rules
Triple Nassau is for a group of three. Instead of two sides, there are three separate matches, one for every pair in the group. Each match is scored as match play, hole by hole, and each carries the three usual Nassau bets.
Nobody plays differently on the course. You post one score on each hole, and it goes into both of your matches. A result in one match has no effect on the other.
1
Three matches
Every golfer plays each of the other two. Paul v Dave, Paul v Sam and Dave v Sam.
2
Three bets each
Front nine, back nine and the eighteen, the same as any Nassau.
3
One setup
One stake, one handicap setting and one press rule, used by all three matches.
Why it suits a threesome
A two-sided Nassau needs even numbers. With three, somebody has to play alone against a pair or sit out. Here everyone is in two matches of their own, and the lowest handicap in the group gives strokes in both of his.
Strokes in each match
Each match is handicapped on its own. The lower handicap plays off scratch and the higher gets the difference, taken on the lowest stroke indexes. So a golfer can get strokes in one match and give them in the other.
1
Paul v Dave. Paul is 4 and Dave is 9, so Dave gets 5 strokes, on stroke index 1 to 5.
2
Paul v Sam. Sam is 14, so he gets 10 strokes from Paul, on stroke index 1 to 10.
3
Dave v Sam. Sam gets 5 from Dave, on stroke index 1 to 5. On the SI 8 hole, Sam gets a stroke against Paul and none against Dave.
The handicap setting is chosen once for all three matches: strokes off the low man, full net, or gross. An allowance below 100% is applied to each course handicap before the difference is taken.
Stakes and presses
The stake is per bet. At $10, each match is worth up to $30 before presses, and a golfer who loses all six bets owes $60: two matches, three bets each.
Presses belong to one match
A press starts a new bet over the rest of the current nine, in one match only. Going 2 down to Dave lets you press Dave. It does nothing to your match with Sam.
Manual or automatic
Presses can be called by the golfer who is behind, fired automatically at 2 down, or both. Only the golfer who is down can press.
A loss cap works per match
If you cap losses, the cap applies to each match separately. Your worst case across the round is twice the cap.
Scoring it without a spreadsheet
Three matches with three bets each, each with its own stroke holes and its own presses, is nine running scores on every tee. Keeping them straight on a paper card is where Triple Nassaus usually go wrong.
Halved scores all three from one score per golfer per hole. It allocates the strokes for each pair, tracks every bet and press, and settles who owes whom at the end.
All three matches on one screen
Front, back and overall for every pair, updated as each score goes in.
Presses by match
Call a press and pick the match it belongs to. The screen shows what it adds to your exposure.
Strokes per pair
Each golfer’s row shows the strokes he gets against each opponent on the hole.
Three matches, one card.
Free for the group. Post one score a hole and Halved runs all three Nassaus, the strokes, the presses and the settlement.
Questions people ask
How many bets are there in Triple Nassau?
Nine in total: three matches with three bets each. Each golfer is in two matches, so six of the nine involve him.
How do strokes work in Triple Nassau?
Each match is handicapped on its own. The lower handicap plays off scratch and the higher gets the difference on the lowest stroke indexes, so a golfer can get strokes against one opponent and give them to the other.
Can you press in Triple Nassau?
Yes. A press starts a new bet over the rest of the current nine and applies to one match only. Being 2 down to one golfer lets you press him and does not touch your other match.
What is the most I can lose in Triple Nassau?
Without presses, six times the stake: two matches with three bets each. With a loss cap, twice the cap, because the cap applies per match.
Can four golfers play Triple Nassau?
No. With four, play a standard Nassau as two against two, or a game built for four such as Wolf or Sixes.
IF YOU LIKE TRIPLE NASSAU