The Nassau: three matches in one round

1. 1

   Three bets, one unit each

   Front nine, back nine, the 18. Each is its own match: holes won, lost or halved; the side up at the end takes the unit. A 5-5-5 Nassau is five units a bet; the number is the group's.

2. 2

   Match play, hole by hole

   Lower net score wins the hole, equal halves it. Being 3 up with 2 to play closes the front; it does not close the 18.

3. 3

   The press

   When a side is two down on a bet, it can press: a new bet for the same unit over the remaining holes of that nine or of the 18. The original keeps running. Count presses on paper; the scorer here tracks the three main bets.

4. 4

   Settle on the 18th

   Add the units. One side can lose two bets and win the third and the day is cheap: that is the design.

Play the front to win it, not to protect the 18: a lost front costs one unit and the back resets. Press only when you are two down and the holes left suit you; a press out of frustration doubles the loss. And in net matches, know where the strokes fall before the first tee, because the match is decided on the holes where one side gets a shot and the other does not.

Agree the Playing Handicaps (match play uses 100% of the Course Handicap; the handicap calculator gives it), the unit, whether presses are automatic, and what a tie does. The scorer pays nothing on a tie. For a pot instead of a match, see Skins.