Game
Rules and explanation onlyRed, White and Blue
Also called Red White Blue, Three-tee game, Tee rotation.
Red, White and Blue is a stroke play game in which the tee changes with the par of the hole. In the common form par 3s are played from the forward (red) tees, par 4s from the middle (white) and par 5s from the back (blue). Everyone plays the same tee on each hole and the lowest total wins.
At a glance
- Players
- Any number, any groups
- Tees
- Par 3 red, par 4 white, par 5 blue, in the common form
- Scoring basis
- Gross, or net on an agreed single allowance
- Winner
- Lowest 18-hole total
- Kind of thing
- A format for the day, chosen before play
On this page8
How Red, White and Blue works
The course is played once through, but the tee on each hole is set by the hole's par rather than by the player. In the common form the par 3s are played from the forward tees, which are usually red, the par 4s from the middle tees, usually white, and the par 5s from the back tees, usually blue. On a course with different tee colors the same idea applies: short, middle and long.
The result is a round that is shorter than the blue course and longer than the red one, with the par 5s at their hardest and the par 3s at their easiest. Every player in the field plays the same tee on the same hole, so the round is fair between players even though no single tee set is being played.
A second common form rotates the tees by hole rather than by par: holes 1, 4, 7 and so on from the red, holes 2, 5, 8 from the white, holes 3, 6, 9 from the blue. It produces a different course but the same principle.
Handicapping across three tees
This is where the game gets awkward. A Course Handicap™ is computed for one set of tees from that tee's Slope Rating™ and Course Rating™, and a round played from three sets does not have a single Course Handicap. Most clubs play the game gross, or agree one allowance for everyone, such as the white-tee Course Handicap, and accept it as approximate.
The round is not acceptable for handicap posting in the common form, since the tees played do not match any rated combination. Clubs that want a postable score should look at the mixed tees page for how a rated combination is handled.
Ties
Lowest total wins and ties are settled on countback. Because the par 5s are played from the back, the back-nine countback tends to favor the longer hitter.
What Parful does
Parful does not score Red, White and Blue. The total is ordinary stroke play, but the changing tees change the physical round: each hole is played from a tee that is not the tee the outing's handicaps were computed for, and the card cannot carry three ratings at once. Parful will not offer that as a side game over an official round.
This page describes the common form. Parful has not ratified a version.
Worked example
A worked example: the first six holes
One player, gross scores. Each row shows the hole's par, the tee played under the par rule, the yardage from that tee and the score.
| Hole | Par | Tee | Yards | Score | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 4 | White | 385 | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | 5 | Blue | 545 | 6 | 10 |
| 3 | 3 | Red | 120 | 3 | 13 |
| 4 | 4 | White | 400 | 5 | 18 |
| 5 | 3 | Red | 135 | 2 | 20 |
| 6 | 5 | Blue | 520 | 5 | 25 |
Swipe the table to see every column.
- The par 3s from the red tees are short enough that a birdie is realistic for most of the field, which is why hole 5 is a 2.
- The par 5s from the blue tees are long enough that reaching in two is rare, which is why hole 2 is a 6.
Common variants
- Rotation by hole
- Red, white and blue in turn on holes 1, 2, 3, then again on 4, 5, 6, regardless of par. Every third hole is a back-tee hole and the par 3s are not all easy.
- Reversed
- Par 3s from the back, par 5s from the front. The par 5s become reachable and the par 3s become long irons. It suits a shorter course.
- Player's choice
- Each player chooses one tee per hole and must use each color six times in the round. Handicapping is even harder and it is played gross.
Red, White and Blue questions
Which tees do you use in Red, White and Blue?
In the common form, the forward tees on par 3s, the middle tees on par 4s and the back tees on par 5s. Everyone plays the same tee on the same hole.
How is Red, White and Blue handicapped?
Awkwardly. There is no single Course Handicap for three sets of tees, so most clubs play it gross or use one agreed allowance for everyone, usually the middle-tee Course Handicap.
Can I post a Red, White and Blue round for handicap?
Not in the common form. The tees played do not match a rated set, so the round is not acceptable for posting.
Does Parful score Red, White and Blue?
No. The changing tees change how the round is played and the card cannot carry three ratings. Parful explains the game and does not run it.
What if our course only has two sets of tees?
Play par 3s from the front, par 5s from the back and par 4s alternating, or use the rotation-by-hole variant with two colors. Agree it before the first tee.