A beach umbrella comprises a lower pole section and separate upper pole section with a canopy. The pole sections may be connected by inserting the lower end of the upper section into a sleeve on the upper end of the lower section. The sleeve includes a hinged lever arm that may be positioned to permit manual rotation of the lower section to bore the lower pole securely into the soil and thereby permit coupling of the upper section to the lower section positioned in the ground. The lower end of the lower section includes a hollow tubular sleeve with outwardly projecting fins or blades to bore into the soil when the lower pole section is rotated and axially projecting teeth to pierce the sand.