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Handicapping 9-Hole Tournaments

Updated over 4 months ago

Nine hole tournaments are very common for both leagues and events. When playing these tournaments, Playing Handicaps can be computed in a variety of ways.

When handicapping 9-hole tournaments, the following needs to be considered:

Is the tournament using the 18-Hole Slope/Rating or the 9-Hole Slope/Rating?

Most golf courses have a Front 9 and Back 9 Slope/Rating that can be used to compute Playing Handicaps for 9-hole tournaments. To select the type of Slope and Rating to use for 9-hole tournaments, go to the Handicap Settings tab in the Event Profile and select one of the options (as shown below). If using 9-Hole Slope/Ratings, then make sure they are entered for the course in the Course Details.


This article will discuss the case of using 18-Hole Slope/Ratings and 9-Hole Slope/Ratings.

Using 18-Hole Slope/Ratings:

When 18-Hole Handicap Indexes are used with the 18-Hole Slope/Rating for 9-Hole tournaments, the strokes from the 18-Hole Playing Handicap will be applied to the entire 18 hole card (strokes fall as they lie) and used for the either the front 9 or back 9 tournament.

Example:

Alex Brennan is playing in a 9-hole tournament on the back 9. His 18-hole Playing Handicap is computed to a 9 (as shown below).

The 9 strokes are applied to the entire 18-hole card, giving 4 strokes to Alex for the back 9 tournament (as shown below).
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Using 9-Hole Slope/Rating:

In cases where 18-Hole Handicap Indexes are used with the front 9 or back 9 Slope/Rating, The 18-Hole Handicap Index is divided by 2 (and rounded to the nearest 10th) to establish a 9-Hole Handicap Index. The 9-Hole Handicap Index is then used with the Front 9 or Back 9 Slope/Rating to determine the 9-Hole Playing Handicap.

Example:

Alex Brennan is playing in a 9-hole tournament on the back 9. His 18-hole Handicap Index is 8.2. After dividing it by 2, his 9-Hole Handicap Index is 4.1. That Handicap Index is then used with the the Back 9 Slope/Rating (126/33.8) to give Alex a 5 Playing Handicap for the Back 9 (as shown below).

The 5 strokes are then applied to the Back 9 (as shown below).
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Additional Notes:

  • Half Strokes: When playing 9-Hole Match Play tournaments, half strokes can be used to stroke the tournaments. Click Here for details.

  • 9-Hole Courses: If using a 9-Hole Course, the option to use 9-Hole Slope/Ratings must be selected in the Event Profile. The tournament being set up, must also have "Front 9 or 9 Hole Course" selected (as shown below).

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