What Is a Good 9-Hole Score by Handicap?
A scratch golfer shoots 37 or 38 for nine holes. A 15 handicap shoots about 45, and a 30 handicap about 53. Here is the typical 9-hole score at every level, with the stat line behind it.
A good 9-hole score is 37 or 38 for a scratch golfer, about 42 to 43 for a 10 handicap and 45 or 46 for a 15 handicap. A 20 handicap typically shoots 47 to 49 for nine holes, and a 30 handicap 52 to 54.
Those numbers are the 18-hole scoring averages cut in half, on a par-36 nine. Your typical nine is half your typical round, which sits one to three strokes above par plus half your handicap.
Average 9-hole score by handicap: the table
| Handicap | Typical 9-hole score | Most nines | Typical 18-hole score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch (0) | 37–38 | 36–39.5 | 74–76 |
| 5 | 39.5–40.5 | 38.5–42.5 | 79–81 |
| 10 | 42–43.5 | 41–45.5 | 84–87 |
| 15 | 45–46 | 43.5–49 | 90–92 |
| 20 | 47.5–49 | 46–52 | 95–98 |
| 25 | 50–51.5 | 48.5–55 | 100–103 |
| 30 | 52.5–54 | 50.5–58 | 105–108 |
The 18-hole column is our average score by handicap table, for a par-72 course of average difficulty. Every 9-hole figure is half of it. A half stroke means the typical nine sits between two whole numbers, so a 5 handicap’s typical nine is a 40, give or take.
Why a single nine swings more than this
Halving the “most nines” range understates how much one nine can vary. Over nine holes, one triple bogey or one hot putting stretch moves the total further relative to its size than it would over 18. If holes behaved independently, the spread of a 9-hole score would be about 70% of an 18-hole spread, not 50%. Read the range as a guide. A 15 handicap who shoots 50 on a nine hasn’t had an unusual day.
The table also assumes par 36. Plenty of nines are par 35 or 37, so move the typical score by the same stroke.
What counts as a good nine for your handicap
A good nine is one in the bottom third of your range, below your typical score. Halving the 18-hole bands from the scoring average post, a 15 handicap reads it like this:
- Excellent nine: 42.5–43.5, near par plus half the handicap
- Good nine: 44–45, below your average
- Average nine: 45.5–46, where you usually land
- Off nine: 47.5 or more, usually a blow-up hole or two
Shooting your typical number isn’t a bad nine. It’s what the handicap says you’ll do most of the time. If one nine is often much worse than the other, our post on back nine collapses shows how to find the pattern in your rounds.
Under the World Handicap System, a 9-hole round counts toward your index: the system converts it into an 18-hole score differential. Our guide to how to calculate your golf handicap covers the steps.
The full 9-hole stat profile by handicap
The score is one line. Here is what a typical nine looks like at each level. Percentages are the same over 9 or 18 holes. Counts are half the per-round figure.
| Handicap | 9-hole score | GIR (greens of 9) | Fairways (of 7) | Putts | Up and down | Penalties |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch (0) | 37–38 | 62% (5.6) | 50% (3.5) | 15.3 | 54% | 0.28 |
| 5 | 39.5–40.5 | 46% (4.1) | 51% (3.6) | 15.8 | 47% | 0.46 |
| 10 | 42–43.5 | 35% (3.2) | 50% (3.5) | 16.3 | 39% | 0.81 |
| 15 | 45–46 | 23% (2.1) | 47% (3.3) | 16.8 | 34% | 1.23 |
| 20 | 47.5–49 | 16% (1.4) | 45% (3.2) | 17.3 | 31% | 1.52 |
| 25 | 50–51.5 | 9% (0.8) | 50% (3.5) | 17.8 | 25% | 2.34 |
| 30 | 52.5–54 | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a | n/a |
And the strokes gained per nine, against a PGA Tour baseline:
| Handicap | SG off the tee | SG approach | SG around the green | SG putting | SG total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch (0) | -0.4 | -0.75 | -0.25 | -0.2 | -1.6 |
| 5 | -0.7 | -1.5 | -0.5 | -0.4 | -3.1 |
| 10 | -1.0 | -2.25 | -0.75 | -0.6 | -4.6 |
| 15 | -1.35 | -3.0 | -1.0 | -0.75 | -6.1 |
| 20 | -1.7 | -3.75 | -1.25 | -0.9 | -7.6 |
| 25 | -2.1 | -4.5 | -1.5 | -1.1 | -9.2 |
| 30 | -2.5 | -5.25 | -1.75 | -1.25 | -10.75 |
Sources by column:
- GIR: our greens in regulation by handicap table, from Shot Scope’s amateur data. Greens of 9 is the percentage times nine.
- Fairways: our fairways hit by handicap table. A par-36 nine has seven par 4s and 5s, so the count is half the 14-fairway figure.
- Putts: half of our putting average by handicap, which stops at 25.
- Up and down: inside 50 yards, from our scrambling percentage by handicap table.
- Penalties: half of the Shot Scope per-round figures in penalty strokes per round by handicap.
- Strokes gained: half of the per-round strokes gained benchmarks for every handicap, from Mark Broadie’s research.
The 30 row only has strokes gained because the traditional-stat sources stop at 25. We didn’t extend the curve.
What the 9-hole numbers show
Approach is the biggest gap at every level, over nine holes too. A 15 handicap loses 3.0 strokes to a tour player on approach shots in a single nine, more than off the tee and around the green combined (2.35).
Putting barely separates handicaps. From scratch to 20, putts per nine rise by 2 (15.3 to 17.3) and strokes gained putting per nine drops by 0.7. Over the same range, the typical nine rises by about 11 strokes.
Greens are where the nine gets decided. A scratch golfer hits between 5 and 6 greens in a nine. A 15 handicap hits about 2, and a 25 handicap fewer than 1. Missed greens mean more chips and more chances for a double, which is why up and down falls from 54% to 25% over the same range.
To see what a single shot is worth from a given spot, try the strokes gained calculator. For the 18-hole version of any row, see what a scratch golfer, 5 handicap, 10 handicap, 15 handicap, 20 handicap, 25 handicap or 30 handicap shoots, or check whether 90 is a good golf score.
Your 9-hole scores against your handicap
The table describes a typical golfer at each level, over a typical nine. Your two nines might not look alike. A 15 handicap can shoot 44 on the front and 48 on the back, and the stats behind those two numbers rarely match.
Log 3 rounds and golfity shows your numbers against your handicap.
