Back Nine Score
A back nine score is the total number of strokes a golfer takes on holes 10 through 18, the second half of an 18-hole round. On the scorecard, it appears as the “IN” total.
What is a back nine score?
The back nine is the second set of nine holes on a standard course, holes 10 through 18. A player’s back nine score is the total strokes taken across them. That number, added to the front nine, gives the score for the full 18-hole round, which is why every scorecard leaves a box for each half.
Golfers keep the two nines separate because the scorecard is built that way. A player who takes 40 strokes over the first nine and 38 over the second has a front nine score of 40, a back nine score of 38, and a round of 78. The back nine total is one of the two numbers that make up every 18-hole score.
There is a small distinction worth keeping straight: the back nine is the section of the course, and the back nine score is the number a golfer posts on it. When someone says their back nine “was a 38,” they mean the stroke total for holes 10 through 18, not anything about the holes themselves.
How a back nine score shows up on the scorecard
Almost every scorecard splits the row of holes into two blocks of nine, each with its own total box. The front nine total is labelled “OUT” and the back nine total is labelled “IN.” Add OUT and IN together and the card gives the 18-hole figure in the “TOTAL” column.
The labels come from early Scottish links courses, where the first nine holes ran out from the clubhouse and the second nine came back in. The front nine became the outward nine, and the back nine became the inward nine, shortened on the card to “out” and “in.” Most modern courses no longer use that strict routing, but the wording stuck.
This is also why commentators talk about a player “coming home.” A broadcaster who says a golfer “went out in 38 and came home in 34” is reading the front nine and back nine scores straight off the card, for a total of 72.
Front nine vs back nine scores
Many golfers assume their back nine is where a good round falls apart. The numbers tell a different story. Data compiled by Shot Scope and reported by Golf Insider shows that, averaged across handicap levels, amateurs actually score slightly better on the back nine than the front nine.
| Handicap | Front nine (to par) | Back nine (to par) |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | +0.9 | +1.1 |
| 5 | +4.1 | +3.9 |
| 10 | +6.6 | +6.4 |
| 15 | +9.2 | +9.2 |
| 20 | +11.7 | +11.4 |
| 25 | +15.1 | +14.8 |
Average score to par by handicap, via Shot Scope (Golf Insider).
The gap is small, and it grows a little wider for higher handicappers. Golf Insider attributes the pattern mostly to warm-up: many players start cold and drop early shots on the front nine, then settle once they find a rhythm. The reason the opposite feels true is memory. A round that starts well and collapses late stings more than one that recovers, so back-nine blow-ups stick in the mind while back-nine rescues fade.
What counts as a good back nine score?
A nine on a par-72 course is usually a par of 35 or 36, so “good” is measured against that. A scratch golfer plays each nine at roughly level par, right around 35 to 37. The Shot Scope figures above put a 10-handicap near 42 or 43 on the back nine, and a 20-handicap closer to 47.
For newer players, the bar is different. Vessel Golf reports that the average adult male shoots in the mid-40s for nine holes, women tend to score higher, and only about 2% of golfers break 40 on a nine. A beginner who posts the low-to-mid 40s on the back nine is doing well, and breaking 50 for a nine is a genuine milestone.
At the top of the game, the ceiling is remarkable. The best back nine ever shot on the PGA Tour is a 27, eight under par, a mark more than a dozen players have reached since Mike Souchak first did it at the 1955 Texas Open, according to Golf Compendium. The lowest single nine of any kind belongs to Corey Pavin, whose 26 on the front nine at the 2006 U.S. Bank Championship still stands, as Golf Monthly notes.
Related Golf Terms
- Front nine score — The total strokes taken on holes one through nine.
- Course record — The lowest score ever shot on a particular course.
- Total score — The combined number of strokes for an entire round.
- Net birdie — A score of birdie after applying handicap strokes on a hole.
- Personal best — A golfer’s lowest score ever recorded.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is a back nine score always holes 10 to 18?
On the course, yes. In a shotgun-start event where a golfer begins on the 10th tee, their personal second nine is holes 1 through 9, so their “back nine” that day differs from the course’s official back nine.
What does “IN” mean on a scorecard?
“IN” is the back nine total, the strokes for holes 10 through 18. It comes from “inward nine,” the old term for the second half of a links course that looped back toward the clubhouse.
Is a back nine score usually higher than the front nine?
Not on average. Shot Scope data shows amateurs post marginally lower back nine scores across most handicap brackets, largely because they are warmed up by the second half.
What is the lowest back nine score on the PGA Tour?
A 27, eight under par. Several players have matched it, starting with Mike Souchak in 1955. Corey Pavin holds the overall nine-hole record with a 26, set on the front nine in 2006.
Sources
- Golf Insider UK. “Front 9 vs Back 9 Scoring Performance” (Shot Scope handicap data). Accessed August 2026.
https://golfinsideruk.com/front-9-vs-back-9-scoring/ - Golf Compendium. “The ‘Back Nine’ of a Golf Course” and “9-Hole Scoring Record on PGA Tour.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2022/10/back-nine-golf-course.html
https://www.golfcompendium.com/2023/08/9-hole-scoring-record-pga-tour.html - GolfSpan. “Average Golf Score For 9 Holes.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfspan.com/tips-and-guides/average-golf-score-for-9-holes - Vessel Golf. “What Is a Good Golf Score for 9 Holes.” Accessed August 2026.
https://vesselgolf.com/blogs/golf/good-golf-score-for-9-holes - Golf Monthly. “What Is The Lowest Ever Score In Golf?” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.golfmonthly.com/features/what-is-the-lowest-ever-score-in-golf - Dictionary.com. “Back Nine, Definition & Meaning.” Accessed August 2026.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/back-nine
