Front Nine
The front nine in golf is the first nine holes of an 18-hole golf course, holes 1 through 9. It is also known as the outward nine, front side, or first nine.
What is a front nine in golf?
Every standard 18-hole round of golf splits into two halves. The front nine covers holes 1 through 9, and the back nine covers holes 10 through 18. Together, they make up a full round.
The term only applies to 18-hole courses. A nine-hole course does not have a “front nine” because there is no second nine to contrast it with. The term exists to divide an 18-hole layout into two halves that golfers can score and play in stages.
Most golfers think of a round in those two halves, and the scorecard is built the same way. There is a row for the front nine, a column to total it, then a separate row and total for the back nine, and finally a grand total. After hole 9, golfers commonly take a short break before starting hole 10, a transition known as “the turn.”
Why it’s called the front nine
The terminology comes from the early days of links golf in Scotland, where courses were laid out in a long, narrow strip rather than a loop. Players walked nine holes “out” away from the clubhouse, then turned and played nine holes “in” back toward it. That is the origin of “outward nine” and “inward nine,” which became “front nine” and “back nine” in everyday speech.
The 18-hole standard itself traces to the Old Course at St Andrews. According to St Andrews Links and historical records of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, members in 1764 combined several short holes into longer ones, leaving the course with 18 holes. Other courses followed suit, and 18 became the global standard.
Most modern courses no longer use a literal out-and-back design. Many loop back to the clubhouse twice, once after the 9th hole and again after the 18th. The terms have stuck regardless of the layout.
Front nine vs. back nine
The two nines are mirror halves of an 18-hole round, but each has its own labels and conventions. The table below sums up the differences.
| Feature | Front nine | Back nine |
| Holes | 1–9 | 10–18 |
| Other names | Outward nine, front side, first nine | Inward nine, back side, second nine, homeward nine |
| Scorecard column | Out | In |
| Historical direction | Away from the clubhouse | Back toward the clubhouse |
| Typical par | 35 or 36 | 35 or 36 |
On most regulation courses, the par for each nine is the same or nearly the same, and the two halves combine for a full-round par of 70, 71, or 72. Difficulty is rarely identical, though. Course architects often vary the rhythm so one half plays gentler and the other tougher, but which is which depends on the design.
The front nine on a scorecard
Pick up almost any golf scorecard, and the front nine is labelled “Out.” The back nine is labelled “In.” These labels follow the historical out-and-back logic: holes going out from the clubhouse, holes coming in toward it.
The scorecard records each hole’s score in its own box, then sums the first nine into the “Out” total. The back-nine boxes total into the “In” column, and the two combine into the round total. A golfer might say, “I shot 41 out, 39 in, for an 80.” The same line could just as easily replace “out” and “in” with “front nine” and “back nine”; the terms are interchangeable.
When the front nine isn’t holes 1–9
There is one wrinkle worth knowing about. In some tournaments and busy public rounds, golfers do not start on hole 1. Two formats cause this:
Shotgun starts send every group out at the same time, with each group teeing off on a different hole. A group starting on hole 14 plays 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 1, 2, 3, 4, then 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13.
Split tees have half the field start on hole 1 and the other half on hole 10. A group starting on 10 plays the course’s back nine first, then the course’s front nine.
In both cases, the golfer’s “front nine of the round” (the first nine holes they personally play) can differ from the course’s labelled front nine. Television commentators and most casual conversation, though, almost always use “front nine” to mean the course’s holes 1–9. When a broadcaster says, “Birdies on the front nine,” they mean those numbered holes, regardless of where any individual player started.
Related Golf Terms
- Back nine — Holes 10 through 18 of an 18-hole golf course.
- Fried egg — A ball buried in a bunker with sand splashed around it like a fried egg.
- Frog hair — The short grass just off the edge of the green (the fringe).
- Free drop — A drop without penalty, taken from conditions like GUR or immovable obstructions.
- Fringe — The strip of grass between the green and the fairway or rough.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the front nine always easier than the back nine?
Not necessarily. Architects design courses with different rhythms. Some build a tougher front nine to test players early; others save the dramatic finishing holes for the back. Augusta National, for example, is famous for its closing stretch, but plenty of courses play harder on the way out.
Does a 9-hole course have a front nine?
No. The term only applies to 18-hole courses. A nine-hole course is just a nine-hole course. If the same nine holes are played twice for an 18-hole round, the second loop is sometimes informally called the “back nine,” but the holes themselves are not formally divided.
Are the front nine and outward nine the same thing?
Yes. They refer to the same nine holes. “Outward nine” is the older Scottish term, “front nine” is the more common modern American term, and “first nine” or “front side” are also used.
What does “making the turn” mean?
“Making the turn” means moving from the front nine to the back nine after finishing hole 9. Many courses route the 9th green back near the clubhouse, where golfers can stop for a snack or drink before heading to the 10th tee.
What is the typical par for the front nine?
Usually 35 or 36, depending on how the par 3s, par 4s, and par 5s are distributed. The exact number varies by course.
Sources
- St Andrews Links Trust. “History of the Old Course.”
- The R&A. “About The R&A and the Rules of Golf.”
- Golf Compendium. “The ‘Front Nine’ of a Golf Course.” 2022.
- Golf Compendium. “What Is ‘the Turn’ on a Golf Course?” 2020.
- Golf Digest. “Which Nine Was That?” Bob Verdi.
- Merriam-Webster. “Front nine.”
- USGA. “Rules of Golf.”
