When playing 9-hole rounds of golf, obtaining and allocating strokes for your round is a little different to 18-hole rounds. This month we recap your 9-hole Course Handicap and run you through the entire process.
Nine-hole rounds
Nine-hole rounds of golf are becoming increasingly popular in South Africa and globally, either due to time constraints faced by golfers or personal preference. With almost 10 percent of all scores submitted to the HNA system being 9-hole rounds, this has clearly become an important part of players’ handicap calculations.
What’s important to remember is that, on the majority of golf courses, one nine plays harder than the other nine. On some courses, there can even be quite a significant difference in the degree of difficulty, which is reflected in the Course- and Slope Ratings. This means that a player who plays nine holes could have a different Course Handicap depending on which nine he or she chooses to play.
Example: At Kloof Country Club, the par-70 course in KwaZulu-Natal, the Yellow Course for Men has a CR/SR of 34.3/123 and 36.0/124 for the back nine, with an overall rating of 70.3/124. So the 18-hole Course Rating is 70.3/124, but it is different by 1.7 shots between each nine.
Obtaining your 9-hole Course Handicap
You can look up your 9-hole Course Handicap in the same way that you would look up your Course Handicap for an 18-hole round – on the HNA App, website or terminals.
You will find that your Course Handicap for nine holes is much lower than for 18 holes. This is because the nine-hole Course Handicap is actually an indication of how many strokes you receive for the nine holes to be played.
You then need to allocate these strokes according to your 9-Hole Course Handicap. For example, if you have a 9-hole CH of 5, then you would stroke on the lowest five strokes (ie. 1, 3, 5, 7 & 9, or if you are playing the other nine, 2, 4, 6, 8 &10) and allow yourself a single stroke on each of those holes.
If you have a CH that’s higher than 9 – say, 11 – then you will double stroke on the two holes with the lowest strokes (ie. 1 & 3 or 2 & 4) and receive a single stroke on each of the other holes. If you have a CH that’s higher than 18 – say, 20 – then you’ll triple stroke the two holes with the lowest strokes (ie. 1 & 3 or 2 & 4) and receive two strokes on each of the other holes.
What to do when playing nine holes
If you are playing nine holes, you first need to look up your 9-hole Course Handicap. Then, apply the number of strokes you have been given to the nine holes you will be playing.
When you have finished your round, all you need to do is enter your Adjusted Gross Score for the nine holes (adjusted for the maximum score of Net Double Bogey allowed on any hole) into the system.
Your 9-hole Adjusted Gross Score will automatically be converted into an 18-hole score (and thereafter a differential) by adding par for the nine played, plus your handicap strokes for the nine, plus one additional stroke. Fifty percent of the playing conditions calculation (PCC) for the day is also applied.
If you are not sure about how to enter your score, simply enter your hole-by-hole scores on the App, terminal or HNA website and the system will automatically adjust your scores for the maximum allowed on a hole, according to your Course Handicap, and enter your Adjusted Gross Score for you.
Your Vitality points for playing golf are waiting for you …
As a member of Handicaps Network Africa, we know you have game. But did you know you can get rewarded with Vitality at the same time?
That’s right! Join Vitality FREE for 3 months, and you can earn 100 Vitality points a day for each 9- or 18-hole round of golf you play. Plus, ace your exercise goals and get rewarded with coffees, smoothies, shopping rewards, entertainment and more.
Join Vitality to activate the Handicap Network Africa benefit, ace your game and get rewarded.
Already a Vitality member? You can earn 100 Vitality points per day and up to a maximum of 30 000 Vitality fitness points a year playing golf. Only rounds entered on the HNA system will earn Vitality points.
Learn how to activate your points profile here.
Live life with Vitality.
Quote of the Month
“If profanity had an influence on the flight of the ball, the game of golf would be played far better than it is.” – Horace G Hutchinson.