Front Nine

What does Front Nine mean in Golf?

First half of an 18-hole golf course, referred to as ‘Front Nine’

When you’re out on an 18-hole golf course, you’ll often hear the term ‘Front Nine’. This slang is used to describe the first half of the course, or holes 1 through 9. It’s like the opening act of the golf game, setting the stage for what’s to come in the second half.

The ‘Front Nine’ is followed by the ‘Back Nine’, which covers holes 10 through 18. Together, they form the complete 18-hole golf course. This division becomes particularly handy during broadcasts, where scores are often displayed for the front and back halves separately.

Another way to think about the ‘Front Nine’ is as the journey ‘heading out’ from the clubhouse. It’s the first leg of the golfing adventure. However, this term is specifically for 18-hole courses. If you’re playing on a 9-hole course, you wouldn’t usually use the phrase ‘Front Nine’.

Example for using ‘Front Nine’ in a conversation

Hey, I heard you went golfing today!

Yeah, it was so much fun! I played the front nine.

Nice! How did you do?

I did pretty well on the front nine, but struggled a bit on the back nine.