9 or 18 ?

[Rob Person]

Lately, and maybe it's due to the summer heat, but I've found myself gravitating towards only playing 9 holes. It allows me to get out and play, enjoy the game, but still leaves me energy and time to finish up other stuff too. Especially after a day working at the course. With 18 holes, I have to plan on 6 or 7 hours ou of the day to set aside. 30 minutes to load and prepare, 30 minutes to get there, 20 minutes warm up, 4 hours for the round, 15 minutes to cool down and recap, (if solo) 30 minutes home, 30 -45 minutes to unload and clean up.

I'm not sure how to track it as far as handicap goes either,  if I can at all.

Do you have a preference? 

 

[Rob Person]

Also to add, that if I travel to play, or have a group I've scheduled to play with, I will do 18, or more, if possible!

[David Leighton Reid]

The only time I play 9 rather than 18 is for league play.  

[TJ Hall]

They just updated how 9 holes are handled, so you can still input scores for 9 hole rounds.

I will take either 9 or 18 when I can get out there, just enjoy playing a round!  

[KC Golf]

Any golf is golf… so if I can only squeeze in 9 that’s definitely fine to me!

[russtopherb]

I love my weekly 9 hole rounds after work. Lets me get my fix in and still have plenty of time to get things done.

That said, I do love playing 18 when I can which is usually 2-3x per month. But I am fine with 9.

[cnosil]

Largely depends on how much time i have available.  Normal weekly round is 18; league is 9, a quick after work round will be 9.   

[tony@CIC]

Definitely 18 - but I'm retired so I don't have to worry about squeezing it between family activities or work. 

[Shapotomous]

I will play 9 if its too crowded and slow.  If play is moving along at a 4 hr pace then i will play 18.  

[TSauer]

1 hour ago, russtopherb said:

I love my weekly 9 hole rounds after work. Lets me get my fix in and still have plenty of time to get things done.

That said, I do love playing 18 when I can which is usually 2-3x per month. But I am fine with 9.

This is exactly how I feel. A quick 9 after work or maybe on the weekends when you have other things planned for the day is nice.

If I'm traveling for golf, I always prefer 18.

[RetiredBoomer]

If golf were invented in America, I believe it would have been a nine hole game.

Four or five hours is a lot of time to be away for one thing.
Also, there are nine innings in a baseball game.

Still, we have riding carts now,
so on a good back day,
I'm game for thirty-six.

 

[PrismFlopper]

Prefer 18 but I’m finding that with course play running slow that it’s already taking 2+ hrs to play 9 holes and just don’t have the free time to play a 5+ hr 18 holes. If we can get back to 4 hrs to play 18 then I could squeeze it in but it’s just taking all day at this point to play 18

[barney_bogey]

I've always held that 12 holes would be perfect... But yeah I'll take 18 if I have the time.

Cheers
B

[Stuka44]

I will only play 18 if at all possible.  Mainly because of this.  And its mostly a principle thing.   With or without a cart, I have found that almost every course around me you are paying 60-75 percent of the cost of 18 for only playing 9 holes.   If 9 holes with or without a cart, would cost me 50% of playing 18, I would play more 9 hole rounds.  I'm not going to spend $30 to play 9 with a cart, when 18 with a cart is $40.   Walking is the same.  If walking 18 is $24, then walking 9 should cost me $12, not 18$.

[Eltrain41]

100% prefer a full round of 18 holes as I'm trying to break a certain number. Lately I have been doing 9 hole's at my local course just to get out on a weekday afternoon. With 2 kids under 10 years old I'll take what I can get so I've accepted that. Still play 2-3x full rounds per month so 9 isn't bad here and there. You can post the round and it counts as well, another reason I'm good with it. It's practice and getting out, beats the office! So instead of trying to break 80 for those rounds I'll try to snap 40. 

[sirchunksalot]

I'm generally good with either. If I'm playing after work I technically have time for 18 if I'm playing at my local track, but I have to really get on it if I want to make sure I can get ready for work the next day. In that situation, I'll usually play 9. Weekends or days off where I'm playing with friends, I love getting a full round in. 

[Tom the Golf Nut]

I play a full 18 about 98% of the time. The other 2% is due to either rain coming or it gets to be around 100*. I get out early but sometimes in July/ August it can get hot earlier in the day. It’s also humid in my area so it’s all about how much I can take. 

[Rob Person]

Thanks for the info in counting the 9 holes towards my hcp.

It's not that I don't want to play 18 (or more!) But time constraints are a real dilemma for me as of late.

Today was a good example. Got off gc duties at 230, at 245 I was teeing off. 415 I was off the course, home by 5, had put everything away and had dinner ready by 615 when the lady boss walked in the door.

My off duty days from my real job I have to micro manage the time to accomplish what needs to be done, so without a pre planned day ahead of time for a full round, I have to settle for 9 when I can. 

[Dead Solid Bogey]

99.9 % of rounds are 18 holes… Surprisingly; more and more only 7-10 of the holes actually look like golf.. NOT sure what the sport is, that the  others holes are representing…

[Preeway]

23 hours ago, Rob Person said:

Also to add, that if I travel to play, or have a group I've scheduled to play with, I will do 18, or more, if possible!

I’m the same way. I really dislike only playing 9 but I’ll take any chance I can get to get on the course. 9 holes just feels like practice rather than playing. 

[Preeway]

23 hours ago, David Leighton Reid said:

The only time I play 9 rather than 18 is for league play.  

I’m the same way. I just don’t enjoy playing 9 holes. Feels more like practice than playing. That said, any chance to get on the course is better than time at work. 

[taylorjonasher]

I prefer 18, but usually only have time for 9, especially if you ask my wife. I like to get out on Sunday morning and snag the first tee time and walk 9 holes by myself; it's my zen time before church. If I play 18, it's usually during the week and related to work. 

[edingc]

Last couple of seasons it's been running closer to a 2:1 9-to-18 hole ratio. I can squeeze 9 in before work from May-August so I take advantage of that as often as I can. But I do take some vacation time two days a week to fit in 18, and I usually try to fit in 18 on Sundays as well.

Edited June 12 by edingc

[BallsLeon]

9 is good, 18 is better

[RohanVster]

I just see it like this...playing 9 hole is better than not playing at all...but when I can I opt for 18 holes.

[Philpug]

19 hours ago, barney_bogey said:

I've always held that 12 holes would be perfect... But yeah I'll take 18 if I have the time.

Cheers
B
 

Yes, 9 is not enough and sometimes 18 is too much ... 12 .. or 14 would be ideal ... and help my scores!

[goaliedad30]

I'm super fortunate that I'm a member of a private club, live in the golf course community, and have my own cart I can drive to the course (VERY hilly, so although I love to walk, these days at age 61 it's mostly riding).

I can go early and play 18 quickly, play with the regular games, head out late in the day for a quick 9 holes, or even on Mondays when we're closed, head out in the afternoon and play a few holes. Many Mondays, I'll start on 11 (closest hole to our house), play through 18, back down 10, then play 11 & 12 again, returning home after my 11-hole loop!

I love finding ways to fit golf into other things that are going on ... keeps it fun!

[Rob Person]

10 minutes ago, Philpug said:

Yes, 9 is not enough and sometimes 18 is too much ... 12 .. or 14 would be ideal ... and help my scores!

So 9, but with bonus holes!!!

[russtopherb]

I'd be curious to know the demographic breakdown of posters who don't like 9 vs those who do. As someone who started golf when my kids were a lot younger, I learned to embrace 9 holes and enjoy playing them due to time constraints. Even though the kids are older now and I don't have to be "dad taxi" I find that I still enjoy 9 and have no problem with that round if it's available to me.

[Hacker60521]

I’m indifferent as to 9 or 18. But I also know that my mental game starts to wander around the 14th or 15th hole. Like @barney_bogey and @Philpug 14-16 holes would be fine with me. To @RetiredBoomer point, I’m not sure if 18 holes would be the norm if golf was invented more recently. Plus as I understand the history of 18 holes, St Andrew’s was originally 12 holes but a round was 22 holes since it was “12 holes out and then 10 holes back in”