Front 9 handicap vs. Back 9 handicap

[bunkerputt]

Has anyone kept track of whether your 9-hole handicap is higher on the front or back nine? I'm convinced-by-feeling that I shoot better on the back 9. Of course I don't have any data to support this claim, as I almost always play 9 holes. I get in about 2, 18-hole rounds per year.... I know... don't ask.

[Motley01]

Very interesting. I know I always play the back 9 better, it takes me 9 hole to warm up! LMAO

[pxc]

In my limited number of rounds, I have played a lot better on the back 9 on my "home" course than the front 9. That might just mean the back 9 is easier though, who knows.

[iacas]

Any course that has ratings (course, slope) should also readily have the front-nine and back-nine ratings as well.

Whispering Woods is 35.7/35.6, but the slope is 138 and 144 (141 for 18)
Lake View is 36.4/35.9 (72.3 total), both 136 slope (so 136 for the 18 too)

Just pointing out that some courses quite literally have a more difficult back nine or front nine, and it might not necessarily be about "getting warmed up" or "getting tired" or whatever.

[Yukari]

Some days my front 9 is better, other days my back 9 is better. I don't really have any particular pattern. Except that when I am tired (i.e., partying too much the night before ), I play worse on the back 9 due to fatigue setting in.

[bunkerputt]

Any course that has ratings (course, slope) should also readily have the front-nine and back-nine ratings as well.

That's a good point. If you kept your back 9 with the 9-hole rating, though, wouldn't it show a lower differential (or higher) if you were actually playing better? It seems like the issue of performance difference is already accounted for by comparing the two handicaps (though not by score, as you would score higher on a more difficult rated 9 on average.)

[iacas]

That's a good point. If you kept your back 9 with the 9-hole rating, though, wouldn't it show a lower differential (or higher) if you were actually playing better? It seems like the issue of performance difference is already accounted for by comparing the two handicaps (though not by score, as you would score higher on a more difficult rated 9 on average.)

Your back nine could be lower, higher, or the same depending on the ratings and how you score.

I'm just trying to point out for people that if they always shoot better on one side or the other, it might literally be the course that's adding the strokes and not necessarily "fatigue" or "getting warmed up" or whatever. Par isn't the truest measure of difficulty, but that tends to be how people score things (and 99% of the time, it's probably fine). But yes, if you kept separate differentials, that'd be a better indicator of whether you ACTUALLY scored worse on the back nine or the front nine. You could shoot 41 on the back and 40 on the front but technically have had a "worse" front nine if the front is substantially easier.

[meenman]

At my home course the front rating is 36.0/133 and the back is rated 35.6/135.

I always shoot much better on the front than the back. (usually 6-8 strokes difference)

However, the front is not always my front 9 - our course does double tee times on the weekends to squeeze in more pre-9:30 am golfers.

The 2 par 3s on the back 9 are generally the holes that do me in.

[Prairie Golfer]

at my home course the front is 34.5/ 118 and the back is 35.0/ 122

However, I shoot about a stroke and a half better on the back.

[ArrrrJay]

Although my home courses front 9 is longer than the back, I always score 5 strokes better on it. The back 9 seems to penalize a poor tee shot or approach more than the front.

[sp33d]

You know, I have never thought about it really. But I'm never 1 or 2 strokes ahead or behind on either, I play 4 courses on a regular basis and its typically always the same from course to course from back to front.

[bunkerputt]

You know, I have never thought about it really. But I'm never 1 or 2 strokes ahead or behind on either, I play 4 courses on a regular basis and its typically always the same from course to course from back to front.

I would expect the better the golfer, the more consistent score front vs. back. For me, I'm like two different golfers. The most recent example is a front 9 +13 and a back 9 +2. I just got into a great rhythm on the back after taking a few minutes break to wolf down a Snickers bar and get some water at the turn. I know for sure that I swung more freely, mainly because I knew there's no way I'd going low for the day after barely breaking 50 on the front. I put so much pressure on myself on the front to start off strong. I think the front was slightly more difficult, but definitely not 11 strokes more difficult. Some of that was warm-up, but most of it was rhythm. My shoulders were stiff at the start and I had some trouble maintaining good extension through impact. Once they got loose, that helped quite a bit. Definitely not 11 strokes, though.

[dmband8985]

i usually play the front better. i think its a stamina thing...i just get lazy and drop my shoulders or don't use my legs properly on the back. it's more of an issue if i'm walking cause most of the courses nearby are pretty long

[Leftygolfer]

There are few courses I play were one side is so much more difficult. But I don't play better on either or. I usually have one terrible 9 on good 9. I flip flop which will be which. This is my golf now. I shoot a 40-47 or a 47-41 or a 42-47. It is really frustrating and this real job gets in the way of me playing enough to be consistant.