Which nine do you play better?

[Sante TwoGloves]

I only play nine holes at a time. seems a lot of people here are playing 18 more. yes? Who else only play nine and where is our Breaking 45 thread? :-) Do you think playing 9 at a time can give you an accurate handicap for 18? With fatigue or loss of focus on the back. Or maybe it works the other way, you're are warmed up and more into it down the stretch. I guess it will change from round to round and course to course of course. Overall though I was wondering which 9 do you normally play better?

[Natural Patrick]

I play the 9 that I don't have to wait on slow play better.

[Patch]

I usually play the back nine better.  All my golf stuff is working pretty good by the 4th hole.

Actually now that I think about it, I like to break down a course into thirds. I usually play the middle 6 holes better than the first, and last 6.

I also know some golfers who break a course into 6, three hole sequences. Their reasoning is that after each 3rd hole, they are starting a new three hole series. This would work well if a stretch of three holes were played poorly.

[Jeremie Boop]

I play the 9 that I don't have to wait on slow play better.

This, and/or the middle of the round somewhere. Somewhere on the front or back I'll have a blow up hole typically. It tends to be 1 per nine that keeps my handicap as high as it is by a few strokes.

[plum]

typically the back nine but not today.

[Fourputt]

Impossible to say.  Different courses play differently.  My former home course the back 9 was more than 200 yards longer than the from, but plays to the same par.  My current home course is just the opposite.  Other courses I play have 27 holes and you never know in what order you're going to play them.

[RandallT]

This year, I've started well (first few holes), then played a terrible stretch of about 9 holes, then finished well. It drives me nuts.

What would cause me to forget how to swing properly mid-round, after hitting nicely for several holes in a row? Each round, I eventually relax and put things back together. Then I leave thinking that I wish I could have the middle of the round back to try over again.

I don't recall other years being like this, so I'm hoping it's just a fluke of this year. I've only recorded 7 scores, but played maybe 10 times all year.

[blackizzz]

I usually have a dip in the middle. (hole 10-12) No matter the course. Probable cause: lack of energy (food/drink) as I always start eating and drinking late into the rounds. Maybe should change that haha

Otherwise I usually play the front 9 better on my home course. And the back nine on other courses for some reason :/

[bubble]

Really depends on the course. I have 4 often played courses (including home course).

Very obviously (apart one that is balanced) some are way more difficult on the front or back nine.

Nevertheless for certain players and game type a contrary opinion to mine exists.

[DrvFrShow]

The flatter nine which is usually the front nine. It's because I'm usually freshest on that nine. I think I'll see if I can start on 10 and finish on 9 if I'm walking.

[Yukari]

Depends on the course and how I am playing that day.

But if I had to guess, generally I play the back nine a little better than the front nine.

[Dave2512]

Score is just part of it. I look at score relative to whatever the rating is for that side. At the course I play most it's a 2.4 stroke swing from front to back. The back being rated lower I expect to score better. While a sub 40 score on that side might look good on the card if it's just under it's not all that great. If I don't keep it under 41 on the front I have to shoot just over par on the back to yield a differential around 10. Anything over 10 and I didn't enjoy my day on the course. And it's mis-rated IMO with 3 par 3's on the "easy" side it's not hard to pile up strokes.

[No Mulligans]

I often play only 9.

When I play 18, eliminating course variation in difficultly, I'm like @Patch " I usually play the middle 6 holes better than the first, and last 6."

[PJCdude]

I usually don't drink on the front, but do on the back. Here's my recent findings:

If I'm playing decent on the front (48-52) usually 1 or 2 beers loosens me up and I play great on the back.

If I'm playing bad on the front I usually drink more, go on tilt and my score suffers.

I think my avg score on the front is better but I've found myself playing GREAT more often on the back than the front

[Psyber]

Pretty much always the back. Haven't been playing long and it takes me the first nine to really get my swing synced up.