We've launched the new forums! Read more here

A tale of two nines

I don't have the stats to confirm, but I typically play the back 9 better these days at my home course. I think it's partially because it's a bit easier as the front 9 has 3 holes that dogleg right-to-left, two of which are typically into a south wind. None of the holes on the back move right-to-left, only left-to-right which sets up better for the slight fade I tend to hit off the tee. But I also tend to play a bit more relaxed and/or carefree on the back. Either I played well on the front and I feel confident I can keep it going so I don't stress over it and just go with the flow. Or, I played horrible on the front and just don't even care what I shoot on the back. In fact, 3 of my best 9 hole totals (a -4 and 2 -3s) came after +6 and +7 front nines.
 
Nearly always play front nine better than back, for me it is clearly a conditioning issue as I am pretty wore out on the final three holes (we have some tough to walk courses).

I play a nine hole course occasionally and think I might dig through my score cards and see how the first and second nines compare when I have played 18, which I rarely do so may not have enough scores to really be meaningful.
 
I had one of those days today, 36 44. Probably because of fatigue. Walking, very wet, very warm and humid, old legs, all add up to fatigue.
 
Tale of the two nines

Tale of the two nines

I've seen it posted quite often here, that people are hot on one side and not so hot on the other. I have experienced that same thing many time myself. So I tried to figure out how come? Is it that my mental game isn't strong enough to carry me through if its a poor back nine. Did I not warm up enough if the front nine was substandard? Is it that a course may have a tougher side than the other? What are your thoughts? And how do you minimized the effects of the dreaded tale of two nines?
 
Usually for me, the front nine is the worst as I usually do not put enough time into an adequate warm up session. For example, in the THP group this past weekend in DFW my front 9 was the worst for me out of all 4 nines that we played. I'd say I shoot better on the back than the front 75-85% of the time.

When I have 45 minutes to get loose and comfortable, I usually have a smaller variance between the nines. However, in hot, humid weather, fatigue becomes a factor. It's a fine line for sure.
 
Sorry I did a search of the tale of two nines before starting a thread...My bad! Should have looked a little deeper and a broader search first
 
Haha I was thinking of this thread while I was playing today. 45 front 39 back.
 
Last 20 rounds for me:
0,-14(!),+3,-9,+2,-1,-13(!),-2,-3,-6,-6,-2,+11(!),-8,+3,-3,+1,-5,+6,0

I'm averaging about 2.5 shots better on the back nine than on the front nine. All but one of these rounds was at the same 9-hole course. I've often felt like I play the second nine better than the first nine, which seems odd to me because:
1) it's the same 9 holes
2) I start to feel some fatigue set in after 13 or 14 holes played
3) I can discern no improvement in putting on the back 9 vs the front 9, even though I'm more likely to have a feel for green speed on the second nine (I think I just get more confused the more I have to put the crazy sloped greens at this course).

If I had to pin down a culprit, it has to be first tee jitters - I rarely shoot better than double bogey on the first hole, and frequently putting a snowman on the scorecard. But I if play this hole well, it's very well, so.....who knows for sure!?!?
 
I am exactly the same Mike. I shot 45, 37 at the outing. Some of that was just nerves but it's pretty typical of my game. One thing I've noticed is I usually play worse on the first few holes and putt worse on the front side. It always takes me a while to get a feel for the greens even when I've practiced before the round. I have a bad back too so it sometimes takes a while to get loosened up. I don't hit the range much because I feel like I need to save my energy for the course. Maybe I need to rethink that strategy.
 
Best Ever Nine Holes, Within A Mediocre Round....

Best Ever Nine Holes, Within A Mediocre Round....

I will get it out of the way: I shot a personal best nine holes today, even par 36, with two birdies and two bogeys. I hit most every green and fairway and hit several approach shots to within 15 feet.

Then, the wheels came off. To say the least.

Double, double, bogey, bogey, bogey, par, bogey, bogey, double

47. +11

So I shot an 83. I can't remember a bigger spread between nines in my golf.

On the one hand, I am upset that I didn't take a golden opportunity to beat my personal best of 79. All I had to shoot was a 42 or better! I let the frustrations of some slow play on the back nine and a few poor shots affect me. Plus, heck, I was a bit nervous being in uncharted territory.

Yet ultimately, I recognize that the ability to shoot even par on a challenging nine holes, and doing it, is a pretty significant accomplishment in and of itself. I am proud to have made two birdies and recognize that I gave myself several other good opportunities. Creating chances to score, not just following the golf course around.

While this isn't as big of a deal as the 79 in the overall swing of things, I am excited to know that the next time I shoot a great front nine, I will have learned to keep my composure and just keep doing what I was so successful with on that nine, on the back.

While it isn't as big of a milestone as my personal best, in other words, it probably says a lot more about where my game is going.

So... Have YOU ever had an awesome front nine, only to blow your round on the back?

:)
 
I understand what you must be feeling, but I've had it the other way around. Played +12 on the first nine, found my rhythm back and shot -2 on the second nine... Looks crazy on the scorecard! :D
 
Yea, I have plenty of those. Went 45-57 this weekend.

Have gone 39-52, 53-39, and 51-39.

Apparently I can't put a good nine together with a 39 (my PB).


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk 2
 
Opposite at the last Invitational. I dropped 7 strokes on the back after a very rough start.

#chilloutbro
 
Happens to everyone. Worst for me I can think of off the top of my head is 38 on the front and 46 on the back; 84.
 
Went 50 43, yesterday... The back was average and the front was aweful.
 
I do it...I think everyone does, it's just as the handicap drops so does the variance.

I've had some 46/36 and 36/46 rounds...on the same course, so it's not the relative difficulty of the nines.
I think if you look at a typical round and divide up the scores into 2 9s...5 best/worst par 4s, 2 best/worst par 3s and 5s the totals will be just as shocking if not more so. Every now and then the stars align and you shoot like that over a round. Doing that, I shot 35/48 this weekend (actual 42/41), which isn't that much wilder than my actual, memorable results.
 
Round of golf today

Round of golf today

So I went to the local Club Med course today for a round with my father. I opened up the front 9 with 2 pars and a birdie with a total of 44, which is really good for me, I'm around a 100 golfer normally. I get to the back 9 and its double boogies across the board and even 2 snowmen. I completely fell apart. Don't know why. I went from 210-220 yard drives to splicing 40 yards right and shanking my 4 and 5 irons. 30-40 chips turned into 20 yard lobs. 3 putts all over. Ended with a on the back 9. I went from one of my best 9 hour scores to one of my worst all in the same day.

But hey. It was better than working.
 
It happens dude. Once the wheels start coming off a lot of golfers have a hard time bringing it back together. You start pressing too hard and things get worse. When I have rounds like that I try to think about the things I did well and build off of that. Remember though, every golfer in the world has bad days. No big deal!
 
I've been there. I can even have a game where I start off great, blow up in the middle and then bring it back before the end. No particular reason for the blow up. Golf is just an odd game at times. But it's that one perfect hit that keeps bringing us all back! That's the one I think about when I've had a bad game.
 
Its mostly mental. I think I got to comfortable in the front 9. And once I started falling off it was harder and harder to crawl back out. I did have a single bogey on both 17 and 18 so I was starting to turn around. But a pair of snowmen in the middle did't help out and the streak of unlucky 7s(one on a par 3)

Highlight of the day was still my birdie on a long par 4(I think 420 yards) I was 6 feet from the cup on my second shot.
 
Happened to me today.

Labor Day, so we know it's going to be packed. 2-1/2 hour front nine, where I shoot 46. Couldn't get into any rhythm at all. Back nine was a lot better, we rarely waited, and when we did it was for a very short time. Shot 36, One over par. Best nine holes ever!
 
I've had it both ways. I've had a couple rounds this year where I was 4 or 5 over par through 4 holes and finished 4 or 5 over. I've also had plenty of 1 or 2 over par fronts followed by 6,7, or 8 over on the back. I think a lot of people (myself included) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to start the round well and when it doesn't happen, it can create quite a mental block.
 
barspin89 said:
I've had it both ways. I've had a couple rounds this year where I was 4 or 5 over par through 4 holes and finished 4 or 5 over. I've also had plenty of 1 or 2 over par fronts followed by 6,7, or 8 over on the back. I think a lot of people (myself included) put a lot of pressure on ourselves to start the round well and when it doesn't happen, it can create quite a mental block.
Click to expand...

Tell me about it. Especially the round after a very good round.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top