If you are a golfer who likes healthy competition and camaraderie with your golf buddies but also wants to try something new, the 9 point golf game is for you. You know how one blown hole in stroke play can basically end your round mentally? This fixes that: it is a points game for three players, and it's genuinely 10 times more forgiving than trying to save a whole scorecard after a triple bogey on 6. Every hole is its own little event. You mess one up, you laugh, and move on; another nine points are waiting on the next tee. If you've got two buddies and a Saturday morning to kill, a 9 point golf game is worth exploring.
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Get Your 9 Point Game Started
ParTeeOf18 is a 9 point golf game app that handles 5-3-1 scoring, ties, and payouts automatically. Here is how to get your round started in under a minute.
1
Create a New Game
Open the ParTeeOf18 golf app. Tap “Play” to “Create New Game,” select “9 Point” as the format, then pick the date, time, course, and starting hole. Toggle on CTP or DOTS if you want side games.
2
Add Players
Tap “Add Players” to search and add golfers from your list or by name. You can also add guest players with a name and handicap. Pick each player’s tee box and tap “Confirm & Save” to build the threesome.
3
Set the Stakes and Payout
On the Stakes & Handicap screen, toggle on “Stakes” and enter the amount. Tap “Payout” to split the winnings by finishing position, for example 80/20. Skip it if you are playing for pride.
4
Choose Your Handicap Settings
Handicaps run off the lowest player by default. Toggle “Play off the Card” to use full handicaps instead. Turn on “Adjust Handicap” to set the HDCP allowance percentage, confirm each player’s handicap, and tap Save.
5
Set the Group and Scorekeeper
Review the group and tee time, use the Randomizer if you want, and tap “Confirm & Save.” Then assign one player as the scorekeeper and tap Save. That player will enter the group’s strokes hole by hole.
6
Start the Game
Open “Game Detail” to review the stakes, scorekeeper, and course. Switch on “Track Stats” if you want Fairway, GIR, Putts, Up & Down, and Lost Ball tracked. Then tap “Game On” to start the 9 point golf game.
7
Enter Scores and Track Points Live
Open “GPS & Scorecard,” tap “Enter Score,” and enter each player’s strokes. The app splits the 9 points on every hole, including ties, and updates the leaderboard and scorecard automatically.
8
Submit the Scorecard
After 18 holes, tap “Submit Scorecard.” The ParTeeOf18 wallet settles each player’s winnings based on the stakes and payout you set at the start.
See It in Action
Download our app today and start your first round!
Under 60 Seconds
Quick to set up, fast to play.
Built for Threesomes
Three players, nine points, every hole.
Stakes Set Upfront
Pick the payout before you play.
No Math Required
ParTeeOf18 tracks it all for you.
What ParTeeOf18 Does For Your Nines Game?
Splitting nine points across three players hole by hole gets messy fast, especially once ties flip 5-3-1 into 4-4-1 or 5-2-2. By the back nine, the scorecard stalls. ParTeeOf18 handles every split automatically, so you can play the game instead of doing math.
Live Scorecard & Leaderboard
Every hole’s points are calculated the moment scores go in. Players see 9 point standings, points, holes played, to par, and gross total, from the first tee to the final putt.
Multiplayer Scoring
One scorekeeper enters strokes for the whole group. Everyone else follows the 9 point scorecard live on their own phone, with no passing a pencil around.
Net & Gross Handicap Scoring
Play gross or net. By default, handicaps run off the lowest player, or you can play off the card. Adjust the handicap allowance to suit your group, and stroke holes show right on the scorecard.
Wallet & Payouts
Set the stakes and payout split before you tee off. The built-in wallet tracks the game and settles the stakes exactly as you decided, with no disputes and no awkward conversations.
Side Games
Add Closest to the Pin and DOTS alongside your 9 point game. They show up on the same scorecard, so nothing gets tracked on a napkin.
3D Maps
Get GPS yardages for 40,000+ courses. Read every green with 3D Heat Maps and Putt Maps across 19,000+ courses.
What Is the Nine Point Golf Game?
The Nine Point Golf Game (also called Nines or 5-3-1) is a popular individual point-based betting game designed specifically for a threesome. On every hole, the three players contest exactly 9 points, distributed based on their finishing scores using either gross scores or net scores with handicaps. The points awarded on each hole must always add up to 9, with the first-place finisher receiving the most points, followed by the second- and third-place finishers.
What makes Nine Point appealing is that it gives a three-player round its own competitive structure rather than relying only on the final 18-hole score. It creates a separate contest within the round, so players can stay engaged even when their overall score isn't where they want it. Because it is built specifically around three golfers, it also gives each player an individual role in the competition instead of leaving one player out of a team-based format. This makes Nine Point a practical choice for friendly rounds, golf trips, and regular groups looking for a simple way to add more interest to their round.
Nine Points
Every Hole
Each hole puts exactly nine points in play.
Built for
Exactly Three
The point split works cleanly only for a threesome.
Last Place
Still Scores
Even the worst score on a hole earns a point.
Most Points
Wins the Round
The highest total after 18 holes takes the game.
Key Highlights
Every Hole Is Its Own Contest.
Second Place Is Worth Fighting For.
A Bad Hole Costs Points, Not the Round.
Net Scoring Keeps Everyone in It.
How to Play Nines in Golf?
Tee Off With Exactly Three
Three players, no substitutes. The scoring literally doesn't divide evenly any other way. Use raw scores, or apply handicaps if your group's skill levels are all over the place.
Determine the Order of Play
Determine the first player by spinning a tee, flipping a coin, or using a quick game of rock-paper-scissors. The winner of the draw or tie-breaker goes first. If two players tie for the lowest score, the player who already had the honour keeps it.
Agree on the Point Value
Decide what a point's worth is before you start, whether that's cash, a beer, or just pride. Once you finish, compare scores, write down the points, and move forward.
Move to the Next Hole
After everyone finishes and you record the results, move on to the next tee. The player with the honour tees off first, followed by the other two players. Continue this order as you work through the round.
Complete the Round
Follow the same process for all 18 holes, keeping the results updated after each hole. Once you complete the final hole, check the full scorecard to make sure you recorded every hole before determining the overall result.
How Does 5-3-1 Scoring Work?
Clear Finish (5-3-1)
The simplest explanation is: the Lowest score takes five points, the middle score takes three, and whoever had the rough hole gets one. That's all nine points gone, so write it down and move on.
Tie for Low (4-4-1)
Two of you tie for the best score? Between you, you'd have taken the five and the three, so add them up and split it. Four points each. The third player still gets his one point, though he probably won't be thrilled.
Tie for High (5-2-2)
Now turn it around. Two players tie for the worst score, and the winner keeps the full five. The other two share what's left, the three and the one, so it's two points apiece. Still adds up to nine.
Three-Way Tie (3-3-3)
Same score all around, so nobody wins the hole. Nine points, split three ways, three each; it's the easiest one to track because there's no math to do.
Final Result
After 18 holes, add up everyone's points. Most points win. Since each hole hands out nine points, the three totals should always add up to 162. If yours don't, somebody scribbled down a wrong number, so sort that out before the arguing starts.
Scorecard Example
Winner: Player KS
Nines Variations
Once you've played a handful of rounds with straight Nines, you'll probably want to spice it up. A few variations are worth trying, since none of them changes the core scoring and they make the game interesting.
Blitz (9-0-0)
A blitz occurs when a player wins a hole outright by two or more strokes and is awarded all 9 points for that hole, leaving the other two players with 0 points.
Nines Nassau
It combines two classic bets, the regular 5-3-1 point split, but instead of one long grind over 18 holes, you're settling up three separate times: front nine, back nine, and the whole round. This gives players a reset button when they are 2 or more holes down.
Last Place Sets the Stakes
Last place gets to make things interesting. Once per nine, whoever's trailing can call a hole double, so 5-3-1 turns into 10-6-2. Some groups go further and let them set the stakes as they come down the stretch: at the 16th tee, they can bump the dollar value of each point or make the last few holes winner-take-all. Fair warning, the leader will hate it.
Press and Re-Press
A press is a side bet you make when you're losing. This starts a new bet from that hole on, and your main bet keeps going too. A re-press is when someone presses again on top of that, so the stakes go up once more. Presses aren't part of the standard rules. Just agree on them before you start playing so nobody argues later.
Ways to Pay Out in the Nines Golf Game
Somebody's gotta settle up at the end, so here's how most groups handle it: pick a method and agree on it before the round starts. Nothing kills the vibe faster than a payout argument. Explain it once, maybe twice more to a new player.
Winner Collects
Before the round, agree on a number. Whoever ends up with the most points gets that amount from each of the other two. The guy in the middle walks away even, and last place pays up. Simple, and nobody has to do much math.
Everyone Settles
Here you compare totals and pay the difference. Finish ten points ahead of someone at a buck a point? He owes you ten. By the end, everyone's paying or collecting something, which makes for a lot of Venmo requests.
Winner-Take-All Pot
Everyone puts the same amount in before you tee off. After 18 holes, the highest point total takes the whole pile. If two of you tie for first, split it down the middle and call it a day.
Points Pot
Same idea with the pot, but you divide it by points instead of by place. Score 60 of the 162 points, and you get 60/162 of the money, even if you didn't win. It's fairer, sure, though it takes a calculator.
Frequently Asked Questions
Haven't found what you're looking for? Try our Help Center — we're here to help.
Not really; the scoring system is built around three people, and nine points doesn't divide cleanly any other way. If you've got a foursome, look into Split Sixes instead.
Nope, totally optional. Play it gross if you want it simple, or apply handicaps if your group has a big skill gap and you want things to stay competitive.
Split Sixes is the four-player version; six points get divided each hole instead of nine. Same basic idea, just built for a bigger group.
That's just the standard point split when nobody ties on a hole: 5 for first, 3 for second, 1 for third. Easy to remember once you've played it a couple of times.
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