How Long Does It Take To Golf 9 Holes

Do you know how long does it take to play 9 holes of golf?

People play golf for different reasons. Some play the game for recreation, while others play it as a professional sport. Whatever the reasons, playing the game comes with its rules and restrictions. Some people assume that golf is so simple that all you do is strike a ball with a club to direct it to a hole, and you are good to go. However, you need lots of patience and concentration to make golf rounds, especially if you are a newbie.

The majority of the golf courses have 18-holes, but you will still find a good number of them that come with 9-holes. Playing the 9-hole round or 18-hole round of golf does not take the same time for each player. Besides concentration and patience, and several other factors determine the time it takes to make one round.

One of the questions a person new in the game asks is how long does it takes to golf 9 holes. Many golfers today know more about golfing 18 holes to 9 holes. However, playing 9-hole golf game dates back to several decades ago, with several of them strewn across different golf courses across the USA. Before looking at the history of the 9-hole round, let us go back to the question.

How Long Does It Take To Golf 9 Holes?

Whether you are a novice or a professional golfer, playing a round of golf in most golf courses around the United States should take you at least 15 minutes. A professional may even take less than 15 minutes, but someone learning the ropes may find it hard to tee in less than 15 minutes. The majority of the golf courses set the time it takes to tee and play the 9 holes between 8 and 13 minutes, with a maximum of 15 minutes.

How long it takes to golf 9 holes includes time spent on the greens, pre-shot, tee-shot, and approach shots routines, among others. When you add all the figures, it should take you between 1.5 and 2.5 hours to golf 9 holes. Some people may go for even more than 2.25 hours, especially if they are new to the game, or walking from one hole to another. How long it takes to play the 9 hole salso depends on a person's age. An older person will do it at a much slower pace than a younger person will.

History of 9 holes

9-hole-golf-facts.jpg

9-hole golf courses trace their roots to St. Andrews Royal Troon, Turnberry, the birthplace of golf, according to golf history. The golf courses that are home to 9 holes are small pieces of land built by village golf enthusiasts that needed to satisfy their great love for the game. To date, many of these courses with 9 holes make a significant part of the many golf courses across Scotland.

Of all the 9-hole golf courses in Scotland, 23 are in peripheral areas and islands, found across the country. Some of the islands that are home to 9-hole golf courses include Corrie, Barra, Tobermory, Lochranza, and Machrie Bay, among many others. Introducing the 9-hole courses also helped those that found it arduous traveling far to tee off at more abundant 18-hole greens. They also became great recreational places for families and friends.

Today, many of the 9-hole golf courses in Scotland continue to act as some of the best community hubs for families, friends, and visitors from other parts of the country alike. They are also great tourist attractions to golf enthusiasts from across the globe. Scotland is not the only country with 9-hole courses as you can enjoy the same in other significant courses around the world. One of the most popular 9-hole golf courses is the Ashbury course.

At the beginning of the twentieth century, when many states in the United States were opening up golf courses, the number of golf holes was 18. With the game's continued growth, an 18-hole golf course became the standard all across the state. However, after some time, managing an 18-hole golf course meant more expense, and some of the clubs could not handle it.

The need to cut down on the growing costs and people from different lifestyles, people still in need of playing the game, saw the reduction of some courses from eighteen to nine holes. Some golf courses maintain the eighteen holes, but you can choose to play just nine. Though USGA legalized the handicap of 9-hole play, an 18-hole course remains the current round for professional tournaments.

Factors that influence the time it takes to golf 9 holes

golf-9-holes.png

Several factors influence how long it takes to play 9 holes on the greens. Some of the factors include whether you ate walking or using a cart to maneuver your way between the holes, the size of the course, maintenance practices, traffic on the golf course, and the skill level. Here is a description of the factors in details.

Course size

Playing a 9-hole round of golf depends on the size of the course, among other factors. While some people have the assumption that all golf courses have the same standard size, the opposite is exact. Golf courses come in different sizes with some larger than others, which means that golfers cover more ground to play from one hole to another.

Irrespective of the sizes, rules state that you should not take more than 15 minutes in between holes. The average size of a golf course ranges between 5,500 and 6,000 yards, which would take you an average of two hours to play. A golf course that comes with 7,000 yards takes you 2.5 hours or slightly more to play one round.

Cart versus walking

Golfers either walk from one hole to the next or use golf carts. The majority of golf courses in the United States and other countries worldwide offer the privilege of using carts apart from the 3 par courses. Walking will take you from one hole to the next at a much slower pace than if you did it by driving a golf cart. If you use a golf cart, it will take you two and a half hours or less to play the complete round.

Walking slows you down because you also have to contend with carrying your golf bag as you walk from one hole to the next one to cover the course distance. It will take you anything between 2.75 and 3 hours to complete the round if you are walking. A golf cart is also the most convenient means of reducing the time, especially if you are in a hurry to play the complete round.

Skill level

Putting or hitting skills also determines the length of time it takes to play a 9-hole round. A professional or more skilled player will take less time to cover the whole golf course than a beginner will. Developing golfing skills reduces the time it takes to play, and even though it is not an easy feat to accomplish, practice, patience, and concentration help reduce the length of play on between holes.

Some of the skills that one needs to learn to include less time made to make total shots by spending the least time possible losing and searching for the golf balls. A skilled golfer can finish a 9-hole round in one and a half hours while a non-skilled player will take anything between 2.25 and 2.5 hours.

Maintenance time

Maintenance around the golf course also affects the time it takes to play a round of golf. Some of the maintenance practices are unavoidable, mainly due to weather changes such as a heavy downfall. Some of the places that may suffer the effects of heavy rainfall include bunkers.

Spring maintenance of the golf courses includes mowing of the greens to get rid of overgrown grass, weed growth-clearing clippings on the fairways or roughs, especially during playtime may also tamper with the time it takes to play the holes.

Other places that may need occasional maintenance include the flowerbeds, water features, and removal of flagsticks left behind by other golfers.

Course transportation

The traffic in the golf course is another factor that may interfere with the time it takes to play the 9-hole round. If the golf course traffic is substantial, a player may take three or more hours to complete one round. In case of heavy traffic, you should wait in the tee box for between 5 and 10 minutes, until they finish hitting the ball. The total time it would take you to play a round of golf in case of heavy traffic would take another 45 to 50 minutes on top of the expected time.

FAQS

How long does it take to play 9 holes of golf with two people

Two experienced golf players playing on a course with little traffic can play the 9 holes in two hours depending on the factors that affect the time it takes to complete a round in good time. Inexperienced golf players can take anything between 3 and 4 hours, again depending on the factors that may prolong the time it takes to finish a round of golf on a 9-hole course.

How many calories do you burn in 9 holes of golf?

One of the most positive things about walking as you tee off to complete a round of golf is that you burn calories along the way. If you walk through the greens with a golf bag, you burn even more calories than a person walking without anything to carry besides the golf club will. For the nine holes, carrying a bag with you would make you burn between 700 and 730 calories.

If you use a pushcart to play the holes, you will burn around 718 calories while walking with a caddie by your side to carry the bag will have you loosing 621 calories. If, on the other hand, you decide to use a golf cart, you will burn an average of 411 calories.

How long does it take to walk 9 holes?

Walking from one hole to the next on the greens takes around 15 minutes. The fifteen minutes include the time it takes to tee and make a shot. However, some distances between some of the holes may vary depending on several factors that include traffic, distractions, impediments, and more. Experts calculate the time it takes to walk par three at 9 minutes while walking par four takes 12 minutes and 18 minutes for par five. The total time it takes to walk the nine holes is, therefore, 2.25 hours.

Conclusion

If you want to enjoy the golf game without playing the complete 18-hole round, you can still give it your best shot with the 9-hole round on the greens. The 9-hole round of golf is ideal for the elderly that find it hard to walk the whole course to cover the 18 holes. It is also suitable for busy people that want to enjoy the game but do not have time to go to the whole 18-hole yard.

The 9-hole round is also suitable for beginners as they learn their way around the green, the bunkers, and everything else golf. The 9-holes are also great for those that want to improve their golfing performance and speed to become professional players.

If you hate too much walking or have children that you want to introduce into golfing, the 9-hole round is a high starting point. If you love golfing for fun or recreation, you do not need the 18-hole round to do as the 9-hole will provide you with all the opportunities you need.

I hope this article answers the question of how long does it take to golf 9-holes. To remind you, it takes anything between 1.5 and 2.25 hours, depending on the factors listed above.

If you have any comments to add or any questions to ask, fill the form at the bottom of this page and we will respond. 

References

2.5
24 ratings