The best betting game ever invented for a threesome. Nine points on every hole — 5 for the best score, 3 for the middle, 1 for the worst — and nobody is ever out of it.
Nine points go out on every hole: 5 for the low score, 3 for the middle, 1 for the high. Tie for low and you split 4-4-1. Because points keep flowing on every single hole, the guy in last is never more than a few good holes from the lead.
Nines (also called 9-Point, 5-3-1, or simply the 9s) solves golf's oldest arithmetic problem: a threesome. Most betting games assume four players; Nines is built for exactly three. Every hole distributes nine points — 5 to the best score, 3 to the middle, 1 to the worst — with clean, standard splits for every possible tie. Because even the worst score on a hole earns a point, and one great hole swings four, the game stays alive to the 18th green in a way straight medal play never does.
Worked example. Hole 7: Alex makes 4, Dana 4, Jo 6. Alex and Dana tie for best — 4 points each; Jo takes 1. Hole 8: Jo birdies while Alex and Dana both double — Jo takes 5, they split 2 apiece. Two holes in, Jo went from last to a point off the lead. That's Nines: the 5-point hole is always out there.
Net play. The standard money game is net: strip handicaps to the difference off the low man, give strokes where they fall by stroke index, and award points on net scores.
Low-point wins variant. Some groups invert (1-3-5, low total wins). Same game, just agree which direction you're playing before the first tee.
Junk on top. Nines pairs perfectly with dots — greenies and sandies ride alongside the points without touching the 9-point math.
Split Sixes. The 6-point sibling: 4-2-0 per hole, ties split 3-3-0, 4-1-1, or 2-2-2. Identical rhythm, slightly crueler — the worst score gets nothing.
Nine holes. The game works fine for 9 (81 points, average 27) — ideal for a weeknight league threesome.
Presses and side bets. Getting buried? The app scores a 2x press: every point from the next unscored hole is worth double, for everyone. It also tracks side bets like closest to the pin and long drive on top, and settles them with the rest of the round.
Nine points a hole, split three ways, tracked automatically — including every tie.
Two players tie for best: they take 4 each and the third gets 1 (4-4-1). Two tie for worst: the winner takes 5 and they get 2 each (5-2-2). All three tie: 3 points each (3-3-3). Every hole always distributes exactly 9 points.
162 — nine points on each of 18 holes. A perfectly even round would be 54 points per player, so anything above 54 means you're winning.
No — the 5-3-1 math only works for three. Foursomes should look at Wolf, Vegas, or team best-ball games instead. Nines exists precisely because most betting games need four.
Yes — most groups play net. Take the differences from the lowest handicap and give strokes by hole per the stroke index, then award the 9 points on net scores.
Same idea, different scale. Split Sixes divides 6 points per hole (4-2-0 with ties 3-3-0, 4-1-1, or 2-2-2). Nines divides 9 points as 5-3-1. The 9-point version is the more common money game in the US.
Same energy, different game. Everything below has a full rules guide of its own.
Duck Hook Golf