9-Hole Golf Courses: Where to Play a Quicker Round

You can book 221 golf courses with 9 holes as a visitor on Tee Time, from golf centres and village clubs to second courses at bigger 18-hole clubs. A 9-hole round usually takes around two hours, about half the time of 18, and the green fee is usually lower. Every one of them is listed below by region, and the 9 holes filter in search shows tee times for a 9-hole round.

Why play 9 holes

Nine holes fits golf into a busy week. A round before work, after work in the summer, or on a winter afternoon when the light goes early is far easier to arrange than a four or five hour round. A few other reasons golfers choose 9 holes:

• It costs less. The green fee for 9 holes is usually below the 18-hole price at the same club. For other ways to save, see cheap golf courses near me.
• It suits beginners. A shorter round is less tiring, and it is an easier first step onto a course than a full 18.
• It still counts. Under the World Handicap System a 9-hole score can be submitted towards your handicap, so a quick round isn't a wasted one.

The kinds of 9-hole course you can book

Not every 9-hole course is the same. On Tee Time you will find three broad kinds.

Standalone 9-hole clubs. Many clubs have only nine holes, often played twice with different tees for an 18-hole round. You will find them in towns, villages and on the coast across the UK.

9-hole courses at bigger clubs. A number of 18-hole clubs run a second, 9-hole course alongside their main one. It can be easier to get a tee time on, and the green fee is often lower. Examples you can book include the River course at Aldeburgh Golf Club, the Kingsfleet course at Felixstowe Ferry Golf Club, the Bixley course at Ipswich Golf Club and the Pans course at Machrihanish Golf Club in Argyll. Broome Manor Golf Complex in Swindon also has a 9-hole course next to its 18.

Golf centres and par 3 courses. Golf centres often pair a 9-hole course with a driving range, which makes them a good choice for practice and for new golfers. Edwalton Golf Centre in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire is one. Par 3 courses, such as the one at Fynn Valley Golf Club near Ipswich, are shorter again: every hole can be reached in one good shot.

How to book a 9-hole tee time

1. Open search and set holes to 9.
2. Choose the date, the time of day and how many players, from one to four.
3. Set how far you are willing to travel, or pick a region.
4. Pick a tee time. Each listing shows the green fee per player, read from the club's own booking system.
5. Book with your saved name, email address and phone number.

Some clubs take the green fee online when you book; others ask you to pay in the pro shop when you arrive. The booking shows which.

If a club has both a 9-hole and an 18-hole course, make sure you book the course you mean. On Tee Time each course at a club has its own tee times, and the club page lists them separately.

Getting the most out of a 9-hole round

Check the par before you book: it tells you what kind of 9 holes you are getting. On the club pages we publish, Edwalton Golf Centre and the par 3 course at Fynn Valley are both par 27, every hole a par 3. The Bixley course at Ipswich is par 31 and the River course at Aldeburgh par 32, short courses with a few longer holes. The Pans course at Machrihanish is par 34, and Kingsfleet at Felixstowe Ferry and the 9-hole course at Broome Manor are par 35, close to half of a full-length 18.

In summer, book an evening tee time: from May to August you can often start nine holes after work and finish in daylight. At a standalone 9-hole club, a second loop from different tees makes up an 18-hole round, so you can decide on the day.

Where the 9-hole courses are

The list below is built from Tee Time's course data, so it shows every 9-hole course you can book right now, grouped by region. Each one links to its club page, where you can see the courses, the scorecard where we have it and the next visitor tee times.

More ways to find a course

Browse golf in the East of England, the East Midlands, the South West or Scotland, where the clubs in this guide are. New to golf? See pay and play golf without a membership for public courses, golf centres and short courses.