What Is Nines (5-3-1)?
Nines — also called 9 points, 5-3-1, or simply nine points — is a points game for exactly three players. It's one of the very few golf games built from the ground up for a threesome, which makes it the go-to format on any day you can't round up a fourth.
The idea is simple. Every hole carries nine points, and those nine points are handed out by finishing position on that hole. The best score takes the biggest share, the worst score takes the smallest, and the player in the middle takes what's left. You can play it gross (raw scores) or net (adjusted for handicaps) — the math is identical either way.
Add up your points after 18 holes. Most points wins. Because all three players bank points on every single hole, the game stays close to the end and nobody is ever truly out of it.
How to play a hole of nines
- 1.All three players hole out as normal and compare scores on that hole.
- 2.The lowest score earns 5 points, the middle score earns 3 points, the highest score earns 1 point.
- 3.If scores are tied, the points for the tied positions are pooled and split evenly (see the full tie table below).
- 4.Record each player's points for the hole — the three always add up to 9.
- 5.Move to the next hole and start a fresh nine. There is no carryover.
The one rule that never changes
Every hole distributes exactly 9 points among the three players, no matter how the scores fall. Across a full 18 holes that's 162 points in play. If your hole-by-hole points don't total nine, something was scored wrong.
How the 9 Points Are Split
When all three players post different scores, the split is the classic 5-3-1. Ties are the only thing that complicates it, and the rule is always the same: add together the points for the tied finishing positions, then divide them evenly among the tied players. The total still comes to nine every time.
Here is every possible outcome on a hole.
Tied players pool their positions' points and split evenly. Every row totals 9.
Reading the tie rules
- •Two tie for low: the 1st- and 2nd-place points (5 + 3 = 8) are pooled and split, so each of the two low players gets 4, and the lone high player gets 1.
- •Two tie for high: the lone low player takes the full 5, while the 2nd- and 3rd-place points (3 + 1 = 4) are pooled and split, so each high player gets 2.
- •All three tie: all nine points (5 + 3 + 1) are split three ways, so everyone gets 3.
- •No carryover: a tie never pushes points to the next hole. Each hole settles on its own.
A Worked Hole (and a Few More)
Say Ana, Ben, and Cole are playing gross nines. Walk through four holes and watch the running total move.
Hole 1 — Ana makes 4, Ben makes 5, Cole makes 6. All different, so it's a clean 5-3-1: Ana 5, Ben 3, Cole 1.
Hole 2 — Ana and Ben both make 4, Cole makes 5. Two tie for low: Ana and Ben pool 5 + 3 and take 4 each, Cole gets 1.
Hole 3 — Ana makes 3, Ben and Cole both make 5. Two tie for high: Ana takes the full 5, Ben and Cole pool 3 + 1 and take 2 each.
Hole 4 — all three make par. Everyone splits to 3 each. Notice every hole still handed out exactly nine points.
After four holes Ana leads with 17. The columns always sum to 9 per hole, 36 across four holes.
Carry that math across all 18 holes and the three running totals will add up to 162. Whoever holds the most points when the round ends wins.
Why Nines Is Great for Threesomes
Built for three
Most golf games assume a foursome and get awkward with three. Nines is the opposite — it's designed for a threesome, so you never have to bench a player or invent a phantom partner.
Nobody sits out
Every player scores on every hole. There's no team you're carrying and no hole where your score doesn't matter. You're always playing for points.
Always in reach
Even a rough hole only costs you a few points, not the whole game. A player who falls behind can claw back with a couple of strong holes, so the round stays competitive to the 18th.
Dead simple to track
Three numbers per hole that always add to nine. It's easy to verify on the spot and easy to settle — no complicated carryovers or running side calculations.
Strategy
Win the hole, don't just survive it
The gap between 1st (5 points) and 2nd (3 points) is the same as the gap between 2nd and 3rd. Pushing from a likely middle finish to the outright low score is worth chasing — an aggressive birdie putt can swing four points your way over a safe two-putt.
Watch the other two before you gamble
In a threesome you often putt last and know exactly where you stand. If both opponents have already made bogey, a safe par locks up the 5 — no need to take risks. If one has a tap-in birdie, that's when aggression pays.
A middle finish is rarely a disaster
Three points is a perfectly fine hole. Because there's no carryover, a steady run of 3s keeps you in contention without ever blowing up. Consistency beats heroics over 18 holes.
Punish a two-player tie
When your two opponents are both struggling toward the same number, even a routine par jumps you to the full 5 while they split a 2 each. Quietly capitalizing on their bad holes is where leads are built.
Variations
Net Nines
Apply each player's course handicap to allocate strokes by hole, then award the 5-3-1 points off net scores instead of gross. This levels the field so players of different abilities can compete fairly in the same game.
Best for: Mixed-ability threesomes
Quota / Running Tally
Same scoring, but the focus is the live running total rather than the per-hole result. Some groups set a target (e.g. break 80 points by the turn) to add a personal benchmark on top of the head-to-head race.
Best for: Players who like a number to chase
Six-Point (par-3 courses)
The same idea scaled down — 4-2-0 or a similar split when you want a lower-value version, sometimes used on executive or par-3 layouts where holes play quickly.
Best for: Short courses and quick rounds
Front / Back / Overall
Settle the front nine and back nine as separate contests (81 points each) plus the full 18 overall. One bad nine doesn't sink the whole day, and there are three results to win.
Best for: Groups who want multiple chances to win
Playing Nines on Cleek
Nines is easy to track on paper for a few holes, but the tie math gets fiddly fast — and one mis-added column can quietly hand someone the round. Cleek does the splitting for you. One player keeps score for the threesome, the 5-3-1 points (including every tie case) are calculated automatically hole by hole, and the running totals update live so everyone can see exactly where they stand.
You can play gross or net with handicaps applied, bring guests in without anyone needing to download anything, and finish the round with a shareable result card. Set up nines from a single sentence on the first tee and you're scoring before the second hole — no spreadsheet, no arguments over the math, no signup for your playing partners.