3 players
9️⃣How to play Nines (5-3-1): the 3-player golf game
Got three? Nines (also called 5-3-1 or Nine Points) is the answer. Every hole is worth exactly nine points, split by finish: 5 for the low ball, 3 for the middle, 1 for the high. Simple to say, surprisingly cutthroat to play. Nobody can hide in a threesome.
The rules
Play your own ball, gross or net. On each hole the nine points split by score: low score 5, middle 3, high 1.
- Two tie for low: they take 4 each, the high man gets his 1 (4-4-1).
- Two tie for high: low takes his 5, the other two split for 2 each (5-2-2).
- Everyone ties: 3-3-3.
The money
Agree a value per point: a quarter, a buck. At the end, everyone settles the difference in points against each other. A perfectly average day is 54 points; the spread between first and last is what changes hands.
How Swilkin runs it
Pick three players and choose Nines in Swilkin: the 5-3-1 split (and every tie case) is scored automatically off the same scores you’re already entering. Points tally live, and the settle-up shows exactly who pays whom.