From Brent Kelley,
Your Guide to Golf.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!

Definition: Blind Nine, sometimes called Blind Hole, is a scramble tournament in which only 9 of the 18 holes count in the team's final score. The catch is that the teams don't know which 9 holes count until after the round is completed.

The tournament organizers usually wait until all teams have teed off before randomly selecting the 9 holes whose scores will be used.

Alternately, the organizers may select three par-3s, three par-4s and three-par 5s, but that makes it easier on the field - concentrate really hard on the par 3s and par 5s because there usually are only four each of those on a course.

Blind Nine is usually played with full handicaps, but using three-quarter handicaps or some other fraction can help ease the logjam that is sometimes created by using only 9 holes to score.

Also Known As: Blind Hole

Alternate Spellings: Blind 9