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What is a 9-hole disc golf course?
A 9-hole disc golf course is a layout with nine baskets and nine tee pads, typically occupying 5 to 15 acres compared to the 20 to 40 acres a full 18-hole course requires. Holes on 9-hole courses are usually shorter than average, running 150 to 300 feet, and par is typically 27 (nine par 3s). A round takes 45 to 60 minutes for a group of four, or 30 minutes for a solo player moving quickly.
Nine-hole courses exist at every difficulty level, but the majority are designed as beginner-friendly park courses. They are commonly found in neighborhood parks, school grounds, community centers, apartment complexes, and small municipal green spaces where an 18-hole course would not fit. The ThrowSpot directory includes hole counts for every course, and thousands of the 7,008 listed courses are 9-hole layouts.
Why are 9-hole courses growing twice as fast as 18-hole courses?
Three reasons: they fit in more places, they cost less, and they convert more new players. UDisc's 2026 Disc Golf Growth Report documents that 9-hole courses have been installed at double the rate of 18-hole courses since 2020, and the trend is accelerating. Cities, parks departments, and schools have realized that a short course delivers most of the recreational value of a long course at a fraction of the land and budget.
Space
An 18-hole course needs 20 to 40 acres of contiguous open or wooded land. Most urban and suburban parks do not have that. A 9-hole course needs 5 to 15 acres and can be routed around existing park features like playgrounds, ball fields, and picnic areas. This opens thousands of parks that could never host a full course.
Cost
A basic 18-hole course costs $15,000 to $40,000 in baskets, tee pads, signage, and installation. A 9-hole course costs $7,000 to $18,000. For a parks department choosing between one 18-hole course or two 9-hole courses in different neighborhoods, the two shorter courses serve more residents. Many 9-hole courses are funded by local disc golf clubs through fundraising, which is feasible at the $10,000 level but much harder at $30,000.
Player conversion
The UDisc report states it directly: "New disc golfers who play their first round on an easy course are more likely to play a second round." An 18-hole championship course with 400-foot holes and water hazards is a discouraging first experience. A 9-hole park course where a beginner can shoot near par and finish in under an hour is an encouraging one. Short courses are the sport's most effective recruitment tool.
What are the different types of short courses?
| Type | Holes | Average hole length | Typical location | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard 9-hole | 9 | 200–300 ft | Neighborhood parks | Beginners, quick rounds |
| Pitch and putt | 6–9 | 100–180 ft | Schools, small parks, rec centers | Complete beginners, kids, putting practice |
| Pocket course | 3–6 | 80–150 ft | Apartment complexes, campuses, backyards | Casual play, learning to putt |
| Executive 9 | 9 | 250–400 ft | Larger parks, alongside 18-hole layouts | Intermediate players wanting a short challenging round |
| Dual-tee 9 | 9 baskets, 18 tees | Varies by tee | Parks with limited space | Playing as a full 18 with variety |
Pitch-and-putt and pocket courses are the fastest-growing sub-category. They are cheap enough for a homeowners association or a single school to install, and they introduce the sport to people who would never seek out a full course. Many of the sport's newest players in 2026 started on a pocket course at their apartment complex or college campus.
Who should play 9-hole courses?
- Complete beginners. A 9-hole beginner course is the correct first experience. Short holes, quick round, low frustration, and you finish wanting to play again.
- Players with limited time. A 9-hole round after work or before dinner is realistic. An 18-hole round often is not.
- Families with children. Kids under 10 struggle to finish 18 holes. Nine holes at 150 feet each is achievable and fun.
- Players practicing a specific skill. Short courses are ideal for putting and approach practice because you get more short-game reps per hour.
- Experienced players wanting a warm-up. Many players use a 9-hole course to loosen up before a tournament or as a quick round on a rest day.
- Anyone introducing the sport to a friend. A 9-hole park course with a non-player is one of disc golf's best social experiences. Nobody gets exhausted, bored, or frustrated.
How is scoring different on 9-hole courses?
Scoring is identical: count your throws, compare to par. The only difference is par is typically 27 instead of 54. A beginner shooting 36 (+9) on a 9-hole course is doing as well as a beginner shooting 72 (+18) on an 18-hole course. Nine-hole courses are also easier to score well on because their shorter holes give beginners realistic birdie chances. It is common for a new player to record their first birdie on a 9-hole course within their first few rounds.
PDGA-sanctioned tournaments and rated rounds require at least 13 holes, so 9-hole rounds do not contribute to your official player rating unless the course is played twice for 18. Many leagues use 9-hole courses played twice, which counts as a full round for rating purposes.
How do you play a 9-hole course twice for a full round?
Play holes 1 through 9, then walk back to hole 1 and play them again. Record the second loop as holes 10 through 18. Your total is your 18-hole score. Many 9-hole courses have two tee positions per hole (short and long, or A and B) specifically to make the second loop play differently from the first. Check the tee signs: if there are two pads per hole, play the short tees on the first loop and the long tees on the second.
Some players prefer the double loop because they see each hole twice and can immediately apply what they learned on the first attempt. The second loop is often noticeably better than the first, which is satisfying and instructive.
What discs should you bring to a 9-hole course?
A putter and a mid-range. That is all. On a course with holes under 300 feet, distance drivers are useless and fairway drivers are optional. The majority of holes on a typical 9-hole course are reachable with a mid-range like a Discraft Buzzz or Innova Mako3 from the tee. Your putter handles approaches and putts. Some players bring only a putter and play the entire course with it as putter-only practice.
If the course has a few longer holes over 300 feet, add a fairway driver like an Innova Leopard or Latitude 64 River. That three-disc bag covers any 9-hole course in the country. Leaving the high-speed drivers at home is also good practice for the discipline of matching disc to hole, which is a skill that translates to every course.
Browse them directly
ThrowSpot has a dedicated index of every 9-hole course in the country, broken down by state and city.
How do you find 9-hole courses near you?
Every course listing on ThrowSpot shows the hole count. Search your city or click your state, then scan for courses listed as 9 holes. Filter by beginner difficulty to find the short park courses that make ideal first rounds. State pages group courses by city so you can find every 9-hole option in your area at a glance.
The UDisc app also filters by hole count. Local disc golf club Facebook groups are the best source for the newest 9-hole and pocket courses, which often appear in social media announcements before they reach any database. School and apartment courses in particular are frequently unlisted and known only to locals.
How do you get a 9-hole course built in your town?
The 9-hole course boom is driven by local players proposing courses to their parks departments. The pitch is straightforward: a 9-hole course costs $7,000 to $18,000, requires 5 to 15 acres that the park already has, needs almost no maintenance beyond mowing, and adds a free recreational amenity that gets used daily. UDisc's Growth Report provides usage data and economic impact studies specifically for these proposals.
The process typically goes: identify a park with suitable space, contact the parks department with a proposal, get a course designer to walk the site (Innova, Discraft, and the PDGA all have designer networks), secure funding through the city budget or club fundraising, and install. Timeline is 6 to 18 months. Local clubs frequently handle fundraising and volunteer labor for installation, which reduces city costs further. If your town has no course, a 9-hole layout is the most realistic first step.