The Front Nine

About this board game

The Front Nine is a card game for 2–4 players, with a playing time of 45 minutes, in which players compete to build the best new nine-hole golf course.

The Royal Golf Association is preparing its annual competition, and the judges will soon inspect the courses. Players must complete their layouts while balancing challenging par, attractive scenery, useful facilities, and the costs of development.

Course cards represent individual holes with par 3, 4, or 5. After paying the required land and resource costs for trees, water, and sand, players place the cards on the table to show the actual shape of their course. Each course develops from its club house to the first tee, then from each green to the following tee.

• Build a complete nine-hole golf course.
• Manage land, resources, and income as costs increase.
• Use trees, water, sand, bunkers, and woodland to shape the design.
• Connect holes through changing tee access and green exits.

Every hole has its own topography, constraining how tees can be reached and how greens can be exited. As a result, courses snake across the table, making card purchase and placement important spatial decisions. Direct player interaction creates competition as players develop their designs and manage their finances.

A successful course must link back to the club house while making effective use of the natural environment. In The Front Nine, the winner is the player whose course offers the strongest overall design, including its bunkers, woodland, water hazards, scenery, and facilities.