Cryptic crossword clue
Reputations of understudies taking up golf 9

The most common and most likely answer to this crossword clue is the 9 letter word STANDINGS

I've seen this crossword clue in Independent
S
T
A
N
D
I
N
G
S

Buddy explains!

The straight part
We know that "Reputations" is the straight/definition part of the clue. The straight part is often a synonym or definition, in this case reputations = standings.
The cryptic/wordplay part
In cryptic crossword there's often an wordplay/cryptic part as well.
This part involves a more complex hint, such as an anagram, homophone, hidden word, etc.
Sadly, We don't have an explanation for this specific crossword clue yet.

What does STANDINGS mean?

STANDINGS noun
  1. Position or reputation in society or a profession.
  2. Duration.
  3. The act of a person who stands, or a place where someone stands.
  4. The position of a team in a league or of a player in a list.
  5. Room in which to park a vehicle or vehicles
  6. The right of a party to bring a legal action, based on the relationship between that party and the matter to which the action relates.
STANDINGS noun
  1. A collective list of the standing of each team in a league.

Latest crossword clues with full explanations