what do golf course ratings mean

by Kylie Tillman 3 min read

Course Rating Course rating is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a golf course to a golfer who averages even par on a round of 18. For instance, a course rating of 72 would portend that a "scratch golfer" would shoot 72 on that particular course.

Full Answer

What are the top 100 golf courses in the US?

Mar 31, 2022 · Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be. To put it another way: USGA Course Rating tells the best golfers how hard a golf course actually plays; USGA Slope Rating indicates how much harder the course plays for "regular" (meaning not among the best) golfers. The minimum slope …

What golf course has the highest slope rating?

May 04, 2003 · USGA Course Rating is a numerical value given to each set of tee boxes at a golf course to approximate the number of strokes it should take a scratch golfer to complete the course. Course rating is a very important part of the USGA Handicap System and is used in calculating a golfer's handicap index.

How is a golf course rating determined?

Apr 19, 2022 · Slope rating is an indicator of the difficulty of the golf course, thus you may be asking how to interpret the slope rating of the course you want to play. After arriving at the course, many players immediately check the score card for the course's slope rating. The slope rating is printed on the majority of scorecards. Each of the course's tee boxes has a different …

What are the best golf courses in the US?

Sep 29, 2020 · The course rating can change with the difficulty level of the course. Any golf course can have three or more course rating because the course rating is measured from the perspective of different tees. A player playing from the men’s blue tees might get a score around 72.6, and the same player playing from the men’s white tees might get a course rating around …

What is course rating in golf?

The Course Rating is designed to assign a numerical value to represent the difficulty of the course for a scratch golfer. This number is calculated by measuring the fairways, inspecting the bunkers, measuring the size and contours of the greens, determining the distance to hazards and out of bounds locations, etc.Dec 13, 2018

Are higher course ratings harder?

The higher the slope number, the harder the course is for the bogey golfer relative to the difficulty of the course for the scratch golfer. Slope numbers can range anywhere between 55 and 155 with the average slope in the United States being 120.

What is a good golf rating?

In golf, scores less than 120 strokes are seen as respectable, or "good" scores among amateur golfers. While 90 stroke scores are considered average, scores below 120 strokes on an 18-hole course are seen amongst the golf community as relatively good.

How is a golf course rating determined?

The Course Rating is calculated from the effective playing length and obstacle factors for 9 or 18 designated holes. The Course Rating is expressed in strokes to one decimal point and represents the expected score for a scratch player. The Bogey Rating represents the expected score for a bogey player.

What is the average course rating?

113
There is a separate slope rating for each of the different tee boxes on the course. The average slope rating of a golf course is typically 113. If the slope of a golf course is less than 113, the course is easier than the average golf course.

How does course rating affect handicap?

Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155, with the average being 113. When you play a course with a Slope Rating higher than 113, your Course Handicap will be higher than your USGA Handicap Index. When you play a course with a Slope Rating lower than 113, your Course Handicap will be lower than your Handicap Index.

What is a good golf score for a beginner?

a 108
According to National Golf Foundation data, 45% of all golfers average more than 100 strokes per round. With that said, it is believed that a 108 is considered to be a good score for a beginner golfer, which equates to double bogey on each hole of a par 72 course.Aug 14, 2013

Is 77 a good score in golf?

Golf courses normally have a par that ranges between 70 and 72; any score that is at par or under par is considered good.

What is Tiger's best score?

When Tiger Woods, a man who has 79 PGA Tour victories, second-most in the history of professional golf in the U.S., shoots an 85, the highest score in his career, you want to know how it happened. Only Woods can decipher why it happened.

What slope rating should I play?

If you are playing a course with a slope in the 130's, you might want to aim for something under 95 as opposed to 90. On the other hand, a course with a slope in the low 100's may allow you to aim for an 85 – or even lower.May 11, 2016

What is difference between Course Rating and slope?

Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be.Mar 31, 2022

How do you calculate Course Rating for 9 holes?

If you have played a 9-hole course, you will not need to adjust the course rating. For example, imagine you played 9 holes on an 18-hole course with a rating of 72.3. The adjusted course rating would be 72.3 divided by 2, or 36.2.Dec 5, 2018

What is a USGA rating?

USGA Course Rating is a numerical value given to each set of tee boxes at a golf course to approximate the number of strokes it should take a scratch golfer to complete the course. Course rating is a very important part of the USGA Handicap System and is used in calculating a golfer's handicap index.

Who is Brent Kelley?

Brent Kelley is an award-winning sports journalist and golf expert with over 30 years in print and online journalism. USGA Course Rating is a numerical value given to each set of tee boxes at a golf course to approximate the number of strokes it should take a scratch golfer to complete the course.

What is the course rating

To be oversimplified, the definition that we all know about course rating is that it is the expected number of strokes that a scratch or professional golfer should take to complete the game. Most of the time, it is near the par score.

What is slope rating

To be simplified, if the course rating is the term that determines the difficulty level of a course to the scratch golfers, then the slope rating is going to notify us about the difficulty level of a course to the bogey golfers. Or, it is the expected number of strokes that a bogey golfer should take to complete the game.

Some of the important definitions to understand the rating

In case you don’t know the definition of the par golfer/scratch golfer or bogey golfer, the rating system may not make any sense to you. Let’s have a look at the definition of both these two terms to understand the rating system better.

The slope is not the measurement of the course difficulty

This is the most common misconception that most of us keep in mind thinking that the slope rating actually determines the difficulty of the course. But, in reality, that is not the case at all. Down below is three examples that will make it clear for you to understand.

How to calculate the slope rating

According to the rules and regulations of the USGA, there are two procedures to measure the slope rating. The first is for the men and the second one is for the women.

How the USGA do the rating

It requires a long time processing. USGA tracks more than 100 rounds of game in a single course of different tees both of the bogey golfers and scratch golfers. Be keeping all the information in the computer database, they do the actual calculation.

What is a course rating?

Course rating is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a golf course to a golfer who averages even par on a round of 18. For instance, a course rating of 72 would portend that a "scratch golfer" would shoot 72 on that particular course.

What is the slope of a golf course?

Course slope is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a course in relation to a golfer who averages a bogey on every hole, and therefore, averages 18-over par on any given round.

What does slope mean in golf?

Course slope is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a course in relation to a golfer who averages a bogey on every hole, and therefore, averages 18-over par on any given round. For instance, a course with a slope of 90 would indicate that an even-par golfer would shoot 72, while a golfer who bogeyed every hole would shoot 90.

What is a golfer's handicap?

Handicap is a number assigned to a golfer, indicating the number of strokes over par they are on an average round of golf. For instance, a golfer with an 18 handicap would typically shoot 18-over par during a round of 18 holes. On a course with a course rating of 72, this golfer would be expected to shoot 90.

What is the average slope rating for golf courses?

The United States Golf Association established the average slope rating to 113, but it has later increased to about 120 as there aren’t many 18-hole golf courses with slope ratings set that low. As has been observed, most golf courses worldwide have average slope ratings of about 120.

What is USGA rating?

What is USGA Golf Course Rating and Who Rates It? USGA Golf Course Rating is an assessment of the difficulty of a given golf course for scratch golfers. The course rating estimates the scratch golfers’ average scores who played on the golf course under the rating procedure.

1. Scratch golfers vs. bogey golfers

Scratch golfers and bogey golfers differ in many ways. One of those is how far they hit the ball. For rating purposes, the USGA system assumes that scratch golfers fly their drives an average of 225 yards, with 25 yards of roll. They carry their second shots an average of 200 yards, with 20 yards of roll.

2. Distance: the long and short of it

The difficulty of a course depends partly on its length. But yardage alone is not the only measure of how long a course plays. Raters also take into account the firmness of the turf, the strength of the prevailing wind, doglegs, forced carries and elevation.

3. An obstacle course

From the tee box to the pin, golfers have to navigate all kinds of obstacles. Course raters scrutinize each and every one of those humps and bumps and hazards, on every hole of every course they evaluate.

image