what does course rating and slope

The Importance of Course And Slope Rating

• Calculating Handicaps. The slope rating is used when you are calculating your handicap; the course rating is used to develop a handicap index.
• Comparing One Course To Another. The concept of the USGA course rating system is to help ensure that you can play any golf course and have a good idea of ...
• Playing Golf Courses Other Than Your Home Course. ...

Full Answer

What does course rating and course slope really mean?

While course ratings are a measure of the difficulty of a course, slope ratings are a measure of how much more difficult a course is for a high handicap golfer versus a lower one. For example, if you have two courses that each have a course rating of 72, they should be the same difficulty for a scratch golfer.

What does slope rating really mean for a golf course?

The slope rating of a golf course is a measure of its difficulty for bogey golfers. The term comes from the likelihood that when playing on more difficult courses, players’ scores will rise more quickly than their handicaps would predict. The “slope rating” of a course thus predicts that rise.

Which golf course has the highest slope rating?

• Red Ledges Golf Club (Heber, UT), 151 slope
• Royal Isabela (Isabela, PR), 151 slope
• Sebonack Golf Club (Southampton, NY), 151 slope
• Pronghorn Golf Club (Nicklaus) (Bend, OR), 151 slope
• Old Corkscrew Golf Course (Estero, FL), 151 slope

What is slope rating do you typically play from?

While the course rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer, the slope rating, by contrast, indicates how difficult the course should be for a bogey golfer (or someone who averages +18 for 18 holes). Also unlike course rating, slope values can range from 55 to 155 with 113 being the average.

What do course ratings and slope mean?

Slope rating (a term trademarked by the United States Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating. Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be.

Is course rating the same as slope rating?

Course Ratings represent the difficulty of a golf course for the scratch player under normal conditions. Slope Ratings represent the difference in difficulty for all other players, compared to the scratch player. Course Ratings are carried out by qualified teams, and assume normal course and weather conditions.

How does course rating and slope affect handicap?

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 do course ratings mean?

What is a "Course Rating"? The quick answer is that it's a single number indicating the difficulty of a golf course to an expert golfer, a "par golfer". The figure is used when calculating handicaps. The Course Rating is a number, close to par for the course, and is expressed with a single decimal digit.

Is a 130 slope rating hard?

If you see a slope rating that falls anywhere in the double digits, you can expect that course to play rather easy, even for a bogey golfer. On the other hand, taking on a course with a slope rating in the 130's or 140's is going to present a serious challenge to a player with a mid or high handicap.

Is 122 slope rating hard?

What is a hard slope rating? If we know that the average slope rating of a golf course is 113, we can deduce that any golf course with a slope rating higher than 113 is more difficult than the average course. Don't be intimidated if you see a slope rating that is above 113.

What percentage of golfers can break 100?

Certainly, golfers who struggle to break 100 — it has been estimated that fewer than 25 percent of all golfers ever make it — hold little sympathy for the break-90 golfer who whines about shooting 81.

Does higher slope rating mean harder course?

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 handicap golf?

What Is A Good Golf Handicap? A good golf handicap is ten or less. With a handicap index of ten or less, you will generally shoot somewhere around 82. Shooing in the low 80s is better than average but certainly not good enough to be considered a scratch player.

How does slope work in golf?

Slope merely tells you how “proportionately” more difficult that particular set of tees plays for the higher handicapped golfers as opposed to lower handicapped golfers. The more difficult the tees play proportionately for the higher handicappers, the greater the Slope rating that will be issued. That's it!

How is a golf course rating and slope determined?

Slope ratings are calculated as a multiple of the difference between the expected good score for a bogey golfer (handicap in the range 20 to 24), called the bogey rating, and the expected good score for a scratch golfer (zero handicap), called the USGA Course Rating.

How do you find the slope and rating of a golf course?

It is always a number between 55 and 155, with 113 being the "standard" slope. You calculate slope rating by finding the bogey rating, which is like the course rating, but measured for a bogey golfer. Then subtract the course rating from that figure. Then multiply that figure by 5.381 for men and 4.24 for women.

What is slope rating?

Slope rating (a term trademarked by the United States Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating. 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 ...

What is the minimum slope rating for a golf course?

The minimum slope rating is 55 and the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played as course rating does).

What is USGA course rating?

USGA Course Rating is an evaluation of the difficulty of a golf course for scratch golfers. (More specifically, the number is an estimate of the average scores of the best 50-percent of rounds played by scratch golfers at the course being rated.) Course rating is very easy to understand because it is expressed in strokes.

What is the average slope rating for 18 holes of golf?

Some do, but the real-world average is higher than 113 .

What is the average stroke rating of a par 72?

Course rating is very easy to understand because it is expressed in strokes. A par-72 course that is easy might have a course rating of 68.9; one that is difficult might have a course rating of 74.5. That means that a scratch golfer should be expected to average 68.9 strokes in his better rounds at the easier course;

What are the slope and course rating in golf?

While frequently unused by new or casual golfers, slope and course rating are two of golf’s most important, and most commonly confused numbers. These two numbers might be a seemingly random arrangement of numbers on your scorecard, but in reality , they are two of the great equalizers in the game of golf.

How often are golf course slope ratings re-evaluated?

While the course and slope ratings of a golf course are unlikely to change dramatically, they are usually re-evaluated every 4-5 years.

What is a course rating?

The simple answer is, a course rating is a number that indicates what a scratch golfer (a golfer that averages par for a round) should shoot on this particular course. So, while the par for a particular course might be 72, a course rating of 70.1 would indicate that a scratch golfer should be almost two under par on average.

What is the slope rating of a bogey golfer on a course?

However, if bogey-golfers on course A averages a score of 90 while bogey-golfers on course B average a score of 95 the slope rating for course B would be higher than for course A; indicating a higher level of difficulty for higher handicap players.

What Is Course Rating?

A golf course rating is a number that tells you what a scratch golfer should be shooting at that golf course. Scratch golfers are known for their ability to shoot par on a golf course. However, not all golf courses are made to be the same difficult.

What Is Slope Rating?

The slope rating is a number that indicates how challenging a golf course is for a bogey golfer. Of course, nothing in golf is quite that simple, so the slope rating is not as easy to figure out as the course rating. When we looked at the course rating, you saw that the number kind of coincided with what par is on the course.

The Importance of Course And Slope Rating

Now that you have a better understanding of what course and slope ratings are, it’s a good idea to try and understand the importance of these numbers. The slope rating and course rating can be used for several different reasons that help make the game of golf fair and fun for everyone involved.

Frequently Asked Questions

Now that you have a bit more understanding of the slope rating and course rating, here are a few of the questions that are often asked about this process. Don’t feel bad if you don’t fully understand the USGA handicap system. There is quite a bit involved in this, and sometimes it takes a while to get used to the concepts.

Conclusion

Hopefully, you now understand the concept of course and slope rating. This is not something that you will need to fully understand to play well the next time you hit the course. However, it is good to have an overall awareness of how these systems work.

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 is a golf 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. Meanwhile, a golfer with a 20 handicap would be expected to shoot 92 on this same course.

What is course slope?

Course Slope is a creation of The United States Golf Association and has been licensed to the Royal Canadian Golf Association. Courses outside of the United States and Canada (and their protectorates) will probably not have a Slope rating.

What is a course rating?

The Course Rating is a number, close to par for the course, and is expressed with a single decimal digit. For example: If par for a course is 72, it's Course Rating might be 71.4. Rating values go up with difficulty. Actually, for any given golf course, you can expect to see three (or even more) values for the Course Rating.

Is Course 3 a bogey course?

But Course 3 is extra difficult for bogey golfers. Perhaps this is a very long course, one that won't faze professionals. But the added length may prove too much for the typical bogey golfer. When we look at their scores, we find that the average is close to 92.

Is slope a measure of difficulty?

The Slope is actually not a measure of a course's difficulty. That's the responsibility of The Rating figure. The Slope is a measure of how much difference a course's difficulty is for the average bogey golfer compared to the scratch golfer. Allow us to illustrate what this means.

What is slope rating in golf?

Slope rating (a term trademarked by the United States Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating.

What is the minimum slope rating for 18 holes?

The minimum slope rating is 55 and the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played as course rating does). When the slope rating system was first put into effect, the USGA set the slope for an "average" golf course at 113; however, not many 18-hole golf courses have slope ratings that low.

What does USGA course rating mean?

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.

What is the role of slope in golf?

The most important role of a slope is leveling the playing field for players of different skill levels. For example, let's say Player A and Player B average 85 strokes each for 18 holes. But Player A's average is established on a very difficult course (say, a slope rating of 150), while Player B's average is established on a much easier course (say, a slope rating of 105). If handicaps were simply estimates of golfers' average scores, then these two players would have the same handicap index. But Player A is clearly the better golfer, and in a match between the two Player B would clearly need some strokes.

Why is the handicap index lower for A and B?

Because he plays on a course with a higher slope rating, Player A's handicap index will be lower than Player B's (when it is calculated using the slope ratings), despite the fact that they both average scores of 85. So when A and B get together to play, B will get those extra strokes he needs.

What is the slope rating of a golf course?

Every set of tees on every course will have a Slope Rating and those numbers will vary between 55 and 155. The higher the Slope Rating, the greater the difference expected between the scores of those scratch and bogey golfers. A higher rating doesn’t necessarily mean that the course is more difficult than another.

What is slope rating?

Slope Ratings are described by the USGA as indicating the “measurement of the relative playing difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers, compared to scratch golfers”. Every course in the UK is being assessed using a course rating system, which focuses on scratch and bogey golfers.

What does neutral rating mean in golf?

That probably doesn’t sound like much to you, but using that neutral rating means you can compare your WHS handicap index, and your potential, against any golfer in the world – regardless of whether they play at Pebble Beach or Powfoot. When WHS comes into effect, every score returned by every player, from every course, ...

What factors determine slope rating?

England Golf, who are charged with bringing in the WHS in this country, say: “The most significant factors involved in determining Slope Rating are length, trees, rough and water hazards.

How much handicap is a bogey golfer?

A bogey golfer is classed as about a 20 handicapper for a man , and 24 for a woman. The Slope Rating is then created by taking the difference between those two ratings and multiplying it by a predetermined factor. Every set of tees on every course will have a Slope Rating and those numbers will vary between 55 and 155.

What Is A Course Rating?

What Is A Slope Rating?

• While the course rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer, the slope rating, by contrast, indicates how difficult the course should be for a bogey golfer (or someone who averages +18 for 18 holes). Also unlike course rating, slope values can range from 55 to 155 with 113 being the average. Now, although you might be thinking...

See more on thegolfacademy.org

Why Have Two numbers?

Ratings and Updates

Wrap-Up

What Is Course Rating?

What Is Slope Rating?

• The slope rating is a number that indicates how challenging a golf course is for a bogey golfer. Of course, nothing in golf is quite that simple, so the slope rating is not as easy to figure out as the course rating. When we looked at the course rating, you saw that the number kind of coincided with what par is on the course. The bogey rating or sl...

See more on mygolfheaven.com

The Importance of Course and Slope Rating

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion