what does the slope rating of a golf course mean

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.

How do you calculate slope in golf?

• Hole 3, Par 4, it is one of the most famous holes of the Portuguese Golf, with view to the Atlantic Ocean, its picture was used for many years to ...
• Hole 4, Par 3, played over a natural ravine to a quite demanding Green.
• Hole 13, Par 3, you play over a big lake to an elevated green well protected with 4 bunkers.

More items...

What does slope rating mean in golf?

What is slope rating

• The slope rating is always going to be a two or three-digit integer.
• According to the USGA, the slope rating is going to be between 55 and 155.
• The average slope rating is 113, which is according to the USGA, the standard one.
• Slope rating is also measured by keeping the perspective of different tees. ...

How is course rating calculated?

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.

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.

What is a good slope for a golf 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 does slope rating tell you?

Q. What is a Slope Rating® and what does it represent? A. Playing length and obstacles impact higher-handicap players more than lower-handicap players, and Slope Rating measures the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to those who are scratch players.

How does slope rating affect handicap?

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!

What is the slope rating of Augusta National?

137Augusta National Golf ClubClub informationPar72Length7,510 yards (6,870 m)Course rating78.1 (unofficial)Slope rating137 (unofficial)17 more rows

What is the difference between course rating and slope rating?

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 tees should I play based on my handicap?

The middle tees are for middle to high handicap men, low-handicap or long-hitting women, and low-handicap or long-hitting senior men. The forward tees are for middle or high handicap women and seniors, and beginners of all stripes.

What is the slope rating of Pebble Beach?

145Pebble Beach Golf LinksClub informationPar72 (71 - U.S. Open)Length7,075 yards (6,469 m)Course rating75.5 (U.S. Open)Slope rating14516 more rows

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.

What percentage of golfers can break 90?

According to data from the National Golf Foundation, only 26 percent of all golfers shoot below 90 consistently on regulation 18-hole courses; 45 percent of all golfers average more than 100 strokes per round.”

What is the handicap of a bogey golfer?

17.5 to 22.4 strokesBogey Golfer-A player with a USGA Handicap Index of 17.5 to 22.4 strokes for men and 21.5 to 26.4 for women. Under normal situations the male bogey golfer can hit his tee shot 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two shots.

How do you calculate handicap with slope?

Handicap differential = (Adjusted Gross Score-rating of the course) X 113 / Course slope ratings. The course rating is simply the scores of a new golfer on a normal course under a normal playing condition. Slope rating is the rating of 113 for a course based on the standard difficulty.

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 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 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 does slope rating mean on a golf course?

The slope rating of a golf course is a mathematical measure of the difficulty of the golf course. Slope rating takes into account the USGA par rating of the course as well as the expected score of a higher handicap golfer.

What is an easy slope rating?

Now that we know that a slope rating is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course, you are probably wondering how you can interpret a golf course’s slope rating. The first thing many golfers do when they arrive at the golf course is check the score card for the slope rating. Most scorecards will have the slope rating printed on them.

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. Be sure to check the slope rating for all of the tee boxes.

What is the slope rating at River Landing Country Club?

If you are planning on playing golf at River Landing Country Club in Wallace, NC here are the slope ratings that you can expect.

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 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 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 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 does slope number mean in golf?

Thus, the slope number converts a golfer’s handicap into a course handicap. In this way, it is made sure that a bogey golfer is allowed to play at an equal level to a scratch golfer, and it helps them obtain enough strokes from the same set of tees. This is the mathematical formula of how it is derived:

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.

How many strokes does a par 72 golf course have?

It is expressed in strokes, so an easy par-72 golf course could have a 68.9 course rating, while the more difficult one is likely to have a rating of 74.5. In other words, an average golfer should expect to play 68.9 strokes when the course playing difficulty is rated ‘easy,’ while on a challenging course, the same golfer is expected ...

When did the slope rating start?

USGA introduced the slope rating measurement in the 1980s as a system of fairness directed to bogey players. Namely, they observed that a bogey golfer is likely to increase the number of strokes considerably more when playing on a course with a higher level of difficulty than a scratch golfer. This led to creating a slope handicap system ...

Do golf courses affect the slope number?

Yes, they do. However, the course rating impacts the golfer’s index considerably more than the slope number. It often happens that players become too focused on the slope number while ignoring the golf course number.

Golf Course Slope Rating

The first use of slope is essentially a measure of how difficult a course is relative to others. You might be playing on a par 72, but that doesn’t make it as much of a challenge as say, Augusta National and its par 72. A slope number simply allows you to know, at least to some extent, what the difference really is.

How is Golf Course Slope Calculated?

Well this is all well and good, but how is this number calculated? Well technically, the number represents how much more difficult a given set of tees is for a bogey player in relation to scratch handicapper. You might think that this difference is fairly constant, but that isn’t the case at all.

Who Rates the Course?

There is obviously a deal of subjectivity in this rating. After all, golf isn’t an exact science.

Rangefinder Golf Slope Explained

This might seem relatively straightforward, at least in theory, but this is when we hit problem. Slope is also used to mean something completely different. Confusing, right? Slope is part of a variable when calculating distance as I explained in another article.

Calculating Distance with Slope

This is where our second definition of slope comes into play. You may have heard of a slope function on a rangefinder. This gives you an adjusted yardage based on the difference in elevation between where you are and where you want to go by using some fancy tech to essentially give an angle up or down which is used to adjust the distance.

What is slope rating?

Slope Rating is a measurement of the difficulty of a particular course for bogey golfers, relative to the course rating. Again, slope values will increase with difficulty – try to stick to the lower course and slope ratings if you’re an average Joe. The main idea of slope ratings is to level the playing field for players of different skill levels.

Why is a course rating higher?

A course rating will be higher in value if the course is more difficult. You’ll notice on a scorecard a few course ratings, which correspond to the different tees. Essentially, the course rating is the number estimated to be the average scores of half of the best rounds played at that 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 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 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.