what is a gold course slope

What is a slope rating on a golf course?

A golf course's slope rating is a mathematical representation of the course's difficulty. USGA par rating is taken into account as well as the projected score of a higher handicap player when calculating the course's Slope rating. In order to calculate the men's slope rating, multiply the difference between the two numbers by 5.381.

What is the average slope of an 18 hole golf course?

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.

How do you calculate slope on a golf course?

Slope (men) = 5.381 x (bogey rating – USGA course rating) Slope (women) = 4.24 x (bogey rating – USGA course rating) So, once the golf course is rated, the bogey rating and the scratch rating are determined for each set of tees, leading to determining the slope number. What is USGA Golf Course Rating and Who Rates It?

What is the difference between a handicap and a course slope?

Handicaps, and course rating and course slope go hand-in-hand. 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.

What is the average slope of 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 mean in golf?

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 is slope determined on a 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. The difference between the two multiplied by 5.381 is the calculation used to determine the mens slope rating for a golf course.

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.

What is the slope of Augusta National?

137Augusta National Golf ClubClub informationLength7,510 yards (6,870 m)Course rating78.1 (unofficial)Slope rating137 (unofficial)Course record63 - Nick Price (1986), Greg Norman (1996)17 more rows

How does slope 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 does a slope rating of 130 mean?

From Tom's tees, a slope of 130 gives him a 12 Course Handicap.

What is the difference between course rating and slope?

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.

How do you calculate golf handicap and 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 tees should a 20 handicap play?

Championship/ Back tees are for lower handicapped golfers; most often men. Member/ Middle tees are for middle to higher handicapped male golfers, low-handicap or long hitting ladies, and low-handicap or long-hitting senior men.

What is considered low handicap in golf?

What is Considered a Low Handicap. Low handicaps are those that have an index from 1 to around 10. These golfers may have one of two bad holes in a round, but they typically keep their score close to par. A low handicapper player will rarely have a maximum score of 80 or higher.

What tees should I play based on driver distance?

A general rule of thumb to determine which tee box is right for you is if you hit your driver under 200 yards, play from the closest tee. If you hit from 200-225 the next farthest tee, and so on. When you are hitting 275+ accurately you should be playing the farthest tees back.

What is slope in golf?

The golf course slope is a measure of a course's difficulty, but it is not considered the better of the two measurements. Golf course slope is actually derived from the golf course rating. Slope is a measure of a golf course's difficulty in a relative comparison of a scratch golfer to a bogey golfer (someone who shoots around 90 for 18 holes).

What does a course rating tell you?

A golf course rating tells you what a scratch golfer would be expected to shoot from the tees they're playing on a particular course under normal conditions. The rating is different for men and women.

How many yards can a scratch golfer hit?

A male scratch golfer, for rating purposes, can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots.". A scratch woman can "can hit tee shots an average of 210 yards and can reach a 400-yard hole in two shots at sea level.".

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 the average slope rating for 18 holes of golf?

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

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 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.

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 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 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.

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 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?

The average slope rating is 120, according to Dean Knuth, also known as “the pope of slope,” the man who invented the system in 1982. In conclusion, course ratings and slope ratings are useful and objective measures of golf course difficulty.

What is scratch golf?

And what is a scratch golfer? According to the USGA, a scratch golfer is a man or woman who can play to a course handicap of zero on all rated golf courses. In others words, he or she can shoot a score that nearly matches the course rating from his or her designated tees.

How many yards can a female scratch golfer hit?

A female scratch golfer can hit 210-yard tee shots on average and reach a 400-yard hole, at sea level, in two shots. Meanwhile, the USGA says bogey golfers have a course handicap of 20 for men and 24 for women on golf courses of standard difficulty. Average yards off the tee are 200 for men and 150 for women.

What makes golf different from other sports?

One thing that makes golf different than other sports is the “playing field.”. Whether long or short, hilly or flat, no two golf courses are alike. And while they’re all challenging in their own way, some golf courses are harder than others. In fact, some courses are like childhood bullies who will steal your lunch money ...

How often do golf courses need to be rerated?

Plus, courses change, which is why they must be re-rated at least every 10 years.

What is USGA rating?

“A USGA Course Rating is the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions. It is expressed as the number of strokes taken to one decimal place (72.5), and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the scratch golfer.”

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.