what is the difference between slope and rating on a golf course

by Sigrid Hickle 6 min read

  • 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. ...

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.Jul 15, 2018

Full Answer

What golf course has the highest slope rating?

Dec 01, 2021 · What Is Slope Vs Rating In Golf? The course rating is a measure of how difficult a course is for a high handicap golfer, while the slope rating is a measure of how difficult a course is for a low handicap golfer. A scratch golfer should be able to play both courses that each have a 72 rating, for example.

What does slope and course rating mean in golf?

The course rating is an estimated average score for a scratch golfer. It’s usually a number between 67 and 77. Slope Rating is also an estimated average, but it’s for what an average or bogey golfer would shoot on that course. Let’s take a look at slope rating in action: Jane and Alice both shoot 85. Jane is playing on a course with a ...

How do you calculate slope in golf?

“A Slope Rating is the USGA® mark that indicates the measurement of the relative playing difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers, compared to scratch golfers. It is computed from the difference between the Bogey Rating and the USGA Course Rating times a constant factor and is expressed as a whole number from 55 to 155.”

What does golf course rating mean?

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 rating is 55 and …

What does slope and rating mean 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. Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be.Feb 11, 2022

How do you use course rating and slope?

Multiply the difference between course rating and bogey rating according to gender. For male golfers, multiply the difference by 5.381; for women, multiply it by 4.24 and round to the nearest whole number. This is the slope rating.May 7, 2020

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.May 11, 2016

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.

Is a higher slope rating more difficult?

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.

How does course slope affect handicap?

So what is Slope? 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.

What is a difficult Slope Rating?

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 is the Slope Rating of St Andrews?

113A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113.Oct 27, 2020

What is the highest Slope Rating golf course?

KIAWAH ISLAND / S.C. / 7,356 YARDS / PAR 72 (Eight of our top 50 were created by the man they call the "Marquis de Sod.") The Ocean has the highest combination of Slope Rating (155) and Course Rating (79.6) in America, according to the U.S. Golf Association.Jul 2, 2007

What is the difference between rating and slope?

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.

What does a slope rating of 130 mean?

From Tom's tees, a slope of 130 gives him a 12 Course Handicap. Mary gets one stroke PLUS the difference between the course ratings, or 73.2 - 71.1 = 2.1. Rounded to the nearest whole number (. 5 or more is rounded up).

How do you calculate handicap and slope rating?

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 slope rating of a golf course?

Course and slope rating are both used in determining a handicap differential. The course rating is an estimated average score for a scratch golfer. It’s usually a number between 67 and 77. Slope Rating is also an estimated average, but it’s for what an average or bogey golfer would shoot on that course. Let’s take a look at slope rating in action:

What is slope rating?

Slope Rating [Infographic] A golf course’s slope rating is listed on their score card, along with the par for that course and the course rating. These numbers are intended to help golfers determine the difficulty of the course. Course and slope rating are both used in determining a handicap differential.

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 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 ...

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.

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.”

Where is Neil Sagebiel?

Neil Sagebiel is a golf writer and author of two golf books published by St. Martin's Press, THE LONGEST SHOT and DRAW IN THE DUNES. He lives in Floyd, Virginia.

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 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.

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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 wit…
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Why Have Two numbers?

  • As you may have figured out already, golf is a difficult game and contains a very wide range of golfers, each with very different levels of skill. In the mid 80’s the USGA started to catch on to this big divide between scratch or professional golfers and mid to high handicap golfers. It turns out that that statistically, no matter how easy or hard a course is, scratch golfers will almost always …
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Ratings and Updates

  • While the course and slope ratings of a golf course are unlikely to change dramatically, they are usually re-evaluated every 4-5 years. This is mostly due to the fact that courses change slowly over time. While small trees may have been planted when a course opened, as they continue to grow they can start to affect play on the course in different ways. Similarly, additional features s…
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Wrap-Up

  • Although it might not be the most pressing matter for some golfers, understanding how course and slope ratings work is sure to only help you understand the game better in the long run. At the very least, it’s something to think about while you’re comparing the different courses you’ve played throughout the year; hopefully, you’re looking back at some low scores on a really challenging co…
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