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 the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played as course rating does). The higher the slope, the more …
A golf course slope is a USGA designated rating number that indicates the difficulty of a specific course for bogey golfers. This number is used to calculate a player’s handicap index. The value is between 55 and 155, and the average standard slope number ranges from 113 to 120.
The slope rating takes into account that the bogey golfer’s score will likely rise quicker than a scratch golfer’s score on a more difficult golf course. 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.
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
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.
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.
Course Rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a “par” or scratch golfer. For example, if a course has a par of 72, the Course Rating might be 71.4. This is the score the scratch golfer is expected to shoot on the course. The number goes up with the difficulty of the course.Aug 13, 2015
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
A course with a Slope Rating of 135 is not necessarily more difficult than a course with a Slope Rating of 113. You can't compare a golf course's difficulty from the Slope Rating alone.Jun 18, 2015
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.
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.
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).
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
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 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.
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.
“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.”
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 ...
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.
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.
This scorecard shows the course rating (first number) and slope rating (second number) for each set of tees at a course.
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.
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.
Changes in green roll, topography, or other obstacles can dramatically change the difficulty of a hole or course.
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.