what is usga course rating

by Zita Hessel DVM 10 min read

A course rating indicates the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers and it represents a scratch golfer’s expected score. The higher the slope number, the more difficult the course is for a higher handicap player. USGA slope ratings range from 55 for the easiest courses up to 155.

USGA Course Rating: The evaluation of the overall difficulty of the golf course under normal course and weather conditions for the scratch golfer and is expressed in strokes taken to one decimal point (i.e. 72.6)

Full Answer

How does the USGA course rating system work?

A. A Course Rating represents the score a scratch player, with a Handicap Index of 0.0, should achieve on a golf course under normal course and weather conditions. For example, a Course Rating of 71.8 would equate to a scratch player’s expected score of 72 on a good round. The Course Rating is determined by assessing the effective length of the golf course and the …

How is course rating calculated?

May 04, 2003 · USGA Course Rating is a numerical value given to each set of tee boxes at a golf course to approximate the number of strokes it should take a scratch golfer to complete the course. Course rating is a very important part of the USGA Handicap System and is used in calculating a golfer's handicap index.

What does course rating and course slope really mean?

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 …

How to calculate USGA golf handicap using the formula?

14 rows · The Course Rating is calculated from the effective playing length and obstacle …

What is USGA 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.Mar 31, 2022

How is USGA 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.May 11, 2016

Is course rating the same as Course handicap?

Slope Ratings range from 55 to 155, with the average being 113. 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 index is a bogey golfer?

17.5 to 22.4A bogey golfer, in this use, is a male golfer with a handicap index of 17.5 to 22.4, who hits his drives 200 yards and can reach a 370-yard hole in two and a female golfer with a handicap index of 21.5 to 26.4, who hits her drives 150 yards and can reach a 280-yard hole in two.Sep 15, 2020

What is the average course rating?

113There is a separate slope rating for each of the different tee boxes on the course. The average slope rating of a golf course is typically 113. If the slope of a golf course is less than 113, the course is easier than the average golf course.

How good is a bogey golfer?

A bogey is typically considered to be a fairly bad score on a golf hole, as it is a single stroke above par. However, less experienced golfers may view a bogey as an average score since shooting par is not always an easy task. Bogeys are better than double bogeys, triple bogeys, quadruple bogeys.

What does a Slope Rating of 140 mean?

Slope rating is an indication of how much harder the course gets as one's handicap increases. If an average slope is 115, say, that's a gentle increase. A slope of 140 is an abrupt one, meaning that a 15 handicap will score much higher than the course rating plus 15.Sep 18, 2007

How does Slope Rating affect my handicap?

will generally find more challenges with distance, accuracy and obstacles than the scratch player. and Slope Ratings allow the handicap system to reflect this, enabling golfers of differing abilities to play together and have a fair and enjoyable game.

What is the difference between slope and course 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.Jul 15, 2018

How does the handicap index work?

“A Handicap Index compares a player's scoring ability to the scoring ability of a scratch golfer on a course of standard difficulty. A player posts scores along with the appropriate USGA Course Rating and Slope Rating, and date of each score to make up the scoring record.Oct 11, 2017

How is 9 hole course rating calculated?

The actual calculation is as follows: 9-Hole Score Differential = (Adjusted Gross Score for 9 holes x 113/Slope Rating + second nine par + 0.5 x Course Handicap) – Course Rating.Jul 31, 2019

What the Course Rating Number Means, What It is Used For, How It is Calculated

How difficult is a golf course for a scratch golfer? That's what Course Rating, part of the USGA Handicap System, attempts to measure. Glow Images, Inc/Glow/Getty Images

Course Ratings Are Used Outside the USGA's Territory, Too

Course rating systems are in use around the world by many different golf authorities. For example, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, the handicapping authority known as CONGU issues "Standard Scratch Scores" as a degree-of-difficulty rating for golf courses.

How Is Course Rating Calculated?

Golf courses that participate in the USGA Handicap System are rated for each set of tees at their course (front tees, middle tees and back tees, for example). At least a few of a course's tees should be rated separately for men and for women, because men and women will post different scores playing from the same set of tees.

How Course Rating Is Used in the USGA Handicap System

Rating golf courses is the key to the whole handicap system, the USGA says :

How to Find a Golf Course's USGA Course Rating

Every golf course that has a USGA Course Rating should include those ratings on its scorecard. If it doesn't, a golfer can:

What is an authorized association?

An Authorized Association is responsible for determining and issuing Course Ratings and Slope Ratings for all of the golf courses within its jurisdiction ( see definition of golf course. Golf Course. ). Course Ratings must be reviewed periodically and revised and reissued as necessary.

When must a golf club notify the Authorized Association of changes to the course?

A golf club must notify the Authorized Association when permanent changes are made to a golf course. Permanent changes to the golf course require the Authorized Association to review the current Course Rating and Slope Rating and to determine whether a re-rating is necessary.

What are the obstacles in golf?

These are: topography; fairway; green target; recoverability and rough; bunkers; crossing obstacles; lateral obstacles; trees; green surface and psychology.

What is a bogey rating?

The Bogey Rating represents the expected score for a bogey player. The difference between the Course Rating and the Bogey Rating is used in the determination of the Slope Rating. A golf course of standard relative difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113.

What is the USGA course rating?

England Golf put it very succinctly. It is the “evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions.

How is it calculated?

This is England Golf’s Form 1. It covers all the factors needed to effectively rate just one hole.

Effective playing length

This considers if the hole is really longer or shorter than the actual measured length on the scorecard.

Obstacles

The USGA Course Rating system looks at each landing zone for both scratch and bogey golfers. There’s a designated shot length for men and women. Nearly a dozen different calculations are made on every single hole.

Need more information on the World Handicap System?

Visit our dedicated WHS page where you will find everything you need to know and details of how to contact us if you have any more questions.

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 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).

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What Is The USGA Course Rating?

  • England Golfput it very succinctly. It 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 and is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the scratch golfer”. But I’m not a scratch golfer. So how does it affect me? W…
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How Is It calculated?

  • England Golf have a process they refer to as ‘Form 1’. It covers all the factors needed to effectively rate just one hole. It’s filled with descriptive phrases such as squeeze (when you have the same obstacle on either side of a landing zone), jeopardy (when a player can play away from the obstacle, without causing a disadvantage) and unpleasant (when the obstacle causes an unplea…
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Effective Playing Length

  • This considers if the hole is really longer or shorter than the actual measured length on the scorecard. It looks at the impact of roll and elevation – is a player hitting into raised greens or from fairways where the ball is below the feet? Doglegs and layups are taken into account. How much longer or shorter does a hole play because of the bend? One area where the USGA Course …
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Obstacles

  • The USGA Course Rating system looks at each landing zone for both scratch and bogey golfers. There’s a designated shot length for men and women. Nearly a dozen different calculations are made on every single hole. Topography:How flat is the stance? How easy is it to play the next stroke? Fairways:How wide is it? Is it easy to keep the ball on the fairway? What hazards, rough …
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Need More Information on The World Handicap System?

  • Visit our dedicated WHS pagewhere you will find everything you need to know and details of how to contact us if you have any more questions.
See more on havestixwilltravel.com