how do you read a golf course rating

by Prof. Charley Bayer DVM Published 3 years ago Updated 2 years ago

How to View a Golf Course Slope Rating Chart in Excel or Word:

Open Excel or Word with the proper type of “File” drop-down menu.
Click the “Fill Out the File Form” button.
Fill out the form to read the slope rating chart.
Take a picture and save it as a PDF.
Print it out. Remember, this slope rating chart is only effective for watching the golf course. This chart cannot be...

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.

Full Answer

How do I find out how good a golf course is?

visit the course's website, which, ideally, will list the course ratings. Or visit the USGA's National Course Rating Database, which allows golfers to search online for a golf course's course/slope ratings.

What is the course rating in golf?

The Course Rating is the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a golf course for the scratch player (0 handicap.) It is used in conjunction with the Bogey Rating, (the difficulty of the course for a bogey player of 20-24 handicap) to determine the Slope Rating. The Slope Rating will determine a player’s Course Handicap.

Is the golf course slope better than the course rating?

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).

How to read a golf score card?

How to read a golf score card: All the information you need to fully understand and make use of its contents, and then fill it out correctly. On first glance, a golf score card contains a bamboozling assortment of numbers across a multi-coloured grid plus a selection of obscure looking instructions.

How do you read golf ratings?

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.

What does the rating of a golf course mean?

The Course Rating is designed to assign a numerical value to represent the difficulty of the course for a scratch golfer. This number is calculated by measuring the fairways, inspecting the bunkers, measuring the size and contours of the greens, determining the distance to hazards and out of bounds locations, etc.

How do you read a slope rating on a golf course?

The Course Rating is a number, close to par for the course, and is expressed with a single decimal digit. For example: If par for a course is 72, it's Course Rating might be 71.4. Rating values go up with difficulty.

What is a good rating for a golf course?

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; and 74.5 at the more difficult one.

What does a slope rating of 130 mean?

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

What does r4 mean in golf?

Round 4 Scoring Average | PGA TOUR Stats.

What is a difficult slope rating in golf?

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.

How do you use slope rating?

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.

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

What's the difference between slope and rating in golf?

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 golf course has the highest slope rating?

(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.

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 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.

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 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 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 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 ...

Introduction – Golf course slope rating chart

Using a Slope Rating Chart to Estimate Golf Course Slope A Golf Course Sinking Index, or GSIs, is the aggregate slope factor on a golf course, as opposed to a single Grade Point Average (GPA) for the golf course, also called the wind factor.

Slope chart golf

slope chart golf, like most other sports, relies heavily on the strength and accuracy of one’s swing. The complexity of the game increases significantly when you add the other players and terrain obstacles to the equation.

Golf slope rating charts

Golf is a sport that has been around for centuries. Whether you’re just starting out or have years of experience, this can help you figure out which clubs are best suited to your needs.

What is a USGA rating?

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.

How often should USGA courses be updated?

USGA Course Ratings should be updated (through a re-rating) every 10 years (or in five years for a newly built course), and when a course undergoes renovations that result in significant changes.

Why should tees be rated separately for men and women?

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. For example, the forward tees might be rated 67.5 for men and 71.5 for women. The ratings are determined when a golf course requests to be rated (and pays the fee).

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.

What is slope in golf?

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 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 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 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 is Course Rating?

How is Course Rating Calculated?

Course Rating and Bogey Rating are calculated using the USGA Course Rating System. The Course Rating System is extremely objective and takes into account all the factors that affect the playing difficulty of a course.

How Does Course Rating Affect Handicap?

Course Rating and Slope Rating affect Course Handicap. Each player with a WHS Handicap Index will play off a different Course Handicap at different venues, and off different tees, depending on the Slope Rating. Course Handicap is calculated by dividing Slope Rating by 113 and multiplying by Handicap Index.

What is the Average Course Rating?

There’s not really such a thing as an average Course Rating but there is an average, or standard, Slope Rating – the difference between Course Rating and Bogey Rating multiplied by a predetermined value – The average or standard Slope Rating is 113.

So How Is A Course Rating Calculated?

Practically every golf course participates in a USGA Handicap System, which is responsible for rating each set of tees, such as the back, middle and front tees.

How Can I Find A Course Rating?

Each golf course should have the rating on the scorecard, and it if doesn’t, you can:

How Does Course Rating Affect the USGA Handicap System

The whole Handicap system is dependent on the golf course ratings. As the USGA course rating is the standard upon which the system of Handicap has been built. A golfer plays to his handicaps when the net score is equal to the course rating.

The Ratings Are Used Beyond USGA

One would think the course rating is bound to the USGA, but that is not true. This course rating system is used all over the world with various golf authorities.

Golf Course Ratings Explained

Now that you have come to understand the principles of golf course ratings, you are well on your way to becoming a better golfer the moment you step to the green once again.

Who determines the slope rating of a golf course?

The USGA evaluates many elements of a golf course to determine its Course Rating. Course and slope ratings are calculated by the United States Golf Association. In fact, the USGA trademarks and licenses its USGA Course Rating and USGA Course Slope Rating to the Royal Canadian Golf Association -- countries other than America ...

What is a course rating?

A Course Rating measures the difficulty of a golf course and is a crucial component in determining a player's handicap. The Slope Rating measures the difficulty of a golf course for a bogey golfer. The Course Rating and the Slope Rating typically are printed on the scorecard for a golf course.

How many yards does a scratch golfer hit?

A typical scratch golfer, as defined by the USGA, hits 250-yard drives and can reach a 470-yard hole in two strokes. A typical female scratch golfer hits drives 210 yards and can reach a 400-yard hole in two strokes.