How hard is the difficulty of your golf reviews?
About 35% of our reviews have a difficulty rating, giving us more than 350,000 ratings dating back to September of 2012. Our community's skill level in golf is pretty reflective of the overall avid, amateur golf population: The resulting 50 courses include watery southeast courses, undulating mountain courses and tactical desert courses.
What are the difficulty levels for golf holes on a course?
The difficulty levels for golf holes ascertained on a golf course through handicap system. In a handicap system, each hole is assigned a level of difficulty from 1 to 18 number. While playing golf, the golfer who has higher handicap receives handicap stroke equal to the difference between his opponent and handicap.
How are golf courses rated?
Golf courses are rated based on the measured length of the course from each set of tees. The measured length of a particular set of tees is taken from the permanent marker to the center of the green. Accurate permanent marker placement is essential to an accurate course rating.
What is the difference between golf course slope and difficulty?
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.
What does a slope rating of 130 mean?
From Tom's tees, a slope of 130 gives him a 12 Course Handicap.
How do you tell which golf hole is hardest?
The stroke index is a method of ranking the holes on each nine of a golf course from hardest to easiest. The front nine holes are assigned odd numbers from 1 to 17, while the back nine holes are assigned even numbers from 2 to 18, with a lower number signifying a more difficult hole.
How do I find out the slope rating of a golf course?
It is always a number between 55 and 155, with 113 being the "standard" slope. You calculate slope rating by finding the bogey rating, which is like the course rating, but measured for a bogey golfer. Then subtract the course rating from that figure. Then multiply that figure by 5.381 for men and 4.24 for women.
Is a 70 course rating hard?
So, while the par for a particular course might be 72, a course rating of 70.1 would indicate that a scratch golfer should be almost two under par on average. This indicates that the course is actually easier than an average course and allows the player to factor this difficulty into their handicap (and their ego).
Are higher handicap holes harder?
1 handicap hole often is not the most difficult hole on a course. The No. 1 handicap hole is the hole where the higher handicap player is most likely to need a stroke for an equalizer. If a low-handicap golfer is just as likely to make bogey as a high-handicapper, a stroke isn't needed.
What is the easiest hole on a golf course?
The 12th hole is the easiest of the course. It's a par four and is 373 yards. Most get to the green in two, setting up a simple putt for a birdie.
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.
How do I find out my course handicap?
To get your Course Handicap, you must look at the conversion table on the 1st tee of each golf course you tee it up on. It will be your Handicap Index multiplied by the course's Slope Rating divided by 113 - you don't need to remember this as there will be an easy converter document on the 1st tee.
What is my handicap 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.
How do you read a golf course rating?
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.
What does r4 mean in golf?
Round 4 Scoring Average | PGA TOUR Stats.
What is a good golf course rating?
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.
Course Rating
Course rating is one of the foundations of the golfing handicap system. Without course rating, players wouldn't be able to post scores or maintain a handicap index.
Many Many Features
The features of a golf course that the course rating team have to measure include:
Thousands of Figures
There are generally a set of 26 evaluations applied to each set of tees on each individual hole.
Taking Stimps
In order to work out the speed of a putting green, a simple tool called a Stimpmeter is used.
Now for Some Algebra
If you cast your mind back to your High School algebra classes (sorry...but this bit is important!) you will remember that the slope of a line is a function of its length and its height.
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 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).
Which state has the most difficult golf courses?
Hawaii has the most difficult courses, followed by Nevada and Florida. As you may recall from our previous study, Ohio has the best golfers, but since its absence from the Top 20 for difficulty suggests its courses could be of below average difficulty. The length of a golf course is an important factor in scoring.
Does 18 hole golf include par 3?
Keep in mind that this data is for 18 hole course only. It does not include Par 3 courses.
What does slope rating mean in golf?
Simply put, Course Rating tells the best golfers how hard a golf course actually plays; 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.
What is slope rating?
So, Slope Rating is a term trademarked by the USGA that indicates the measurement of the relative playing difficulty of a course for Bogey Golfers, compared to Scratch Golfers.
What is a scratch golfer?
A male Scratch Golfer is a player who can play to a course handicap of zero on any and all rated golf courses. 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 at sea level. A female Scratch Golfer is a player who can play to a course handicap ...
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.
How many holes are there in golf?
All regular golf courses have 18 holes. Generally there are 10 four par holes, 4 five par holes and 4 three par holes. This makes a total of 72 shots for a par round ( (10x4)+ (5x4)+ (3x4))=72. However some courses due to paucity of space have less longer holes and more 3 par holes.
What is a course rating?
The USGA defines a Course Rating as "the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers under normal course and weather conditions.". Since not many golfers are scratch (essentially a handicap of 0), there is a second rating for the course, called the Slope Rating.
What is the handicap of a bogey golfer?
It is a whole number between 55 and 155 that indicates how difficult a course will be for a bogey golfer (basically a handicap of 20) compared to a scratch golfer. The higher the number the more challenging a course will be for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer.
How many handicaps are there on a nine hole golf course?
Obviously a nine-hole course only has handicaps of 1 through 9, while an 18 hole course has 1 through 18, with the odd number handicaps being assigned (there are exceptions) to the front (first played) nine and the even number handicaps being assigned to holes on the back (second played) nine.
What are the two types of handicaps?
First off, there are 2 types of handicaps for a course. There are: Stroke Handicaps. Stroke handicaps are where handicap strokes are given based on the general “hardness” of the holes. On my course, holes 12, 15, & 17 are the hardest holes on the cou.
What is the average score on a par 5?
On the PGA tour, the average score on a par 5 for an entire tournament might be 4.5 strokes. ON AVERAGE players shoot 1/2 stroke under par on that hole.
Is a par 3 hard?
For example a par 3 that is over 200m in length would be considered hard and usually than a 125 m par 3 would be considered easy. Although if the green is small and surrounded by bunkers it may prove harder. Similarly a par 4 hole that is over 400m would be considered hard and par 5’s over 550m are considered hard.
What is the hardest hole in golf?
The hardest hole on a golf course is often the longest par 4, but that's not always the case. Sometimes, it can be a particularly long par 5. Sometimes it's a longer, but not the longest, par 4. It could be the hole with the most hazards and trouble for players.
How many strokes are there in an 18 hole golf match?
The strokes for an 18-hole match are divided between the nines, with an odd number of strokes giving that player an extra shot on one of the nine-hole sides. For example, if a player gets 13 strokes, they get a stroke on the holes ranked No. 1-13 in handicap, meaning they get seven strokes on the odd-numbered side and six on the even-numbered side. ...
How many holes are odd numbered handicap holes?
But setting up the handicap of holes on a golf course completely depends on identifying the toughest hole. From there, they decide all other eight holes on that side of the course are odd-numbered handicap holes, figuring out the relative difficulty of the other eight holes on that side and doling out the No.
Do golf courses have separate handicap holes?
Course typically offer separate handicap hole rankings for men and women, though that's not required by the USGA. The USGA recommends courses allocate the odd numbers on the front and the even numbers on the back, unless the back nine is decidedly more difficult than the front. They also recommend not allocating the lower handicap numbers -- i.e., ...
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 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 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 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;
How are golf courses rated?
Golf courses are rated based on the measured length of the course from each set of tees. The measured length of a particular set of tees is taken from the permanent marker to the center of the green.
What is the slope number of a golf course?
The Slope number for a golf course actually tells you how difficult the golf course is for a bogey player (17.5 - 22.4 Handicap Index for a male golfer) compared to a scratch player. 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 many yards does a scratch golfer hit?
Amateur Championship. On average, he hits his tee shot 225 yards in the air with 25 yards of roll. His second shot travels 200 yards in the air with 20 yards of roll.
How many yards can a bogey golfer hit in 2 shots?
Therefore, the bogey golfer can reach a 370 yard hole in 2 shots and a scratch golfer can reach a 470 yard hole in 2 shots. There are five playing-length factors that are considered for each hole: roll, elevation, wind, dogleg/forced lay-ups, and altitude.
How far should a marker be from the teeing area?
At no time should a permanent marker be less than two yards from the front of a teeing area or less than four yards from the back of a teeing area.
How long does it take for a golf course to re-rate?
The MGA is required to re-rate a golf course within a 10-year period. All newly constructed golf courses often change due to their maturity.
What is the MGA course rating department?
The MGA Course Rating Department also provides clubs with a course measuring service as part of their membership. This service is available regardless of whether your course is new, existing, or if changes have been made.