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.
Full Answer
What is a golf course rating?
(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 makes European golf courses better than American golf courses?
The greens on American courses are flat which makes it easier to putt and read the greens. According to BusinessInsider.com, on European courses, there are a lot of sloping greens. The devilish Royal Birkdale 17th green is typical. Players have to account for not only the break on putts but also the slopes.
How do you check a golf course's slope rating?
check in the clubhouse/pro shop, where the ratings may be posted, or to ask one of the professionals on staff; 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.
How are tees rated on a golf course?
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 do the ratings on a golf course mean?
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.
How are golf course ratings determined?
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 a slope rating of 130 mean?
From Tom's tees, a slope of 130 gives him a 12 Course Handicap.
What is the CR rating for golf course?
The Course Rating (CR) is a number, close to par for the course. It indicates the difficulty of a golf course for a scratch player (0 Handicap Index) under average course conditions and normal weather. CR is expressed as a number with a single decimal digit, for example 71,8.
Is a higher Course Rating harder?
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.
What is the difference between Course Rating and slope 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.
What does a slope rating of 113 mean?
As we said earlier, it forms the base or neutral Slope Rating – a number that indicates a course of standard playing difficulty. That figure, for handicap purposes, is 113. Your WHS handicap index is worked out to one decimal place and that number is calculated against that neutral Slope Rating of 113.
What is the slope at Augusta National?
Augusta National Golf ClubClub informationPar72Length7,510 yards (6,870 m)Course rating78.1 (unofficial)Slope rating137 (unofficial)17 more rows
What is considered a hard 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 a good 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.
What does SR mean golf course?
The Slope Rating is a measure of how much the difficulty of a course increases for the handicap golfer. The Slope Rating determines how many handicap strokes you get from a specific set of tees.
What does r4 mean in golf?
Round 4 Scoring Average | PGA TOUR Stats.
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 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).
