- Course and slope rating are both used in determining a handicap differential.
- The course rating is an estimated average score for a scratch golfer. It’s usually a number between 67 and 77.
- Slope Rating is also an estimated average, but it’s for what an average or bogey golfer would shoot on that course.
Full Answer
How do you calculate slope in golf?
- Hole 3, Par 4, it is one of the most famous holes of the Portuguese Golf, with view to the Atlantic Ocean, its picture was used for many years to ...
- Hole 4, Par 3, played over a natural ravine to a quite demanding Green.
- Hole 13, Par 3, you play over a big lake to an elevated green well protected with 4 bunkers.
What is the slope of a golf course?
The slope values can range anywhere from 55 to 155. The average golf course is 113. This may seem like an odd number for a bogey golfer to have to remember and base their golf round off of. The United States Golf Association came up with these systems, and they work pretty well, but there is undoubtedly a learning curve involved.
What is the slope rating of a golf course?
There 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.
What does slope mean in golf?
The slope of a golf course covers the difference in how a golf course plays for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch player. The higher the slope number, the harder the course is for the bogey golfer relative to the scratch player. The slope of a golf course is often misunderstood. Many people think it tells you the difficulty of the course.
What is the average slope of a golf course?
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 does slope mean in golf?
Q. What is a Slope Rating® and what does it represent? A. Playing length and obstacles impact higher-handicap players more than lower-handicap players, and Slope Rating measures the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to those who are scratch players.
What slope should I play golf?
When it Comes to Golf Slope Higher = Harder. As you might suspect, a higher slope rating is going to equate to a more difficult golf course for the average golfer to play. The “standard” or base slope rating is 113, meaning a course that is rated at 113 will play to a standard difficulty level.
How is a golf course slope rating calculated?
Slope Rating is calculated by subtracting the Course Rating from the Bogey Rating and multiplying it by a constant.
What is a good slope rating?
The higher the Slope Rating, the harder the course is for the bogey golfer, relative to the difficulty of the course for the scratch golfer. Slope Ratings can range anywhere between 55 and 155, with the average slope rating in the United States being approximately 120.
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
How does slope affect golf handicap?
Slope merely tells you how “proportionately” more difficult that particular set of tees plays for the higher handicapped golfers as opposed to lower handicapped golfers. The more difficult the tees play proportionately for the higher handicappers, the greater the Slope rating that will be issued. That's it!
What does a slope rating of 130 mean?
From Tom's tees, a slope of 130 gives him a 12 Course Handicap.
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.
What is the difference between golf course rating and slope?
Course rating tells scratch golfers how difficult the golf course will be; slope rating tells bogey golfers how difficult it will be.
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.
What is my course slope rating?
The course's Slope Rating indicates the difficulty of a golf course for a 'bogey' golfer (20 handicapper for a man, 24 for a woman) relative to a scratch player. So essentially, the difference in difficulty of the course between a scratch and bogey player make up the Slope Rating.
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).
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 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 the average slope rating for 18 holes of golf?
Some do, but the real-world average is higher than 113 .
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.
Golf Course Slope Rating
The first use of slope is essentially a measure of how difficult a course is relative to others. You might be playing on a par 72, but that doesn’t make it as much of a challenge as say, Augusta National and its par 72. A slope number simply allows you to know, at least to some extent, what the difference really is.
How is Golf Course Slope Calculated?
Well this is all well and good, but how is this number calculated? Well technically, the number represents how much more difficult a given set of tees is for a bogey player in relation to scratch handicapper. You might think that this difference is fairly constant, but that isn’t the case at all.
Who Rates the Course?
There is obviously a deal of subjectivity in this rating. After all, golf isn’t an exact science.
Rangefinder Golf Slope Explained
This might seem relatively straightforward, at least in theory, but this is when we hit problem. Slope is also used to mean something completely different. Confusing, right? Slope is part of a variable when calculating distance as I explained in another article.
Calculating Distance with Slope
This is where our second definition of slope comes into play. You may have heard of a slope function on a rangefinder. This gives you an adjusted yardage based on the difference in elevation between where you are and where you want to go by using some fancy tech to essentially give an angle up or down which is used to adjust the distance.
What is the role of slope in golf?
The most important role of a slope is leveling the playing field for players of different skill levels. For example, let's say Player A and Player B average 85 strokes each for 18 holes. But Player A's average is established on a very difficult course (say, a slope rating of 150), while Player B's average is established on a much easier course (say, a slope rating of 105). If handicaps were simply estimates of golfers' average scores, then these two players would have the same handicap index. But Player A is clearly the better golfer, and in a match between the two Player B would clearly need some strokes.
What is slope rating in golf?
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.
What does USGA course rating mean?
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.
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.
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.
What is the slope of a golf course?
Course slope is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a course in relation to a golfer who averages a bogey on every hole, and therefore, averages 18-over par on any given round.
What is a golf handicap?
Handicap is a number assigned to a golfer, indicating the number of strokes over par they are on an average round of golf. For instance, a golfer with an 18 handicap would typically shoot 18-over par during a round of 18 holes. On a course with a course rating of 72, this golfer would be expected to shoot 90. Meanwhile, a golfer with a 20 handicap would be expected to shoot 92 on this same course.
What is a course rating?
Course rating is a figure that indicates the difficulty of a golf course to a golfer who averages even par on a round of 18. For instance, a course rating of 72 would portend that a "scratch golfer" would shoot 72 on that particular course.
Myth No. 1 – Slope is the primary indicator of difficulty or, to put it another way, the higher the Slope, the more difficult the course
Wrong! As the above example confirms, it is the Course Rating and not the Slope, which is the more dominant factor in defining course difficulty.
Myth No. 2 – Slope ratings can he compared between courses
Wrong! I wish I had a dollar for every letter, E-mail or phone call I have received criticizing existing ratings on the basis of the Slope only. In short there is nothing more dangerous than trying to draw any sort of meaningful conclusions by comparing Slope Ratings from one course to another.
So what is Slope?
Slope merely tells you how “proportionately” more difficult that particular set of tees plays for the higher handicapped golfers as opposed to lower handicapped golfers. The more difficult the tees play proportionately for the higher handicappers, the greater the Slope rating that will be issued.
What Is Course Rating?
A golf course rating is a number that tells you what a scratch golfer should be shooting at that golf course. Scratch golfers are known for their ability to shoot par on a golf course. However, not all golf courses are made to be the same difficult.
What Is Slope Rating?
The slope rating is a number that indicates how challenging a golf course is for a bogey golfer. Of course, nothing in golf is quite that simple, so the slope rating is not as easy to figure out as the course rating. When we looked at the course rating, you saw that the number kind of coincided with what par is on the course.
The Importance of Course And Slope Rating
Now that you have a better understanding of what course and slope ratings are, it’s a good idea to try and understand the importance of these numbers. The slope rating and course rating can be used for several different reasons that help make the game of golf fair and fun for everyone involved.
Frequently Asked Questions
Now that you have a bit more understanding of the slope rating and course rating, here are a few of the questions that are often asked about this process. Don’t feel bad if you don’t fully understand the USGA handicap system. There is quite a bit involved in this, and sometimes it takes a while to get used to the concepts.
Conclusion
Hopefully, you now understand the concept of course and slope rating. This is not something that you will need to fully understand to play well the next time you hit the course. However, it is good to have an overall awareness of how these systems work.
