By Addison Burdett and Matthew Goula
Okay, be honest. You’ve all seen the terms Course Rating and Slope Rating on the scorecard but aren’t really sure what they mean. You’re not alone. While most golfers know they have something to do with course difficulty, there are many misconceptions regarding their definitions, how they are determined, and how they impact golfers, so let’s clear the air.
When a golf course is rated by an Allied Golf Association, such as the MGA, a rating team determines the yardage and effective playing length for each set of tees. The team assesses forced layups, roll, and elevation changes that may make the hole play longer or shorter. The rating team will also evaluate 10 obstacle factors for each hole, including bunkers, fairway widths, penalty areas, laterals, and green surfaces. The data is then used to establish a Course Rating, Bogey Rating, and Slope Rating based on USGA standardized weighting and formulas. These ratings look at the impact on two model golfers: the scratch player (with a Handicap Index of 0.0) and the bogey player (with a Handicap Index of 20.0 for men and 24.0 for women).
A Course Rating is the expected performance of the scratch player under normal weather and conditions. For example, a Course Rating of 71.2 means a scratch player can expect to shoot around 71 when they play well. The Bogey Rating is an indication of the difficulty for the bogey golfer. In other words, a Bogey Rating of 95.5 means a bogey player can expect to shoot 95 when they play well. Though Bogey Ratings aren’t generally printed on scorecards, they can be found for each course on the USGA’s Course Rating and Slope database.
The Course Rating and Bogey Rating then determine the Slope Rating, which is the relative difficulty of a course for bogey versus scratch players. The larger the difference is between the Course Rating and the Bogey Rating, the higher the Slope Rating. A more challenging course for a scratch player with forced carries, long rough, and deep bunkers will result in a much more difficult course for the bogey player, resulting in a higher Slope Rating. Since low-handicap players tend to find the fairways and hit greens when they play, their scores do not increase much when faced with obstacles that can impact wayward shots, but they have an outsized effect on higher handicaps. A higher Bogey Rating leads to a higher Slope Rating.
Hole handicaps are one of the most misunderstood elements of the whole process. Most golfers think the toughest hole on the course should be the No. 1 handicap hole; not so. It’s where a non-scratch player most needs a stroke against a scratch player. The purpose of the Stroke Index Allocation, as it’s called, is to determine what a scratch player and non-scratch player will score on a hole in relation to the Course Rating data and evenly distribute strokes throughout a round/match. But it is just a suggestion. Scorecard analysis is another way with your club’s handicap committee having final say.
Course and Slope Ratings, as well as a player’s Course Handicap, are specific to each course. The Handicap Index is a portable number that represents a golfer’s demonstrated ability, but that number is converted into a Course Handicap to account for the difficulty of the course and tees played as calculated in the Course and Slope Ratings. Simply put, your Course Handicap represents the number of strokes needed to play to par. If the Course Rating is higher than par, your Course Handicap will increase; if the Course Rating is lower than par, then your Course Handicap will decrease (compared to your current Handicap Index).
To calculate your target score for a new course or new set of tees just add your Course Handicap to par.
When playing in a competition, a player’s Course Handicap can be converted into a Playing Handicap by applying the appropriate handicap allowance to a player’s Course Handicap. Playing Handicap is the number of strokes you receive or give during a round for the purpose of a competition. So, if you are playing against friends or in a tournament, the Playing Handicap ensures equity for players of any ability, regardless of the tees they are playing from.
(For example, in four-ball stroke play, the recommended handicap allowance is 85 percent – so a player might have a Course Handicap of 12 and a Playing Handicap of 10.)
An easy way to remember the difference between Course Handicap and Playing Handicap is the Course Handicap equals you against the course, while the Playing Handicap equals you against other players. Your score posting app will have a Course Handicap and Playing Handicap calculator you can use to find each value before you start your round.
Additionally, Course Handicap is used to adjust hole scores for handicap purposes when we invariably encounter our “blow-up” hole. Net Double Bogey, also known as a player’s maximum hole score for handicap purposes, ensures that one bad hole does not inaccurately affect your Handicap Index. The maximum score on a hole is double bogey plus any handicap strokes you receive using your Course Handicap.
For example, let's say Matt has a Course Handicap of 16. If he makes a 10 on a par 4 with a Stroke Index Allocation of 15, his Net Double Bogey is 4+2+1=7 (par + double bogey + handicap stokes), so his maximum hole score for this hole when posting the round for handicap purposes would adjust from a 10 to a 7. Note: Matt would submit the scorecard with the 10 if he were playing in a tournament.
Although the score will automatically be adjusted when entering the round using the hole-by-hole option in your score posting app, it is important to understand how it is adjusted when on the course. Using Net Double Bogey is a great way to keep up with the pace of play during a casual round and maintain an accurate Handicap Index.