For such a small space, a golf scorecard contains a lot of information. A whole bunch of numbers, too. When golfers first look over a scorecard before stepping on the first tee, they are most likely only paying attention to a few of those numbers, such as the overall par for the course and total yardage. Most golfers decide which tees to play based on the yardage outlined on the card.
However, the scorecard also lists two of golf’s most important – and often confused – numbers. These two numbers warrant close attention: the Course Rating and Slope Rating.
They are two of the game’s great equalizers.
The USGA Course Rating System, the process that results in both Course Rating and Slope Rating, is the standard upon which the World Handicap System is built. It affects all golfers in the calculation of a Handicap Index, a consistent and portable measure of playing ability. Having a Handicap Index enables golfers of differing abilities to play together and have a fair and enjoyable game.
As one of the 59 USGA Allied Golf Associations, the TGA is responsible for determining and issuing Course Ratings and Slope Ratings for all the golf courses within its jurisdiction. To ensure accuracy and consistency, all courses are rated using the same parameters that have been established by the USGA.
Zach Madison, the TGA’s Manager of USGA Products, currently oversees 10 regional Course Rating teams across Texas, which adds up to 100 well-trained and experienced volunteers serving the state’s golfing community.
A long-held misconception about course and slope ratings is that the numbers are subjective, that they are based merely on whether a rating team “thinks” a particular course is easy or difficult.
“That’s just not true,” Madison said. “Course Ratings actually are derived from all the data and measurements our trained teams gather.”
The Course Rating System is designed to assign a numerical value to represent the difficulty of the course for the scratch player and the bogey player under normal playing conditions. The effective playing length is determined from the measurement of each hole, adjusted for the impact of roll, wind, elevation changes, altitude, doglegs, and forced lay ups.
In addition to the effective playing length, there are a number of “obstacle factors” evaluated on each hole for both the scratch player and the bogey player, based on tables and formulas listed in the USGA Course Rating Guide. These factors include topography, fairway, green target, recoverability and rough, bunkers, crossing obstacles, lateral obstacles, trees, and green surface.
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. The difference between the Course Rating and the Bogey Rating is used in the determination of the Slope Rating.
The Course Rating System purposefully involves a good amount of arithmetic. Objective, quantifiable data helps eliminate guesswork and subjectivity in the evaluation of the playing difficulty of the course, which results in a more accurate measure of a player’s Handicap Index.
Have a question about Course Rating? Email Zach Madison for answers. For more general information about the Course Rating System, click here.
