May
1
Ever wonder what the Course and Slope Rating represent?
Filed Under Decoding the USGA Handicap System
For beginners, have you ever wondered what is the meaning and purpose of the Course and Slope ratings you see on the scorecard? Golf lessons do not necessary explain these rather technical stuff … mine didn’t.
Well, let’s decode it:
1. Definition
Course Rating (or USGA Course Rating) is the USGA’s mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer under normal course and weather conditions. In short, it reflects the probable score of a scratch golfer playing on the course. So the higher the number, the more difficult is the course.
Slope Rating is the USGA’s mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers compared to the USGA Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a Slope Rating of 113. The higher the number, the more difficult is the course for players who are not scratch golfers.
Confused? Don’t worry, the explanation below is more intuitive.
2. When and how do we usually apply them?
Well, when you need to compute your handicap differential for the round you just played. We beginners tend to think that if we shoot a 95 on a par 72, 18-hole round, our handicap differential is 23 (i.e. 96 less 72). Not exactly. Doing so would not have taken into the account the absolute and relative difficulty of the course, i.e. shooting a 95 on one relatively easy course is not the same as shooting the same score on a more difficult course. So the right formula to compute your handicap differential for the round is:
(Adjusted Gross Score – USGA Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating
*never mind what is “Adjusted”, I’ll explain that another time.
For example, if you shoot a gross score of 95 on a course with Course and Slope ratings of 71.5 and 125 respectively, your handicap differential would be:
(95 – 71.5) x 113 / 125 = 21.2 (rounded)
See how the result of 21.2 differs from what you would normally compute as 23? You actually played better (a lower handicap differential) than you think, after taking into account the difficulty level of the course.
The USGA Course Rating is also used to determine the strokes to receive or give when competing from different set of tees. But I think the above is enough for now. Save that for next time.
Hope this helps make you a more ‘informed’ golfer when you next tee-off.
David
(reference: USGA Handicap System 2008-2011)
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