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If you know exactly what the golf course slope rating is and how it’s calculated, congratulations; You’re in the minority, even among avid golfers. Many of us have a gist of what it means, of course. The higher the number, the more difficult the golf course is, right? But what is the average, and how are things calculated? Also, what does it all mean for your game?
This article aims to answer those questions as simply as possible, and also why it’s important to know. Chances are, if you're a mid- to high-handicapper, you're probably not getting enough strokes from your scratch or low-handicap playing companions. So the following information should help in your negotiations to set up a more fair game. But first, let's take a look at the numbers.
What is the difference between a course's slope and rating?
If a course is rated by the United States Golf Association, you’ll find the numbers for the Course Rating and Slope Rating on the scorecard. They are usually presented like this example: 76.4/134, which is the rating/slope respectively for the back tees of the difficult South Course at Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio.
The first number is the course rating, which is basically a reflection of what a scratch golfer (0 handicap index) would typically shoot on this course. The 7,400-yard South Course at Firestone is a par 70, so what you can glean from this is that the scratch player would typically play this course about six over par. (In case you were wondering courses like Pebble Beach Golf Links and The TPC Sawgrass PLAYERS Stadium Course have course ratings and slope ratings of 74.9/144 and 72/155, respectively, from the back tee boxes.)
Wow, that's a lot.
So if a scratch player is expected to shoot 76 at Firestone, what does this mean for the rest of us? Right away, we can can see that we’re probably going to shoot a high number out there. More important for everyday golfers is the slope rating, that second number. At first glance, it won’t tell you much unless you know what that number means and how it’s calculated.
How do they come up with slope ratings for golf courses?
Golf course slope ratings, believe it or not, have only been around since 1979. That’s when Dean Knuth, a former Navy commander, invented the formula to predict what bogey golfers would shoot on various holes of a course from a particular set of tees. Soon after inventing the formula, he would join the USGA as a senior director, most notably in charge of the Golf Handicapping and Information Network (GHIN) for 16 years (1981-97). That’s the mechanism that determines and manages handicaps for amateur players, and having a GHIN index number is crucial for anyone wanting to compete in tournaments.
Basically, Knuth compared the scratch rating of a golf course to the bogey rating to arrive at the slope rating. In other words, what is the expected score of a scratch golfer on a particular course to that of a bogey golfer? Using all sorts of factors to calculate these ratings -- like forced carries, difficulty of greens, etc. -- the slope rating doesn't measure the overall difficulty of the course like the course rating does. Rather it is a number that’s supposed to define the difference between how a course plays for expert players versus less skilled players. Now let's dive into how it all works together.
What is the average slope rating of a golf course?
The number 113 is an average slope rating, and it’s used to determine how your handicap travels from course to course.
Let’s use the South Course at Firestone as an example. Let’s say your handicap index is 10.0, and you are playing the White Tees, which are rated 71.8/125. You would divide 125 by 113, which is 1.106. Multiply that by your index and you get 11.06. Add the course rating, which is 71.8, which gives you 82.86. Then subtract par for those tees, which in this case is 70, and you get your course handicap for Firestone is 12.86. You can probably go ahead and round that up to 13.
How should golfers use this information?
Your course rating for various courses is useful in several areas. Most notably, if you are playing in a tournament on that course, and there’s a net division, tournament organizers will figure out your course handicap based on your GHIN index. You may or may not get full handicaps depending on the relative difficulty of the event, but this is a way to create an even playing field.
It’s also helpful when playing with your buddies. Again, let’s say your index is 10.0, but your course handicap is 13. If you’re playing against a scratch player, you can see now that you should be getting more than 10 strokes because again, the slope rating isn’t simply the overall difficulty of a course, but the difference in difficulty between a scratch player and a less-skilled player. This is understandable given how scratch players are usually more accurate, carry the ball farther and are more predictable with their misses, all of which play well on more difficult courses. That’s why the course ratings for players on easier courses will quite naturally be closer together.
And finally, these numbers also figure into your handicap index. The other day, I shot an 81 on a pretty tough golf course. My 9-handicap translated into a 6 for the round on that course.
Should I bring a calculator to the golf course?
So when you get to a golf course and set up a game with your buddies, do you need to bring this formula with you?
Of course not. That doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. But knowing how this works is important. In general, this is what you need to be thinking when you go to the course.
If you’re in a tournament on a tough golf course, just figure that you’re going to get more strokes than you would normally get. (If the course is easy, you'll get fewer strokes than your handicap index). If you’re setting up a game with your buddies, and a couple of them are really good players, don’t let them short-change you. It's only fair to ask for more strokes if the course is difficult. And, if they ask you why, just text them a link to this article.
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