Course Rating
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The USGA Course Rating System considers the factors that affect the playing difficulty of a golf course. USGA's ratings are important to all golfers because they impact players' handicaps. A player plays to his handicap when his net score (gross score - handicap strokes) equals the USGA Course Rating™. |
The following definitions are excerpted from the USGA website. For further details and explanations, see the USGA's Course Rating™ section of its website.
USGA Course Rating™
The USGA® mark that indicates the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for scratch golfers. It is based on yardage and other obstacles to the extent that they affect the scoring difficulty of the scratch golfer. Example: 68.5
Slope Rating®
Is the USGA mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty for the bogey golfer compared to the Course Rating. Slope Rating is computed from the difference between the bogey rating and the Course Rating. The lowest Slope Rating is 55 and the highest is 155. Example: 125
Bogey Rating
Is the one number every golfer worse than a scratch should check before deciding which tees to play. This rating is the evaluation of the playing difficulty of a course for the bogey golfer. It is based on yardage, effective playing length and other obstacles to the extent that affect the scoring ability of the bogey golfer. To figure out this number, other than from looking at this database, the bogey golfer should take the Slope Rating®, divide it by the set factor (5.381 for men, and 4.24 for women) and add that to the Course Rating. The result is a target score for the bogey golfer, and is a truer yardstick of the challenge that lies ahead for the particular set of tees. Example: 96.3 - which predicts the bogey golfer's average of his ten best (out of twenty) scores would be approximately 96.3 from this particular set of tees.
Scratch Golfer
Is one who can play to a Course Handicap™ of zero on any and all rated golf courses. He (she) can hit tee shots an average of 250 (210) yards and reach a 470 (400)-yard hole in two shots.
Bogey Golfer
Is one with a Course Handicap of 20 (24). He (she) can hit tee shots an average of 200 (150) yards and can reach a 370 (280)-yard hole in two shots.
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