Jump to content
IGNORED

What does the slope and rating of a course mean?

Brady0626

By Brady0626,
in Golf Courses and Architecture

 Share
Note: This thread is 5921 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Recommended Posts

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

Like is higher more difficult/more slope or what? and who decides what it is rated

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

  • Author
So would a rating of a course being 72.2 and a slope of 130 be an above average course? I'm just wondering when I compare my handicap to others here and the courses they play on

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Soup Fan Dedicated Member

Soup Fan

Short thumbnail sketch of slope and rating, per my understanding which very well may be completely backasswards.

The rating is a number that represents the average score of what a scratch golfer would shoot there over x number of rounds at the course in question. That is why it is always a number around par. So if par for the course is 72 and the rating is 72.2, it means a scratch golfer would average slightly over par there over a series of rounds.

Remember algebra? Remember slope? In extreme layman's terms that will make any math major cringe, slope is essentially the steepness of a line on a graph. Well, a course's slope is algebraic...the slope of the line on a graph that is plotted between what a scratch golfer shoots on average (the course rating) to what a bogey golfer would shoot on average. So, essentially, the higher the slope, the steeper the line between scratch golfer and bogey golfer's scores and the idea of the slope is to represent exactly that. The disparity between the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer vs. a bogey golfer. So a course with a high slope (140 is the highest possible and 115 is average IIRC) means that it it will be a lot more difficult for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer.

Hope this helps, although I get the feeling I probably just confused you more.

Blog Internetz | Twitter | Rolling Knolls
----
Super LoCo 457cc 10*
Tight Lies 16* & 13*
Recovery 21* Pure Distance 4-PW Diadic 52* and raw 588 60* Anser 4 blade U-Tri Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

  • Author
Basically the rating says If your a good golfer you should shoot around that score and if your a weak golfer you should shoot around the slope score? and yes I've done enough trig and algebraic equeations to know how to solve slope...
I don't get it though, I've never ever seen anyone shoot 130 at our golf course.

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Soup Fan Dedicated Member

Soup Fan

No no. The slope is not the score of a bogey golfer. The slope is the slope of the line plotted between the rating and the bogey golfer's score. While I do remember the slope intercept formula (y=mx+b), I do not recall how to solve the slope of the line...so I will just create a hypothetical.

The course rating is 72.

The bogey golfer averages 80.

You plot a point at 72 and a point at 80 and connect them with a line. The slope of that line = course slope.

Just like everything else in golf, it seems completely bewildering and incomprehensible until you understand it. Then it just seems easy.

Blog Internetz | Twitter | Rolling Knolls
----
Super LoCo 457cc 10*
Tight Lies 16* & 13*
Recovery 21* Pure Distance 4-PW Diadic 52* and raw 588 60* Anser 4 blade U-Tri Tour

Link to comment
Share on other sites

tjy355 Dedicated Member

tjy355

Basically the rating says If your a good golfer you should shoot around that score and if your a weak golfer you should shoot around the slope score? and yes I've done enough trig and algebraic equeations to know how to solve slope...

You didn't read the link.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

  • Author
You didn't read the link.

I did, thats what I took of what he said though.

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

alf174 Great Member

alf174

So would a rating of a course being 72.2 and a slope of 130 be an above average course? I'm just wondering when I compare my handicap to others here and the courses they play on

your handicap index of 12 on a course with a slope of 130 would give you a course handicap of 14.

(130 / 113) * 12 = 13.8 -> 14. (round to the nearest whole number)

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." Woody Allen
My regular pasture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

RemyM Dedicated Member

RemyM

So a course with a high slope (140 is the highest possible and 115 is average IIRC) means that it it will be a lot more difficult for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer.

Slopes go from 55 to 155 and 113 is the slope for a course with average difficulty.

Rob Tyska

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1

  • Administrator
iacas Hall of Fame Member

iacas

  • Administrator
So would a rating of a course being 72.2 and a slope of 130 be an above average course? I'm just wondering when I compare my handicap to others here and the courses they play on

Your handicap INDEX should travel from any course to any course if they're rated properly. That's what you compare - not your course handicap.

Erik J. Barzeski — ⛳ I knock a ball. It goes in a gopher hole. 🏌🏼‍♂️
Director of Instruction Golf Evolution • Owner, The Sand Trap .com • Author, Lowest Score Wins
Golf Digest "Best Young Teachers in America" 2016-17 & "Best in State" 2017-20 • WNY Section PGA Teacher of the Year 2019 :edel: :true_linkswear:

Check Out: New Topics | TST Blog | Golf Terms | Instructional Content | Analyzr | LSW | Instructional Droplets

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1
1
1
1
1

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

  • Author
Your handicap INDEX should travel from any course to any course if they're rated properly. That's what you compare - not your course handicap.

I see I see.

My course handicap is 12. So does that mean my index would be 10 or something?

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

alf174 Great Member

alf174

I see I see.

How did you calculate your handicap of 12?

"You can live to be a hundred if you give up all the things that make you want to live to be a hundred." Woody Allen
My regular pasture.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Brady0626 Established Member

Brady0626

  • Author
How did you calculate your handicap of 12?

I enter my scored on a computer at the course that does it.

"Don't drink and drive, don't even putt."


In my bag:
Sumo2 9.5 degree driver I3 3 wood 5 wood Deep Reds 3-PW Vokey 60 degreeSW 2 bar hybrid putter.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Dent Great Member

Dent

I enter my scored on a computer at the course that does it.

then that is your actual handicap. Your course handicap can be determined manually using a formula.

In My Bag

Driver: Sasquatch 460 9.5°
3 Wood: Laser 3 Wood 15°
5 Wood: r7 19° (Stiff)Irons: S58 Irons 4-PW Orange DotWedge: Harmonized 60°Wedge: Z TP 54°Putter: Tiffany 34"Balls: Pro V1 Shoes: Adidas Tour 360 IIThe Meadows Golf Coursewww.themeadowsgc.comAge: 16
Link to comment
Share on other sites

RemyM Dedicated Member

RemyM

You handicap index is the decimal number. So if it tells you 12.0 then that is your index. Your course handicap is a whole number calculated using your index and the slope rating. Since you are in Canada you should be able to find it here.
http://www.rcganetwork.org/Member/Me...spx?lang=en-CA

Rob Tyska

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Awards, Achievements, and Accolades
1
1
1
1

Note: This thread is 5921 days old. We appreciate that you found this thread instead of starting a new one, but if you plan to post here please make sure it's still relevant. If not, please start a new topic. Thank you!

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing


  • Want to join this community?

    We'd love to have you!

    Sign Up

  • TST Partners

    TourStriker PlaneMate
    Golfer's Journal
    ShotScope
    The Stack System
    FitForGolf
    FlightScope Mevo
    Direct: Mevo, Mevo+, and Pro Package.

    Coupon Codes (save 10-20%): "IACAS" for Mevo/Stack/FitForGolf, "IACASPLUS" for Mevo+/Pro Package, and "THESANDTRAP" for ShotScope. 15% off TourStriker (no code).

  • Posts

    • bkuehn1952
      Wordle Daily Puzzle

      By bkuehn1952 ·

      Wordle 1,243 4/6 ⬜⬜⬜🟨⬜ ⬜🟨⬜⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 I thought of another word that fit perfectly but I doubted the NYT would use it.
    • gbogey
      2-man Ambrose V 1-man Playing Best of 2 Balls

      By gbogey ·

      I'm confused - the team of two is playing a scramble but the single player is playing best of two balls or is he playing a one man scramble with two shots? If the single is best of two balls, then I'd bet on the pair playing a scramble everytime. If it's a two man scramble versus a single person scramble, I'd take the single, at least until fatigue was a factor. Give a regular play two shots and I think he is going to play better than the other two guys. That said, probably works better for the solo for 9 holes than 18. If the solo was smart and self aware of his game, and many of us are not as aware as we should be, he would conserve his energy and not play a second swing after a good shot.  
    • WillieT
      Wordle Daily Puzzle

      By WillieT ·

      Wordle 1,243 4/6* ⬜⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟨🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩 Lip out birdie makes for tap in par….
    • coachjimsc
      Wordle Daily Puzzle

      By coachjimsc ·

      Wordle 1,243 5/6 🟨⬜🟩⬜⬜ ⬜⬜⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
    • boogielicious
      Wordle Daily Puzzle

      By boogielicious ·

      Wordle 1,243 5/6 🟨🟩⬜⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ ⬜🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩⬜⬜ 🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

Welcome to TST! Signing up is free, and you'll see fewer ads and can talk with fellow golf enthusiasts! By using TST, you agree to our Terms of Use, our Privacy Policy, and our Guidelines.

  I accept
The popup will be closed in 10 seconds...