Slope Rating

[JaY_B]

Being from England i have no idea how Slope Rating works so i have a few questions.

How does it work lol?
Do you find that Slope Ratings are accurate?
How much does slope rating effect your H'cap?
is it true that slope rating makes it easier to get your handicap cut than in england?

[Shindig]

Being from England i have no idea how Slope Rating works so i have a few questions.

I don't know if England affects the slope rating, but here goes: Slope Rating is how hilly the golf course is. Just kidding. Roughly, slope rating is how difficult the course is for a bogey golfer. An "average" difficulty course for a bogey golfer (hcp ~18) is 113. Higher numbers are harder courses, lower numbers are easier. The ratio of slope rating and 113 is used as a multiplier on the difference between your score and the course rating (how tough for a scratch golfer, roughly) in computing a differential. Your X best out of Y most recent differentials determines your handicap. So, if you have two courses with slope ratings of 70, and you can always shoot the same score on both, your handicap (the number at least) will be lower if you do this on the course with the higher slope rating.

[JaY_B]

So your most recent *best* score determines your handicap not your collective average of scores?

[powerfade]

Being from England i have no idea how Slope Rating works so i have a few questions.

...from the SCGA website...

Understanding Slope The slope rating system was implemented by the USGA in 1987. This system was designed to allow players to travel with their handicaps and be able to fairly compete at any golf course. Prior to this system, a player’s handicap was not adjusted based on the relative difficulty of the golf course he was playing. Assuming a player carried a 10 handicap from Pine Valley, he would also be a 10 handicap at Open Flats Golf Course. As we all know, this would not be fair. So the slope system was designed to address this portability problem. The slope system now converts a player’s handicap index to a course handicap based on the slope number. This course handicap allows the player to compete on an equal level to a scratch player on the same course. In essence, it levels the playing field and allows players to compete equally against each other at almost any golf course in the world. To find the slope number, a rating must first be established for a bogey golfer and a scratch golfer. The male bogey golfer is defined as a player with a handicap index of 17.5-22.4. He can hit tee shots on average of 200 yards and can reach a 370 yard hole in two shots. The male scratch golfer is a player who reaches the stroke play portion of the US Amateur Championship. He can hit tee shots an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470 yard hole in two shots. His better half scoring average will equal the course rating. From the bogey and scratch ratings we can then find what the slope rating is. Slope is simply a mathematical formula used to adjust a player’s handicap index to the relative difficulty of a golf course. The slope rating is derived from the following formula: (Bogey Rating - Scratch Rating) x 5.381 = Slope

[powerfade]

Checkout these Q&A;'s about ratings and slope ...

[Shindig]

So your most recent *best* score determines your handicap not your collective average of scores?

Somewhere in between.

If you've played >= 20 rounds, then take your 20 most recent, take the 10 best differentials (usually, but not always, 10 lowest scores) and average them. If you've played fewer than 20 rounds, there are different numbers (best 9 out of 18, I think, but am not sure) to use. I forgot them after I finished my 20th round :)

[powerfade]

Somewhere in between.

Going further, you average your 10 best Differentials out of the last 20, then divide by .96 to get your Index.

Hypothtical 8.4 Index... (4.4+6.7+7.5+7.9+9.2+9.6+10.1+10.5+10.9+11.1)/10 * .96 = 8.4 ...and here's how you get your Differentials. Notice the last piece is the slope . Handicap differential= (Adjusted Gross Score - Course Rating) x 113 / Slope Rating

[Shindig]

Going further, you average your 10 best Differentials out of the last 20, then divide by .96 to get your Index.

Divide by or multiply by? (This is why I just use a service)

[powerfade]

Ooops...that would be multiply by .96.

So...Take your 10 best diffs out of last 20; divide by 10 to get the average; then multiply by .96.

I use my golf association's website or post at the course to see my trend but it's always good to know how they come up with the number

[Guest]

I'm another from England. Perhaps an odd-ball, being one who believes in the 'slope' system, and is frustrated that our R&A; are dragging their feet to adopt the principle.

I have a qustion for the forum: can anyone refer me to an URL which lists slope ratings of those courses in England which have had their slope rating assessed?

Thanks,
Tickles