When a golf course is
rated, the rating team will evaluate the overall difficulty of the golf
course for two players, the bogey golfer and the scratch golfer. A
course rating for each golfer is determined during the rating process.
The course rating for the scratch golfer will become the USGA Course
Rating for the golf course. While the bogey course rating is not
normally known by the member club, it is an important factor in
determining the USGA Slope Rating for the club.
During their visit the rating team will evaluate the ten obstacles and
effective length corrections on every hole. They do not play the
course during this portion of the visit. The team has the option
of playing the golf course either before or after the actual rating
process in order to gain further insight into the overall difficulty of
the golf course.
Upon completion of the rating visit, the data is inputted into a
software program to come to a set of preliminary ratings. The
preliminary ratings are then reviewed by the Director of Course Rating
and the most experienced volunteer course raters. Upon their
approval, the ratings are released to the club.
BASIC DEFINITIONS
In order to help you
better understand the course rating process, listed below are some of
the basic definitions used in the course rating process:
Bogey Golfer - A player with a USGA Handicap Index of
17.5 to 22.4 strokes for men and 21.5 to 26.4 for women. Under normal
situations the male bogey golfer can hit his tee shot 200 yards and can
reach a 370-yard hole in two shots. Likewise, the female bogey
golfer can hit her tee shot 150 yards and can reach a 280-yard hole in
two shots. Players who have handicaps in the bogey golfer ranges, but
who are unusually long or short off the tee are not considered to be a
bogey golfer for course rating purposes.
Scratch Golfer - An amateur player who plays to the
standard of the stroke play qualifiers competing in the United States
Amateur Championship. The male scratch golfer hits his tee shots
an average of 250 yards and can reach a 470-yard hole in two shots.
The female scratch golfer can hit her tee shots an average of 210 yards
and can reach a 400-yard hole in two shots.
USGA Course Rating - An evaluation of the overall
difficulty of the golf course under normal course and weather conditions
for the scratch golfer. This figure is equal to the average of the
better half of a scratch golfer's scores.
Bogey Course Rating - An evaluation of the overall
difficulty of the golf course under normal course and weather conditions
for the bogey golfer. The bogey rating is equal to the average of
the better half of a bogey golfer's scores.
USGA Slope Rating - 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 Course Rating. The lowest Slope
rating is 55 and the highest is 155. A golf course of standard
playing difficulty has a USGA Slope Rating of 113. If a course has a
high Slope rating, it is relatively more difficult for the average
golfer than a course with a low Slope Rating. The USGA Slope
Rating is a mathematical measurement of how “proportionately” more
difficult a set of tees is for those golfers who are not scratch golfers
as opposed to the scratch golfers. The greater the difference in
the two ratings, the higher the Slope Rating.
USGA Slope Rating =(Bogey Course Rating - USGA Course Rating) x
5.381 for men or 4.24 for women.
While many have been conditioned to equate the USGA Slope Rating to the
overall difficulty of a golf course, it is not the whole factor.
In fact, to really determine the overall difficulty of a golf course you
must first compare USGA Course Ratings. A golf course with a USGA
Course Rating of 69.0 is less difficult for all golfers than one rated
at 71.0 even if they have the same Slope Rating. Since they both
have the same USGA Slope Rating (125), they both have the same
difference between the scratch and bogey golfers, 23.2 stokes.
Even though both courses have a Slope rating of 125, the bogey golfer on
the course rated at 69.0 will average 92.2 in his best 10 scores while
his counterpart on the course rated at 71.0 will average 94.2. If
all golf courses had the exact same USGA Course Rating, the course with
the highest USGA Slope Rating would be the most difficult course on
which to score. But since all courses do not have the same USGA
Course Rating, you must evaluate both the Course and Slope Rating, to
determine which course is the most difficult on which to score. It
is highly possible that you may have a course that has a lower USGA
Slope Rating than another course, yet is more difficult to score on
because its USGA Course Rating is higher than that of the higher Sloped
course.
The Course Rating for either the scratch or bogey golfer is determined
by adding the yardage rating to the obstacle
stroke value for that golfer.
Scratch Yardage Rating (Male) = (Scratch male effective playing
length/220) + 40.9
The effective playing length for each golfer is derived
by adding the measured yardage of the course to any adjustments made for
elevation, roll, forced lay-ups, wind, and altitude. Adjustments
are made to the measured yardage if there is any elevation change from
tee to green (elevation), if there is a prevailing wind and is it a
factor (wind), if the fairway landing areas are hard or soft or if the
tee shots land into an upslope or on a downslope (roll), if an obstacle
or combination of obstacles prevent a golfer from playing a full length
shot (forced lay-up), and if the course is located more than 2000 feet
above sea level (altitude).
The obstacle stroke value is a numerical evaluation of
all obstacles (topography, fairway, green target, recovery and rough,
bunkers, out of bounds, water, trees, green surface, and psychology) on
the golf course. It is also highly probable that the Obstacle
stroke value of the two golfers will be different. Generally, the
nearer the obstacles are to the landing zones the higher the rating
values.
Topography
- A factor of how mounds and slopes affect the stance or lie in the
fairway landing zone and whether the shot to the green is uphill or
downhill.
Fairway
- A measurement of the probability of hitting the fairway.
Green Target
- A measurement of the probability of hitting the green from the
fairway landing zones. The relationship between the length of
shot played and size of the green determines these values. (i.e.,
long shots to small greens will generate have higher values than short
shots to large greens)
Recovery and
Rough - A measurement of the probability of missing the tee
shot landing zone or green, and the difficulty of recovering if
either is missed.
Bunkers
- A measurement of the effect bunkers have on play based upon their
proximity to target areas and the difficulty of recovery.
Out of
Bounds - A measurement of how much the out of bounds will
come into play based upon the proximity of the boundary to the
fairway landing zone or green.
Water
Hazards - A measurement of how much the water will come
into play based upon its proximity to the fairway landing zone or
green.
Trees
- A measurement of how trees effect the play of the two players
based upon the size and density of the trees, their distance from
the center of the fairway or green, the difficulty of recovering
from the trees, and the length of the hole.
Green
Surface - A measurement of the difficulty of a green from a
putting standpoint. Speed of the green and surface contouring are
the main factors.
Psychology
- A measurement of the cumulative effect of the other nine
obstacles.
When the Slope Rating for
your course changes, the change may also affect your Home Course
Handicap. The Slope Rating change may also have a small effect on
the computation of your USGA Handicap Index. It may also change
the handicap a visitor will use when playing your course.
