Course Rating is the score a scratch player is expected to achieve in normal conditions from a particular set of tees. Slope Rating expresses how much more difficult those tees are for a bogey player relative to a scratch player. A Slope Rating of 113 is the standard reference, not an average score or course par.
Both numbers belong to a specific course-and-tee combination. Moving tees can change them even though the holes remain on the same property.
Course Rating
Course Rating may be above or below par. It is based on measured length and obstacle factors, and it is used in handicap calculations rather than as a promise about any individual score.
Slope Rating
Slope ranges from 55 to 155. A higher number means the difference in expected difficulty between a bogey player and a scratch player is greater. It does not simply mean that every golfer will find the course harder by the same amount.
How the numbers are used
The ratings help convert a Handicap Index into a Course Handicap and help turn an adjusted gross score into a Score Differential.
Use a numerical example in How is a Score Differential calculated?.
The essential point
Course Rating describes scratch difficulty; Slope Rating describes relative difficulty. Always use the values for the tees actually played.
Sources
The following official or specialist sources were used to verify this independently written guide.
- The R&A – official guidance Source used to verify the rules or factual information in this guide.
- The R&A – official guidance Source used to verify the rules or factual information in this guide.
- Swiss Golf – official information Source used to verify the rules or factual information in this guide.
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