Course Rating

[clubchamp98]

You are only going to find out how hard it is subjectively for YOU on that specific day.

You are not an indicator of difficulty for anyone other than yourself. Plus, course setup and conditions vary greatly, as does your ability.

The only objective measure of difficulty is through actual measurements and assigning values to all the various features.

Yes and DS is questioning those measurements as I see it.

 

[wjemather]

Measuring stuff and plugging the figures into a formula is certainly objective.

However, you have to acknowledge that:
a) The powers that be who decided which features need to be measured must have done so somewhat subjectively
b) The creation of the formula that assigns importance to the measured features will have been somewhat subjective
c) The raters who go out to measure courses might conceivably make mistakes on occasion

The system can't be assumed to be perfect, even if it's the best we've got.

The system has been constantly developed over 40 years with initial design and subsequent changes driven by thorough analysis of mountains of data; the measurements taken and values assigned to the various features are guided by the data.

Yes, people make mistakes and there have been instances of bad ratings getting through. However, ratings go through several stages of checking, so it does take a lot to go wrong to produce a woefully inaccurate rating.

 

[wjemather]

Oddly enough and most importantly I never said how difficult I found the course.
My comments had nothing to do with my ability on given days. I was not using myself in any way as an indicator of difficulty.
My comments directly referred to elements that are key to the Course Rating process. The most important one being measured length (and effective length which I also commented on), as well as obstacles, green shape and speed.

What is odd is that the EGF ratings summary sheet has very different rating values: https://egfgolf.ae/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/EGF-CR-All-Ratings-Feb-2025.pdf

 

[Orikoru]

Ah, for the old days of, "my handicap travels well!"

Now we have, "our course rating is far too low!"

Agreed, you still have handicaps that travel well but it's gone the other way. It used to travel well if you played at very difficult course, and not particularly well if you played at a short course. Now your handicap travels well if you play a grossly underrated short course.

 

[D-S]

What is odd is that the EGF ratings summary sheet has very different rating values: https://egfgolf.ae/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/EGF-CR-All-Ratings-Feb-2025.pdf

Pls see the card below



IMG_0732.jpeg

 

[wjemather]

Pls see the card below



IMG_0732.jpeg

?? No image

 

[D-S]

This is the current up to date scorecard.

 

[IanM]

Agreed, you still have handicaps that travel well but it's gone the other way. It used to travel well if you played at very difficult course, and not particularly well if you played at a short course. Now your handicap travels well if you play a grossly underrated short course.

As ever, I was being facetious


I get 4 shots different off the back tees of the two courses I'm a member of. It's clear to me why that is.

Maybe they are the only two courses with reasonable ratings.

I'm no expert, only having sat in on one Course Rating seminar. But much of this thread demonstrates that some others would benefit from a similar experience

 

[Mel Smooth]

It must play differently in the summer because based on my experiences last week the 146 slope rating of The Hotchkin is a country mile out.

 

[IanM]

It must play differently in the summer because based on my experiences last week the 146 slope rating of The Hotchkin is a country mile out.

Without knowing in which direction you think it's out () I think that is not uncommon.

Saunton in the winter, plays off same tees, greens are still good and the fairways still run. BUT the heavy rough is all but gone. You can still make par from places you'd lose a ball in the summer!

But the fairway is the same width, and the bunkers are in the same place!

 

[Mel Smooth]

Without knowing in which direction you think it's out () I think that is not uncommon.

Saunton in the winter, plays off same tees, greens are still good and the fairways still run. BUT the heavy rough is all but gone. You can still make par from places you'd lose a ball in the summer!

But the fairway is the same width, and the bunkers are in the same place!

To be honest when I did find the rough it was penal, same with the bunkers. After dropping 5 shots in the opening 2 holes I figured out keeping it on the fairway was key, and as long as we both did that - scoring was pretty ease.

Then I got overconfident on the 9th and went after one, swazzed it into the rough on the right, shanked it further into the rough after trying to get out with a 7 iron, then played a sand wedge into the cross fairway bunker - ended up with an 8...

The other 15 holes I played 9 over par which was very steady by my standards.