Slope ratings

[rulefan]

What is a "Course Rating"?
The quick answer is that it's a single number indicating the difficulty of a golf course to an expert golfer, a "scratch golfer".
The figure is used when calculating handicaps.
The Course Rating is a number and is expressed with a single decimal digit. For example: A Course Rating might be 71.4.
Course

Rating values go up with difficulty.

Actually, for any given golf course, you can expect to see three (or even more) values for the Course Rating. Each value corresponds to a different set of tees.
For example: On this same course, the Course Rating for golfers who play from the men's blue tees might be 72.8. From the men's white tees, the Course Rating might be 71.0. The ladies' red tees may be rated at 73.3.

What is a "Slope Rating"?
The quick (and overly simplistic) answer is that it's a single number indicating the difficulty of a golf course to a "bogey golfer". The figure is used when calculating handicaps.
The Slope Rating value is a two- or three-digit integer, always between 55 and 155, with 113 being the average or "standard" value.
There will be one Slope Rating for each Course Rating. The blue men's tees might have a Course Slope of 123. The white men's tees: 119 and the ladies' red tees perhaps a 114.

Slope values increase with relative difficulty.

Slope is actually not a measure of a course's difficulty. That's the responsibility of the Course Rating figure.
Slope is a measure of how much difference a course's difficulty is for the average bogey golfer compared to the scratch golfer.

What is the definition of a "bogey golfer"?
Someone who shoots 20 over on average. I.e., this golfer would regularly shoot a score of 92 on a 72 rated course.

 

[rulefan]

An example of how Course 2 can have a lower rating but a higher slope than Course 1

The thing to keep in mind is that the challenges a course presents to scratch golfers are usually different for bogey golfers.
Take two identical courses and call them Course 1 and Course 2.

Each course is situated in wooded land, such that all fairways are lined by trees.

Now let's make these courses just a bit different from each other:

On Course 1, we'll cut the trees back from each fairway an additional 10 yards on either side.
On Course 2, we'll widen the greens 10 yards in each direction.

What happened to the scores?

Well, the expert golfers turned in better scores on Course 2 because they know how to take advantage of bigger greens and they are also pretty straight hitters, so the woods were not really a factor for them on either course. Even so, the expert golfers know how to minimize the damage to their scores after an errant drive.
But the bogey golfers aren't so fortunate. A much greater percentage of their drives ended up in the woods on Course 2 and (once there) it was more difficult for them to get out of trouble. So even though the greens were larger and more forgiving... by the time they reached the green, their scores were pretty swollen to begin with.

Ask the bogey golfers which course was more brutal and they universally responded that Course 2 was the most difficult because the fairways were less forgiving.
Ask the scratch golfer that same question and the response comes back, "Course 1 was more difficult... smaller greens."

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Perhaps someone could clarify this for me.

The new WHS handicap is I understand the average of your best 8 scores from your last 20 qualifiers. Based I believe on the differential between your scores and the relevant SSS/CSS.

So my new WHS handicap index will be calculated off what is effectively the Course Rating. However as a handicap golfer going forward I then get to calculate my daily playing handicap by multiplying my allocated handicap index by the slope rating for the course / tees I am playing and then dividing it by 113. Is this the correct calculation to make?

If so, what is causing me some confusion is that having earned a handicap of lets say 10.0 for ease of calculation based on a SSS of 72, the first time I play my home course (where I have played all my 20 previous qualifiers) when the WHS applies and which has a slope of 134 means I would play off 11.86 (rounded to 12).

So I've legitimately earned 10 but get 12 shots - am I missing something?

Thanks in anticipation

I guess that if your calculation of your HI is correct and it turns out to be 12 when your Handicap is 10 then this is just a feature of the normalisation that the system is designed to bring about. Great - a couple more shots to play with on your own course

If you actually continue to play to 10 at your own course then your HI will come down to 10 fairly quickly I'd think. Point is that by calculating the HI in the way it is done, you have a HI indication of playing ability that can be used to give you an appropriate number of shots at any other course you play - and when you play it with or against others from various other courses all of your HIs will be converted into Course Handicaps in a equitable way.

I might have 10 handicap at an short and easy course; you might have a 10 handicap at a long and difficult course. Your ability is most likely to be better than mine. At the moment when we play in a competition you will get the same number of shots as I do...even though you are likely to be the player with more ability. And that is inconsistent with the rationale behind handicapping in golf.

The new system normalises our abilities across all courses we might play in a standardised way for all golfers - and so we can all be given a fair Course Handicap at any other course we play because that is worked out using the same criteria as the normalisation.

 

[rulefan]

Perhaps someone could clarify this for me.

The new WHS handicap is I understand the average of your best 8 scores from your last 20 qualifiers. Based I believe on the differential between your scores and the relevant SSS/CSS.

So my new WHS handicap index will be calculated off what is effectively the Course Rating. However as a handicap golfer going forward I then get to calculate my daily playing handicap by multiplying my allocated handicap index by the slope rating for the course / tees I am playing and then dividing it by 113. Is this the correct calculation to make? YES

If so, what is causing me some confusion is that having earned a handicap of lets say 10.0 for ease of calculation based on a SSS of 72, the first time I play my home course (where I have played all my 20 previous qualifiers) when the WHS applies and which has a slope of 134 means I would play off 11.86 (rounded to 12).

So I've legitimately earned 10 but get 12 shots - am I missing something?

Thanks in anticipation

See bold above
In fact the calculation for your new Handicap Index takes into account the slope of the course(s) you played (it is "de-sloped"). The 10 you mention may well be 8 after that calculation.
So when you play your Index of 8 is scaled up by the slope and may result in your playing off 10 on your home course or 9 or 11 elsewhere.

Under WHS, your gross score (adjusted for net double bogeys) minus the course rating is 'de-sloped' by dividing 113 by the slope. That is your Score differential that goes into the 8/20 process to produce your Index

 

[TreeSeeker]

Expanding on rulefans answer the way I think of it is that your old HC is similar but not strictly comparable to the new.

For example, my current HC is 17.0, estimating from my last rounds my whs hc will be 20.8 "ish", and on my course that'll give me 23 shots, if competing with peoples current HC that would be horrendously unfair, but should be comparable with their new ones.

 

[rulefan]

Expanding on rulefans answer the way I think of it is that your old HC is similar but not strictly comparable to the new.

For example, my current HC is 17.0, estimating from my last rounds my whs hc will be 20.8 "ish", and on my course that'll give me 23 shots, if competing with peoples current HC that would be horrendously unfair, but should be comparable with their new ones.

20.8 ish sounds a little high - did you de-slope your old scores?

 

[The Fader]

See bold above
In fact the calculation for your new Handicap Index takes into account the slope of the course(s) you played (it is "de-sloped"). The 10 you mention may well be 8 after that calculation.
So when you play your Index of 8 is scaled up by the slope and may result in your playing off 10 on your home course or 9 or 11 elsewhere.

Under WHS, your gross score (adjusted for net double bogeys) minus the course rating is 'de-sloped' by dividing 113 by the slope. That is your Score differential that goes into the 8/20 process to produce your Index

Thanks Rulefan

The de-sloping is not something I was aware of and is the missing piece in my understanding.

 

[Hendy]

Where did you get those numbers from? SSS (not CSS) is normally between about 65 and 75.

Clubs can't simply change ratings to suit the weather. Or do you mean change tees?

All very confused

CSS as in points not as strokes in this case.

My understanding was that the SR is to change as per the conditions l, pin placements etc maybe am wrong in that.

Edit: going to catch up on all the above posts might shed more light on it for me lol

 

[TreeSeeker]

20.8 ish sounds a little high - did you de-slope your old scores?

Yes, the current HC is based on a few big scores, but outside of those monsters my average score in last 20 rounds has been pretty poor. (Mostly in the 20-25 point mark, a few 30's then three 40+) actually not more more rounds and the biggest two will drop out of my last 20....

 

[SwingsitlikeHogan]

Yes, the current HC is based on a few big scores, but outside of those monsters my average score in last 20 rounds has been pretty poor. (Mostly in the 20-25 point mark, a few 30's then three 40+) actually not more more rounds and the biggest two will drop out of my last 20....

My scoring in Q-comps has been pretty awful over the last few months - and my thinking has been that my HI would be a fair bit higher than my current h/cap. However when I did a very quick calc. of simple average of my best 8 out of last 20 Q-scores (I know that that isn't how it's calculated) my average was the same as my current h/cap.

 

[Springveldt]

No matches for my club on that. Unless I’m doing something wrong.

If you are in Scotland, don’t select it from the country drop down, change it to “(Select)” and it should work.

 

[TreeSeeker]

My average of 8 best is not handicap sadly, got two better, one buffer and the rest worse, i do wonder if the ESR I got and the annual review cut will be carried over...

 

[harpo_72]

my 8 rounds start in January, looking at it there are 2 bad ones (playing after work does do me any favours - I’ll knock that on the head it seems to be a main reason for all my additions) the rest hover around 76-80 with my last 2 scores being my lowest, but off different tees. So that will be tricky. I don’t think I will have another qualifying round this season either. Looking at it I don’t see a difference to my current handicap.

 

[Ethan]

My average of 8 best is not handicap sadly, got two better, one buffer and the rest worse, i do wonder if the ESR I got and the annual review cut will be carried over...

That is averages for you, some better, some worse, averaging to the midpoint.

 

[JGolfer]

No matches for my club on that. Unless I’m doing something wrong.

Couldn’t find pretty much 90% of the courses in Liverpool, and couldn’t find any in dumfries and galloway either.

 

[rulefan]

Couldn’t find pretty much 90% of the courses in Liverpool, and couldn’t find any in dumfries and galloway either.

I found Childwall but not Woolton

 

[need_my_wedge]

No matches for my club on that. Unless I’m doing something wrong.

Couldn't find my course either, by name or town, however, just listed the county only, and hey presto, there it was....

 

[PJ87]

Unless I'm reading it wrong I'm a bit disappointed with ours.. reds rated for females and rest rated for males

Should be all rated for both

 

[richbeech]

Our course has always been regarded pretty tough and the slope rating reflects that; 148 whites and 151 from the tips.

 

[TreeSeeker]

Our course has always been regarded pretty tough and the slope rating reflects that; 148 whites and 151 from the tips.

I think we are the same (looks the same) and there are some comps where its mixed from the whites so not quite ideal