Moore's Monthly: A Look Back at Course Rating

A monthly column from the NYSGA's Executive Director, Bill Moore

We have finally had some mild weather come our way, and with that comes our busiest time of the year. Most people know that we run over 120 days each season of competition, but there is another important task that can only be accomplished during the playing season - Course Rating.

While I won't get too in depth with Course Ratings (and Slope) and how they are calculated - it is important to know what these terms mean. After all - accurate Course Ratings are the basis for the entire World Handicap System! Let me tell you though - the process and the mathematics behind a Course Rating & Slope are time consuming and can be complicated.

A Course Rating represents the score a scratch player, with a Handicap Index of 0.0, should achieve on a golf course under normal course and weather conditions.

A Slope Rating measures the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to those who are scratch payers.

The USGA mandates that every golf course is rated at least once every 10 years. This is because golf courses evolve over time - trees grow (or get cut down), mowing heights/speeds change, holes are lengthened/shortened, etc. The good news is the overall process of rating a golf course hasn't changed all that much. So there is a lot of consistency in the calculations over the years.

One thing that has changed quite a bit is the philosophy behind what tees we rate. Twenty years ago, finding the Course Rating and Slope for a set of tees was impossible to find if you didn't keep your scorecard. After all, there was no internet! Did you play 9 holes? Sorry - ratings were only done for 18. Most of the longer tees were only rated for Men, and the shortest tees were rated for Women. It was not a very inclusive system.

In the last few years, we have seen most of these problems go away. Are you a beginner golfer or someone of an advanced age who wants to play the most forward tee a course has to offer? Good news - we now rate almost every set of tees for Men. Are you a female golfer who likes the challenge of a longer golf course? We now rate almost every tee for Women as well. Only playing 9 holes? You can post that score and combine it with another 9 hole score from any other course, on any other day.

Thanks to our Manager of Course Rating, Mark Ackley and his dedicated team of volunteers we are rating over forty courses each season to ensure the integrity of the World Handicap System. If you happen to be at a facility we are rating that day - please make sure to stop and say hello!

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