How are golf courses rated for difficulty?

The Golf Course Playing length and obstacles impact higher-handicap players more than lower-handicap players, and Slope Rating measures the relative difficulty of a golf course for players who are not scratch players compared to those who are scratch players.

What is a difficult course rating?

USGA Course Rating is an evaluation of the difficulty of a golf course for scratch golfers. A par-72 course that is easy might have a course rating of 68.9; one that is difficult might have a course rating of 74.5.

Is it hard to get a par in golf?

If you are an excellent golfer, par is probably very probable on an average golf course; however if you’re not and the course itself is difficult then it would be a bit harder. And lastly if you have great clubs and are an excellent golfer than par is probably really easy for you.

What is the average par for most golf courses?

around 72
A typical 18-hole golf course will have a total par around 72, and a 9-hole par-3 course (where all holes are rated as par 3) will have a total par of 27.

What is the rating of a golf course?

The Course Rating is simply the average score compiled by the par golfers. In this case, it’s 72. However, the Course Slope is not simply the average score compiled by the bogey golfers. The value for Course Slope is a measure of the amount of slant (or slope) in the straight line drawn between the two values.

How does golf course rating work?

The Course Rating is calculated from the effective playing length and obstacle factors for 9 or 18 designated holes. The Course Rating is expressed in strokes to one decimal point and represents the expected score for a scratch player. The Bogey Rating represents the expected score for a bogey player.

What do course ratings mean?

Course Rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a “par” or scratch golfer. For example, if a course has a par of 72, the Course Rating might be 71.4. This is the score the scratch golfer is expected to shoot on the course. The number goes up with the difficulty of the course.

What’s your par golf?

For 18 holes of golf, the par is the total number of strokes an expert golfer is expected to require to complete the course. Most full-size golf courses range from pars of 69 to 74, with par-70, par-71 and par-72 courses most common. Add up the par of each hole on a golf course to get the par for the course as a whole.

How are golf course ratings calculated?

Add or subtract the evaluation number from the par for the course. The Course Rating is a number with a single decimal. For example, if an extremely difficult par-72 golf course is a plus 3.0, the Course Rating would be 75.0. If an easy par-70 layout was rated a minus 2.0, the Course Rating would be 68.0.