Slope revealed
Kerry from Cranbrook, B.C. asks:
How exactly does the slope scoring system work—and when is it used?
Let’s back that up a little bit and start with: “What is slope?” and move on from there.
I sought several sources, including the USGA website and Wikipedia, of all things.
What is slope?
Slope, introduced by the USGA in the early 1980s, is a rating system that is intended to account for the vast differences in score between scratch (low handicap) golfers and bogey (high handicap) golfers on more challenging courses.
The USGA masterminds called the system “slope” in reference to the graphs used to chart the discrepancies between bogey golfers and scratch golfers. On easy courses, the difference between scratch and bogey golfers was moderate, but on championship courses, the difference between the two graphs became dramatic.
The slope system allows each player to modify his or her handicap to make for a closer game—and keep things interesting.
Standard course rating is expressed in strokes, making it easy to understand. USGA Course Rating (par) is an evaluation of the difficulty of a golf course for scratch golfers—it is an estimate of the average scores of the best 50 per cent of rounds played by scratch golfers at the course being rated. Par is determined by course length and this scratch average.
The USGA did a similar process with the scores of bogey golfers, and added in ten other factors, such as fairway width, bunker placement, water hazards and contouring of greens.
Slope is determined by subtracting the scratch average from the bogey average, then multiplying that number by 5.381 for men or 4.24 for women. The resulting number is the slope rating.
How does it work?
For example, if Kerry has a handicap of 9.9, and is playing a course with a 120 slope, his formula would be (9.9 x 120) ÷ 113 and rounded to the nearest integer. That would give Kerry a handicap of 11 for that particular course.
If Kerry plays a course with a 55 slope (the lowest possible), his handicap for that round would be 5.
When is slope used?
Slope is used when players of different abilities play a round, or when a golfer is playing a different course and wants their score to more accurately reflect their ability. The purpose of slope is to make for a fair match, no matter on which course he or she developed their handicap index.
The mystery of backspin
Kerry from Cranbrook, B.C. asks:
I’ve often seen the pros’ shots hit the green and spin back to the hole, and yet I have never seen that happen on my local course. How exactly do they accomplish that feat?
I decided to ask Rob Anderson, golf pro extraordinaire and top instructor in B.C. for two years running, to answer Kerry’s question.
It’s all about backspin…when you see a shot spin backwards, the ball essentially has a greater ratio of backspin to forward momentum than a shot that does not spin back. That’s a pretty straightforward explanation, but achieving it isn’t. The amount of backspin a shot has is relative to the conditions of play (how well-groomed the turf is, how soft or firm the surface of the green is, the moisture content of the turf, wind, topography, etc.). It depends on equipment—(on the) clubs and ball used. It also depends on the abilities of the player.
So, when a top-notch player hits a nice firm wedge from 75 yards or so off of a perfect lie to a green that is firm, yet receptive, with a wedge that has a milled face and grooves and a ball that has a high spin rate, he or she will be able to stop that ball dead, or even spin it back!
Thank-you Kerry, for the question, and thank you Rob, for the answer!
When rugged individualists take up golf
A New Golfer from Wardner, B.C. asks:
I have been practicing my golf shots across the Kootenay River at Wardner—should I swim across the river to retrieve my balls or should I just let the ravens pack them away?
Here is my opinion, based on anecdote and personal experience:
Neither. While I understand the desire for a beginner to practice in a comfortable, private environment, and can imagine the charge you must get from hitting the ball all the way across the river, I think there is a lot to be gained by heading to the driving range or booking a lesson. You could have problems with your swing and never know it. Hitting a hundred bad balls will not increase your skills. Please do not swim across Kootenay River, especially at low water. That stretch of river is known for its undercurrent. A visit to the historic Wardner graveyard will confirm this, with its many gravestones of kids who drowned in the early 1900s.
Golf balls seem innocent and inert—but hitting balls onto the shore is still littering. I can imagine that ravens, as intelligent birds, might be entertained by a golf ball—but wonder at the hazards presented once the ball breaks down and the urethane elastomer cover eventually cracks open. Unlike the first golf balls, which were hand-sewn leather, packed with boiled goose feathers, modern balls are not biodegradable.
After a light slap on the wrist, I congratulate you for taking up golf, and encourage you to head over to the driving range to book a lesson. There you will find the social aspects of the game are just as rewarding as the view of the river, and you will also get to immerse yourself in the engrossing practice of hitting the ball properly.
I love the smell of jargon on the course
Pierre from Fernie, B.C. asks:
When choosing clubs, is the Maltby Playability Factor helpful or hogwash? What does the Golf Gal think?
The Golf Gal appreciates technical-sounding challenges. For those who wonder, go to Ralph Maltby’s website at: www.ralphmaltby.com.
The Maltby Playability Factor is a method devised by Ralph Maltby—a vastly experienced golf equipment designer—for classifying clubs into six categories. Here’s what it says on the site: “Certain mass and dimensional qualities along with a mathematical computation determine this playability factor and rate each iron into one of six different categories.”
Based on this information, Golf Gal says:
Helpful—but consider a few things: While extensive, the MPF does not consider many factors, such as “sole bounce, proper loft angle, proper lie angle, face grooves, sole width, offsets, face progressions, head weight, swing weight, club length and the golf shaft. Playability factor also does not take into account how different swings can bring the club head into impact on different planes, arcs and angles and how the ball is affected regarding launch angle, backspin and feel back to the golfer”—and this is stated directly on the website. Also, the MPF is dependent on an honest self-evaluation of ability. As a former ski shop girl who set the DIN binding release on rental skis, I have seen nervous, excited tourists off a bus from Toronto—wearing sweatpants—evaluate themselves as expert skiers. I erred on the side of caution and set their binding release slightly low. I am sure this trait of human nature carries over into golf.
Aside from that caveat, choosing clubs from the MPF category that suits you is easy. As long as you are in the care of a professional golf club fitter and have your swing properly analyzed, adding in the MPF to your selection criteria is great. The MPF will narrow your search and steer you to a better-suited club—provided you know what kind of golfer you are. Finally, I condone any practice that gives athletes a mental edge—even if it means delving into the minutiae of physics.
Golfing green
Going Green in Cranbrook, B.C. asks:
Many of my friends and family golf—but I don’t believe in it. I believe golf is an environmental disaster. Golf courses have excessive water usage, they use pesticides/herbicides that drain into the water table and creeks nearby and they use numerous gas and motorized pieces of equipment to maintain the course. I think all this adds up to an environmental faux pas under the guise of being an ‘outdoorsy and clean’ activity. Can you, Golf Gal, defend golf from an environmentalist stand point?
To answer the question of Going Green, I sought the insight of golf course architect Les Furber and did some research for sound green golfing options.
Sometimes I can promote golf as a green activity—and with increasing frequency.
The UN estimates that golf courses use about 9.5 billion litres of water daily. Golf courses in the Bahamas have a negative impact on coral reefs, due to the leaching out of fertilizers, which disrupt the nutrient-poor conditions in which the reefs naturally thrive. These things I cannot defend. As Going Green is aware, environmental destruction and water waste is extremely uncool.
The good thing is, the golf industry is not immune to the trend toward increased environmental consciousness. Everyone wants to feel good about their positive environmental impact—including golfers. Course designers and superintendents are compelled to improve course designs and maintenance practices. Bottom line: to ignore the environmental movement and the demand for greener practices would be bad for business. Renowned course designer, Les Furber, spoke of this evolution.
“Environmental awareness has increased in recent years and we hope to be stewards of the environment with our designs—to reduce water and chemical use and to minimize our earthwork requirements as much as possible,” said Furber. “ We promote the use of more drought-tolerant grasses and the establishment of conservation areas throughout the golf course property.”
When Furber speaks of reducing earthwork, he is referring to his inclination to follow the natural contours of the land when designing a course. For Furber, this is both an environmental and an aesthetic impulse. “The art of creative design…lies in the ability to…adapt your design philosophies to fit the landscape rather than transform the landscape to fit your design ideas,” said Furber. “We strive to maintain and preserve as much of the naturalness of existing contours and vegetation as possible to attain a look of a mature golf course that has existed for many years.”
Audubon International has created an initiative for golf courses to strive toward excellent environmental practices. A select few courses have achieved the standard, and have received certification. Going Green can feel good about riding her bike to one of these courses, buying some second-hand clubs and playing a few rounds in an organic, wildlife-friendly setting. Also, Going Green can become a Green Golfer by joining a growing movement of golfers who demand and promote environmentally friendly golf practices.
A closer option is Granby River Golf, a new course near Grand Forks that has sound environmental practices—including making their own organic fertilizer.
Thank you for promoting green practices, Going Green. I hope you will consider becoming a Green Golfer!
Out-of-bounds play and scoring
Kerry from Cranbrook, B.C. asks:
What is the correct way to score and play a shot that goes out of bounds?
To answer his question, I went to the USGA rule book and found his answer under Rule 27: Ball lost out of bounds; provisional ball.
Kerry may not play his ball from its out-of-bounds location; however, if the ball is partially in-bounds, it is considered in-bounds and he could play that ball normally. Determining out-of-bounds has its own technicalities. Consider this: if the boundary is delineated by a fence or stakes, “the out-of-bounds line is determined by the nearest inside points of the stakes or fence posts at ground level excluding angled supports.” If the boundary is shown by a line on the ground, the line itself is out of bounds. If Kerry’s ball was in-bounds, it is OK for him to stand out of bounds to play his ball.
Rule 27 says:
If a ball is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played.
If Kerry’s ball was fully out of bounds, he would have to either retrieve his ball within five minutes, or put a new ball into play and return to the spot where he made his bad hit into the out-of-bounds area. That is the distance penalty. In addition, Kerry would have to add one stroke to his score.
Now, if Kerry is golfing in Canada, he can give himself a break by following the Royal Canadian Golf Association rule book. According to the RCGA rules, he may play his retrieved ball at any point on the line between where he initially hit the shot and the place where the ball went out of bounds.
Cross-border golfers must follow the rules adopted by each course, and shouldn’t use RCGA rules while playing in the States.
I would like to thank Kevin McIsaac, a Fernie, B.C. golfer and rule aficionado, for bringing this important—and potentially game-saving—difference to my attention.
Update: Helpful Kevin from Fernie, B.C. has written in again, now unsure of the accuracy of his suggestion and my interpretation of it.
“There are almost no simple rules in golf,” Kevin wrote, “It’s maddening.”
Don’t worry, Kevin. We are all in this together. Let’s get into the text. The official word from the RCGA is this:
If a ball is lost or is out of bounds, the player must play a ball, under penalty of one stroke, as nearly as possible at the spot from which the original ball was last played (see Rule 20-5).
Rule 20-5 states:
When a player elects or is required to make his next stroke from where a previous stroke was made, he must proceed as follows:
- On the Teeing Ground: The ball to be played must be played from within the teeing ground. It may be played from anywhere within the teeing ground and it may be teed.
- Through the Green and in a Hazard: The ball to be played must be dropped.
- On the Putting Green: The ball to be played must be placed.
Depending where Kerry made his bad hit, he would have to either tee up his ball, drop a ball in his original spot—or place it on the green. He would have to add a stroke to his score. It appears that the RCGA and the USGA are in agreement for this situation.
At this point, I would like to recommend that every golfer keep the “RCGA(RCGA website)”:http://www.rcga.org and the “USGA(USGA website)”:http://www.usga.org rule books at hand.
Again, I thank my enthusiastic readership. It is great to know that you are out there, also pondering the great game of golf!