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.