Course Rating and Slope Rating explained
- Rule 6.1, Rules of Handicapping (2024 edition)
- Last checked Nov 1, 2026
- By Julien Levadoux
Course Rating is what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot from a set of tees. Slope Rating says how much harder those tees play for an average golfer than for a scratch golfer, on a scale where 113 is standard.
Every set of tees on a rated course has two numbers, usually printed on the scorecard next to the yardage: something like 71.8 / 131. The first is the Course Rating, the second the Slope Rating.
Course Rating: what scratch shoots
The Course Rating is the score a scratch golfer (Handicap Index 0.0) is expected to shoot from those tees in normal conditions. It’s written to one decimal and is often close to par, but not equal to it: a long, tight par 72 might be rated 74.6, a short one 69.3.
Slope Rating: how much harder for everyone else
A harder course costs a bogey golfer (a Handicap Index around 20 for men, 24 for women) more strokes than it costs a scratch golfer. The Slope Rating measures that gap.
- 113 is a course of standard difficulty.
- Ratings run from 55 to 155. The higher the number, the more strokes the tees cost a higher-handicap golfer compared with a scratch one.
How they change your Course Handicap
Course Handicap = Handicap Index × Slope Rating ÷ 113 + (Course Rating − par)
| Tees | Course Rating | Slope | Par | Course Handicap for an index of 15.0 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Back | 74.1 | 138 | 72 | 15.0 × 138 ÷ 113 + 2.1 = 20 |
| Middle | 71.6 | 128 | 72 | 15.0 × 128 ÷ 113 − 0.4 = 17 |
| Forward | 68.9 | 115 | 72 | 15.0 × 115 ÷ 113 − 3.1 = 12 |
The same golfer gets 8 more strokes from the back tees than from the forward tees.
Where to find them
On the scorecard, on the course’s website, or posted in the clubhouse. Men’s and women’s ratings for the same tees differ, so use the line that applies to you.
Explained in our own words, not an official ruling: in a competition, the committee, league or umpire decides, and local rules apply.
Sources
- Rules of Handicapping, USGA and R&A (2024 edition)