Understanding Course Rating™, Slope Rating™, and Adjusted Gross Score
Key definitions
- Course Rating™ : the expected score for a scratch golfer on that course under normal conditions.
- Slope Rating™ : a measure of how difficult the course is for a bogey golfer compared to a scratch golfer; the Slope scale is standardized at 113.
- Adjusted Gross Score (AGS): your total score after applying adjustments such as limiting the maximum score on a hole to a Net Double Bogey to prevent extreme hole scores from inflating your handicap.
- Course and Slope Ratings are produced from evaluations that consider playing length and the course’s various obstacles. Course Rating™ represents the scratch-golfer expectation; Slope Rating™ expresses the relative increase in difficulty for non-scratch (bogey) golfers versus scratch golfers.
- Course Rating™ provides a benchmark score representing how a scratch golfer is expected to score on that course; it establishes a standardized expectation of difficulty for low-handicap players.
- Slope Rating™ describes how much more (or less) difficult the course plays for higher-handicap or bogey golfers relative to scratch golfers; it offers a standardized measure of relative difficulty across player ability levels.
- Adjusted Gross Score reduces the impact of unusually high hole scores (for example by limiting a hole to Net Double Bogey), preventing extreme single-hole results from disproportionately inflating a player’s handicap or scoring record.
- Together, Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ provide standardized, objective measures of course difficulty used to compare scores from different courses and to ensure fair competition across varying course challenges and player abilities.
- Using Adjusted Gross Score when recording rounds prevents outlier hole scores from skewing a player’s posted score or handicap, supporting fairer competition and more accurate handicap representation.