Golf Glossary
Slope Rating
In short
The Slope Rating is a number between 55 and 155 that shows how much harder a golf course is for average players than for scratch golfers. The neutral value is 113. The higher the slope, the more the course handicap rises for a player with a handicap above zero.
Slope Rating in golf: the meaning explained
Every golf course gets two numbers that describe its difficulty: the Course Rating and the Slope Rating. The Course Rating applies to scratch golfers, very good players with a handicap of 0. The Slope Rating shows how much harder the course gets for an average player, the bogey golfer. A bogey golfer is a player with a Handicap Index of about 20 for men and about 24 for women.
A course can be manageable for professionals and very hard for recreational players. Narrow fairways, plenty of water, deep rough and fast greens hit weaker players harder than strong ones. That is exactly the difference the Slope Rating measures. When it is high, weaker players lose many extra strokes compared with scratch golfers. When it is low, the course suits all players about equally.
The slope makes sure a handicap is applied fairly on every course. Without it, a player on handicap 24 would receive the same handicap strokes on a very hard course and on a very easy one.
Range: 55 to 155 and the neutral value of 113
The Slope Rating always lies between 55 and 155, with 113 in the middle. It stands for a course of average relative difficulty.
- Slope 113: neutral course. The course handicap equals the Handicap Index, apart from the correction through the Course Rating.
- Slope above 113: harder course for average players. The course handicap rises.
- Slope below 113: easier course. The course handicap falls.
- Slope 155: the highest possible value, an extremely hard course.
- Slope 55: the lowest possible value.
The number 113 was set as the benchmark for a course of average difficulty. As a rough guide, most courses fall somewhere between 100 and 140. A slope of 130 counts as demanding, a value around 100 as rather easy. Note that the slope says nothing about the length of the course. A short course with many hazards can have a high slope, a long, open course a low one.
How the Slope Rating is determined
The slope is determined by trained course raters following a fixed procedure of the golf associations. They measure the course and assess hazards such as water, bunkers, rough, out-of-bounds and the nature of the greens. Their assessment produces two numbers: the Course Rating for scratch golfers and the Bogey Rating for bogey golfers.
The slope is based on the difference between the two. Under the USGA method the difference between Bogey Rating and Course Rating is multiplied by a fixed factor, 5.381 for men and 4.240 for women. An example: a course has a Course Rating of 72.0 and a Bogey Rating of 95.0. The difference is 23.0. Times 5.381 gives about 124. The Slope Rating is 124.
On a course of average difficulty the Bogey Rating is 21 strokes above the Course Rating for men and about 26.7 strokes for women. In both cases the calculation gives the neutral value of 113. The values are set for each set of tees and separately for men and women, and are reviewed regularly. As a player you do not have to calculate anything. You find the value on the scorecard or in your club's course information.
Slope Rating and Course Rating: how they differ
The two numbers are often confused, but they do different jobs.
- The Course Rating is given in strokes to one decimal place, for example 71.8. It says what score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot under normal conditions. It is used in the course handicap and in the score differential.
- The Slope Rating is a ratio without a unit, for example 125. It says how strongly difficulty grows for average players compared with scratch golfers.
- Par is the target number of strokes of the course. It can differ from the Course Rating.
In the course handicap formula the values act at different points. The slope scales the Handicap Index, and Course Rating minus par corrects the result. For scratch golfers with an index of 0 the slope therefore plays no role, for players with a high handicap it plays a big one.
Worked example: how slope affects your course handicap
The formula for the course handicap over 18 holes is: Handicap Index × (Slope ÷ 113) + (Course Rating - par). Take a player with a Handicap Index of 20.0 and, to keep it simple, leave out the second term (Course Rating minus par).
- Slope 100: 20.0 × 100 ÷ 113 = 17.7, so 18 handicap strokes.
- Slope 113: 20.0 × 113 ÷ 113 = 20 handicap strokes.
- Slope 130: 20.0 × 130 ÷ 113 = 23.0, so 23 handicap strokes.
- Slope 140: 20.0 × 140 ÷ 113 = 24.8, so 25 handicap strokes.
The same player therefore receives between 18 and 25 strokes depending on the course. On a course with a high slope they receive more help because the course is harder for them than for a scratch golfer. That keeps net scores comparable.
The slope also acts in the score differential, where your score is converted with 113 ÷ Slope. The same score gives a lower differential on a course with a high slope because the course demanded more.
Where do you find the Slope Rating?
You find the Slope Rating in several places: on the scorecard, on the notice board in the clubhouse, on the course website and in the DGV course database. It is given for each set of tees, usually graded by colour, and separately for men and women. If you play from a different set of tees, you use its slope as well.
A practical example: for the Golf Lounge's 9-hole 'Black' course, the published DGV table gives men a Course Rating of 31 with Slope 100 and women a Course Rating of 31.9 with Slope 116. Par is 33. The figures show that the course sits slightly below the neutral value for men and slightly above it for women. The values currently valid on site are always the ones that count.
Nine-hole courses have their own values based on nine holes. Many clubs also post a course handicap table. It lets you read off directly, from your Handicap Index, how many strokes you receive from each set of tees, without any calculation.
Common misunderstandings about slope
A few misunderstandings persist around slope.
- A high slope does not automatically mean the course is long. Hazards and greens count just as much.
- The slope does not change your Handicap Index. It only changes the course handicap on that course and the calculation of the score differential.
- The slope is not a value for professionals. It describes precisely the gap between scratch golfers and average players.
- The slope is not the same for all tees of a course. Each set of tees has its own values.
- A low slope does not make the course easy for everyone. For scratch golfers the Course Rating can still be high.
Remember: the slope is the bridge between your Handicap Index and the course you play.
Try it at Golf Lounge
You can see the Slope Rating at work on the Golf Lounge's 9-hole 'Black' course. For the par-33 course, the published DGV table gives men a Course Rating of 31 at Slope 100 and women 31.9 at Slope 116. The values currently valid on site are what counts. With a DGV Platzreife you can play from April to December, and up to four players can book each tee time. The course has par-3 and par-4 holes plus water hazards and bunkers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Slope Rating in golf?
The Slope Rating is a number from 55 to 155 that shows how much harder a course is for average players than for scratch golfers. The neutral value is 113. The higher the slope, the more handicap strokes a player with a handicap above zero receives. The value is set for each set of tees and separately for men and women.
What does slope 113 mean?
Slope 113 stands for a course of average relative difficulty. On such a course the course handicap equals the Handicap Index, apart from the correction through Course Rating and par. Higher values mean a harder course with more handicap strokes, lower values an easier one with fewer.
What is the difference between slope and Course Rating?
The Course Rating states in strokes what a scratch golfer is expected to shoot on the course under normal conditions. The Slope Rating is a ratio describing how strongly difficulty grows for average players. Both feed into the calculation of the course handicap and the score differential.
What is a good Slope Rating?
There is no good or bad slope. It only describes difficulty. As a rough guide, most courses fall between about 100 and 140. A value around 130 counts as demanding, a value around 100 as rather easy. The number depends on hazards and greens, not just on length.
How do I calculate my course handicap with the slope?
The formula for 18 holes is: Handicap Index × (Slope ÷ 113) + (Course Rating - par). Example: index 20.0, Slope 130, Course Rating 72.5, par 72 gives 20.0 × 130 ÷ 113 = 23.0 plus 0.5, so 23.5, rounded to 24 handicap strokes. Many clubs post a table for this.
As of: October 2026