What is the USGA Slope System?
The Slope System is a refinement of the USGA Handicap System. It adjusts a player’s handicap for the difficulty of the course he plays. Q: But isn’t that what the handicap system, along with course ratings, is designed to do? A: Not quite. USGA course ratings are based on an expert’s game. For example, an expert should play a course rated 70 in 70. He will play a course rated 75 in 75, or close to it. When an average player plays a difficult course, his score tends to rise more than the difference in course ratings. An 18-handicapper might shoot 105 on a course rated 75, for example. The Slope System alleviates this inequity. It also deals with the problem of the golfer who builds his handicap at a very difficult course and scores well below it when he travels to easier courses. Q: How? A: By rating courses according to their relative difficulty for all levels of golfers. The Slope System adjusts a golfer’s handicap to the course he’s playing. This adjustment is based on a mathematical
