One of the benefits of NCGA membership is a core foundation of the game of golf – your unique official USGA Handicap Index®. You use this GHIN number to enter your 9 or 18-hole scores into the USGA GHIN mobile app (golf handicap app), a golf course kiosk or by logging in on ncga.org – all connected to the World Handicap SystemTM.
Starting in 2020, with the WHS, your index is re-calculated every day with a set of algorithms. This all sounds like a simple database automation, but it is just the tip of the iceberg. What goes into making it all happen is much more impressive.
Just think about it – when you enter your score, you are indicating which course you played and from which set of tees. Part of the handicap calculation is Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™.
No doubt you see these numbers on the course scorecard and asked yourself what is a Course Rating? Who figured them out? NCGA Course Raters! Our best-in-class team (which includes volunteers) visits every course in Northern California to rate the relative difficulty of scoring a par on that course for a typical scratch golfer and a typical bogey golfer.
What is a golf Course Rating?
When a golf course is rated, playing length and obstacle factors are evaluated, which allows the unique challenges of each golf course to be quantified. Following this thorough evaluation by a qualified rating team, a Course Rating and Slope Rating is issued for each set of tees. Since Course Rating teams are trained by Authorized Associations (that's us!), each course’s rating is carried out with consistency and accuracy, which is vital to the integrity of the WHS.
A Course Rating represents the expected score for a scratch player (Handicap Index of 0.0) under normal playing conditions, while a Bogey Rating represents the expected score for a bogey player (Handicap Index 20.0 to 24.0). These two figures work together to calculate a Slope Rating, which is a measure of the relative difficulty of a golf course between the scratch player and all other players. In other words, the higher the Slope Rating of a golf course, the more strokes a higher-handicapped player will need to play that course on an equal basis to the scratch player.
How is a golf course rated?
These course ratings take a full day and follow a comprehensive process that includes:
- Identifying course obstacles such as topography, bunkers, fairways, rough, green surface, water and trees
- Playing the course (the fun part!)
- Recording and analyzing all the detailed data to produce the course rating and slope – for each tee
How often are golf courses rated?
Courses are rated every six years unless substantial changes are made that would impact the course difficulty. This process and the know-how of the raters assures the integrity of the Handicap Index calculation.
What's the purpose of a Course Rating?
With a unified Course Rating system under the WHS, players can apply their Handicap Index at any rated course worldwide, ensuring a fair and balanced game with others, regardless of the tees they play. Wondering how to get a GHIN number? Become A Member to establish your Handicap Index!
This is just one of the behind-the-scenes NCGA benefits that help you enjoy golf wherever you play in Northern California (and beyond!).
WHAT TO LEARN MORE?
Handicap 101
Get answers to all your questions about golf handicaps with Handicap 101: how to calculate, establish, and utilize your Handicap Index® for fair competition and why every golfer needs one.