[Kim Maengnyeong's Golf English Conversation] 'Difficulty Measurement Course Rating'

The Masters battleground, Augusta National, is a challenging golf course with a high course rating.

‘Course rating’.

It is a method to measure the difficulty of a golf course. It represents the playing difficulty for a scratch player (a golfer who averages 72 strokes) playing under normal weather conditions. The evaluation is based on the back tee and is expressed as a stroke number with one decimal place (e.g., 73.6). The course rating calculation considers the distance rating as well as obstacles that affect the score.

The distance rating factors include elevation, wind, doglegs, and the elevation of the tee box and green. There are roughly 10 obstacle factors, including terrain, bunkers, out of bounds (OB), penalty areas, severe rough, and trees. The course rating system originated in the British Isles. The first measure of course difficulty was par.

Generally, the longer the course, the harder it is to score. The hole with handicap 1 is long and has many obstacles, making it difficult to make par. Based on par 72, a score higher than par (73) indicates a difficult course, while a score lower than par (71) indicates an easier course. Two weeks ago, the Korean Professional Golf (KPGA) Korean Tour Maekyung Open was held at Namseoul Golf Club in Seongnam, Gyeonggi-do (par 71, 7,047 yards), which had a course rating of 75.7. It is a very challenging course.

A: What is a course rating?

B: It’s a single number indicating the difficulty of a golf course to an expert (scratch) golfer. It is expressed in strokes.

A: Then, what is a course slope?

B: The slope rating, by contrast, indicates how difficult the course should be for a bogey golfer.

A: Who rates the courses?

B: Each course is rated by a team from the golf association in their region.

Text & Photo by Kim Maengnyeong, Golf Columnist