What Is Slope Rating?

If you have read what is a score differential, you know each submitted round is adjusted for course difficulty. One of the numbers that does that adjusting is Slope Rating.

You will see it on the scorecard beside the tees you played, often written as something like 72.1 / 129. The second number is the slope. It also affects how many shots you receive when you convert your Handicap Index into a Course Handicap.

Slope measures how much harder a course is for a bogey golfer (around 20 handicap) compared to a scratch golfer (0 handicap). It is not a rating of how "good" the course is. It is about how steeply difficulty increases as handicaps rise.

A high slope means higher handicaps face a tougher challenge relative to scratch players. A low slope means the course is more forgiving for bogey golfers compared to scratch players.

Slope runs from 55 to 155. Most UK courses sit between 113 and 135. Each set of tees has its own rating, set by trained course raters.

113 is the neutral baseline in WHS formulas. It lets courses of different difficulty sit on the same scale. You will see it in your score differential calculation and when working out your Course Handicap.

At slope 113, only the Course Rating vs par part of the formula changes your shots. Above 113, you receive more shots than your Handicap Index alone would suggest.

Two courses can produce different shot allowances from the same Handicap Index:

Slope works alongside Course Rating, which describes how a scratch golfer is expected to score. Together they convert your Handicap Index into a Course Handicap for the tees you are playing.