Course rating is very easy to understand because it is expressed in strokes. A par-72 course that is easy might have a course rating of 68.9; one that is difficult might have a course rating of 74.5. That means that a scratch golfer should be expected to average 68.9 strokes in his better rounds at the easier course; and 74.5 at the more difficult one.

What is a Slope Rating?
Slope rating (a term trademarked by the United States Golf Association) is a measurement of the difficulty of a golf course for bogey golfers relative to the course rating (or scratch golfers.)

To put it another way: USGA Course Rating tells better golfers how hard a golf course plays and USGA Slope Rating tells average golfers how much harder a course plays.


                                                                   


The minimum slope rating is 55 and the maximum is 155 (slope does not relate specifically to strokes played as course rating does). The higher the slope, the more difficult the course is for golfers who's handicaps are higher than scratch. The slope rating influences the higher handicapper's course handicap more than the scratch golfer.

When the slope rating system was first put into effect, the USGA set the slope for an "average" golf course at 113; however, not many 18-hole golf courses have slope ratings that low. Some do, but the real-world average is higher than 113. (However, a slope of 113 is still used in certain calculations within the handicap system.)