Tools & Reference
Golf Slope Rating Calculator
Slope rating tells you how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. Enter the course rating and the bogey rating and this works it out for you.
Slope Rating questions
How is slope rating calculated?
Slope rating = (Bogey Rating − Course Rating) × 5.381 for men, or × 4.24 for women. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number and always falls between 55 and 155, where 113 is a course of average difficulty.
What is a good slope rating?
Slope measures difficulty for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer, not overall toughness. 113 is average. Below that plays easier for higher handicappers; above it (up to 155) plays disproportionately harder as your handicap climbs.
The difficulty for a scratch golfer — printed on the scorecard.
The expected score for a bogey golfer on the same tees.
Slope rating—
How the calculation works
Slope = (Bogey Rating − Course Rating) × 5.381 (men) or 4.24 (women)
The gap between what a bogey golfer and a scratch golfer are expected to shoot is what slope captures. A wider gap means the course punishes the higher handicapper more — think forced carries, thick rough and trouble that a scratch player flies over but a bogey player finds.
The answer is always clamped between 55 and 155, with 113 being a course of standard relative difficulty. You'll use this number, along with your Handicap Index, to work out your Course Handicap on the day.