Golf Course Slope Rating Database
Stymie has a slope rating on file for 9,463 US golf courses. The national median slope is 129 and the average is 127.9. Slopes on file run from 71 to 155, and 992 courses rate above 140. A slope of 113 means standard difficulty: a bogey golfer loses the usual number of strokes to a scratch golfer. Pick a state to see every rated course in one table.
US slope rating distribution
One tee per course: its hardest men's 18-hole rating, or its best available rating when it has none.
| Slope | Difficulty | Courses | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 113 | Easier than a standard course | 756 | 8.0% |
| 113 to 120 | Around standard difficulty | 1,256 | 13.3% |
| 121 to 130 | Moderately hard | 3,303 | 34.9% |
| 131 to 140 | Hard | 3,156 | 33.4% |
| 141 to 150 | Very hard | 918 | 9.7% |
| 151 to 155 | Near the top of the scale | 74 | 0.8% |
| All rated courses | 9,463 | 100% |
Slope ratings by state
Among states with at least 20 rated courses, South Carolina has the highest average slope, at 136.2. 16 states have at least one course at 155. Each state page lists every rated course.
How to read slope and course rating
Slope rating measures how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer. It runs from 55 to 155. A higher number means the gap between the two players grows faster on that course.
113 is neutral. It is the slope of a course of standard relative difficulty. Your course handicap is your Handicap Index multiplied by slope divided by 113, plus course rating minus par. At a slope of 113 the first part leaves your index unchanged; above it you get more strokes.
Course rating is the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot from a given tee in normal conditions, such as 72.4. It is close to par on most full-length courses. A nine-hole rating is roughly half that, and short or executive courses can rate in the 50s.
Bogey rating is the score a bogey golfer is expected to shoot from the same tee. Slope comes from the gap between the two: for men it is about 5.381 times bogey rating minus course rating, and for women about 4.24 times.
Ratings belong to tees, not courses. Each set of tees can be rated for men and for women, so one course can carry a dozen slopes. These tables show one row per course: its hardest men's 18-hole rating, the number most golfers mean by a course's slope.
Slope rating FAQ
What is a good slope rating for a golf course?
There is no good or bad slope, only harder or easier for a bogey golfer. 113 is standard difficulty. Across the 9,463 US courses with a slope on file at Stymie, the median is 129 and the average is 127.9, so a typical American course plays harder than the 113 baseline. 8.0% of courses rate under 113.
What is the highest possible slope rating?
155. The scale runs from 55 to 155. 22 US courses in Stymie's data are listed at 155, the top of the scale, counting one tee per course.
How many golf courses have a slope over 140?
992 of the 9,463 rated US courses (10.5%) have a slope above 140, counting each course once at its hardest men's 18-hole rating.
What does a slope rating of 113 mean?
113 is the slope of a course of standard relative difficulty. At 113, your course handicap equals your Handicap Index before the course rating and par adjustment. Above 113, a bogey golfer loses more strokes to a scratch golfer than usual, so you receive more strokes.
What is the difference between slope rating and course rating?
Course rating is the score a scratch golfer is expected to shoot, such as 72.4. Slope rating measures how much harder the course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, on a 55 to 155 scale. Two courses can share a course rating and have very different slopes.
How do I find the slope rating of a golf course?
Pick the state below and use the filter on its table. Every state page lists every course Stymie has a slope rating for, one row per course, with the tee, course rating, yardage and par. The scorecard on each course page lists every rated tee.