SLOPE AND YOUR HANDICAP

Under Slope, a golfer’s playing handicap on any given day will be determined according to the difficulty of the tees or course to be played. Golf Australia believes that this will be fairer than our current one-handicap-fits-all courses method.

What are the features of slope?

  • Every set of tees on every golf course around the country will have a Slope Rating which has been determined in accordance with the new course rating system. The maximum Slope Rating is 155 (most difficult) and the minimum is 55 (least difficult). The Neutral Slope Rating is 113. Every set of tees will also have a Scratch Rating.
  • GOLF Link will calculate a nationally-standardised handicap index for every player and this will be called the GA Handicap.
  • A GA Handicap will be calculated by using the best 8 of a player’s most recent 20 scores (ie best 8 of 20, x 0.93). However, every score in every player’s score history will first be standardised by GOLF Link against a Slope Rating of 113. As a result, the GA Handicap will reflect a golfer’s ability on a course which has the neutral Slope Rating of 113.
  • The GA Handicap is not intended for use as a playing handicap. It is to be used in conjunction with the Slope Rating of the set of tees being played to calculate a golfer’s playing handicap for the day, and this will be called the Daily Handicap.
  • It is the GA Handicap that will be displayed in a player’s GOLF Link record on www.golflink.com.au.

How will Slope make things fairer?

Generally speaking, a high marker finds it harder to adjust to a difficult course than a low marker does.  Slope adjustments will play a balancing role.

For example, if the Black Tees are harder than the White Tees, a high -marker may play the Black Tees off a handicap of 28 and the White Tees off 24. The Elite player finds it easier to adjust, so they may play the Black Tees off 4 and the White Tees off 3. Golf Australia believes this is fairer than having the difference between the elite player’s handicap and the high-marker’s handicap always stay the same.

Now, how does this affect us?

We will still enter in the same way our computer system will print your CARD WITH YOUR DAILY HANDICAP on it just as it always does.

When you visit another club you will need your Golflink card which will have your GA HANDICAP and the club you are visiting will be able to apply their slope rating there

What is the formula that Golf Link will use to calculate a daily handicap?

Daily Handicap for Nedlands is: GA Handicap x (Blue Tees 18 hole course 137; Red Tees 18 hole course 138) ÷ Neutral Slope Rating (ie 113)

Calculation of GA handicap – Best 8 of 20, multiplied by 0.93 [already in effect]*

To calculate a player’s GA Handicap, GOLF Link does the following:

  • Firstly it identifies their most recent 20 scores (these are displayed on www.golflink.com.au)
  • It then averages the Differentials from the best 8 of them (Differential is the calculation of the player’s score against the course rating; it is the value listed in the ‘Played To’ column on www.golflink.com.au)
  • Finally it multiplies this average by 0.93. The resultant figure is the player’s GA Handicap.

Example 1 – Players playing at Nedlands

Dave’s GA Handicap is 18.4 and he plays from a set of tees with a Slope Rating of 137.

18.4 x 137 ÷ 113 = 22.3

Dave’s Daily Handicap is 22.

Example 2 – Players going to another course

Dave’s GA Handicap is 18.4 and he plays from a set of tees with a Slope Rating of 128.

18.4 x 128 ÷ 113 = 20.84

Dave’s Daily Handicap is 21.

* For further information go to http://www.golf.org.au/default.aspx?s=newgahandicapsystem