Get In The Game with a USGA Handicap Index
Get In The Game with a USGA Handicap Index
Five playing-length factors are considered for each hole: roll, elevation, wind, dogleg / forced lay-ups, and altitude. Together, these five factors, or a combination of them, lengthen or shorten the overall playing length of a golf course relative to its physical yardage.
In addition to the effective playing length of a course, 10 obstacles are evaluated on each hole( nine physical and one psychological). The nine obstacles are as follows: topography, fairway, green target, rough and recoverability, bunkers, crossing obstacles, lateral obstacles, trees, and green surface. If that weren’ t enough, the hole receives an additional difficulty boost from the psychological obstacle if the rating numbers indicate the hole plays more difficult.
For example, assuming there are no effective playing length corrections, the team of course raters would first evaluate the landing area for the male bogey player 200 yards off the tee. In this area, the team would measure the fairway width and the distance from the fairway to the nearest lateral obstacle, while noting trees, bunkers, and any other obstacles a golfer would encounter in that area. The same procedure would be followed for the male scratch player’ s landing area 250 yards off the tee. This evaluation process is repeated until the group reaches the green. The green width and depth are then measured, along with lateral obstacles, trees, and bunkers surrounding the green.
This process is repeated on every hole and for every tee.
After all the data is collected, CLG submits all of it into the USGA Course Rating System, where reports are processed, published into the GHIN system for updated score postings, and sent to the golf course for updating things like scorecards, clubhouse posters, and website information to list the new Course Ratings and Slope Ratings.
It may be a lengthy process, but it is necessary to ensure that each course’ s ratings are as accurate as possible to help golfers enjoy an equitable experience when playing the game of golf.
Visit www. centrallinksgolf. org / course-rating-faqs( FAQ page) to learn more about the Course Rating Process preformed by Central Links Golf. Scan the QR code below for quick access to the FAQ page.
Learn more about getting your USGA Handicap Index on page 31.
Central Links Golf’ s course rating teams, on average, rate 30 courses per year.( Photo by CLG)
Each obstacle is given a numerical value ranging from zero to 10( zero being non-existent, 10 being extreme). To avoid any subjectivity, the values assigned are taken from tables within the USGA Course Rating Guide. Each obstacle has its own table where these measurements are applied.
Nelson Searcy, director of Member Services and Course Rating, has been with Central Links Golf since 2020. He oversees course rating, handicapping, and member services at Central Links Golf. Nelson grew up in Lee’ s Summit, MO, and attended Rockhurst University for his undergraduate and graduate-level studies, where he received a bachelor’ s degree in Sport Management and an MBA in Management. He was also a four-year student-athlete at Rockhurst University, where he played on the men’ s golf team. Nelson spends his free time playing golf and hanging out with his dog Kermit.
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