BY THE NUMBERS :
Golf Course Slope Ratings
113 Average Slope Rating
155 Most Difficult Slope Rating
124 Springfield ’ s Member Tee Slope Rating ( Tony Caggiano ’ s Home Course )
Stimpmeter
A device used to measure the speed of a golf course putting green by applying a known velocity to a golf ball and measuring the distance traveled in feet .
After a long hiatus away from the game , he began playing golf regularly again when he joined the Springfield Golf & Country Club in 1977 . And then came that fateful USGA meeting when the help wanted cry went out to attract new course raters .
“ I signed up and I ’ ve been doing it ever since ,” said Caggiano , a soft-spoken gentleman who is a beloved member at Springfield . “ At that time , rating golf courses was very subjective , very basic , not very elaborate . Nowadays , subjectivity is less than five percent .”
A U . S . Golf Association course rating tells the best golfers how hard a golf course actually plays ; a USGA Slope Rating indicates how much harder the course plays for “ regular ” golfers . The minimum slope rating is 55 and the maximum is 155 . The higher the slope , the more difficult the course . Course ratings also go a long way to allowing players of all skill levels to compete on an equal paying field , no matter their handicap .
Caggiano recently decided to hang up his stimpmeter , one of the important tools of the rating trade that measures green speed , and retire from what he described as “ an extremely interesting and enjoyable ” pursuit . He ’ ll still play two or three times a week out at Springfield , not far from where he lives , but his days of hitting the road with a team of fellow raters are now over .
Clearly , his knowledge and his affable presence will be missed .
“ His wealth of knowledge is just amazing ,” said Michael Walder , the VSGA ’ s director of handicapping and member services . “ When he ’ s rating a course , just having him there as a resource is incredibly beneficial .
CHRIS LANG
24 V IRGINIA G OLFER | N OVEMBER / D ECEMBER 2022
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