USGA Definition
The USGA states that slope rating is a mark that indicates the measurement of the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch golfers compared to the USGA course rating (e.g., compared to the difficulty of a course for scratch golfers). A slope rating is computed from the difference between the bogey rating and the USGA course rating. A golf course of standard playing difficulty has a slope rating of 113, and slope ratings range from a minimum of 55 (very easy) to a maximum of 155 (extremely difficult).
The USGA slope rating of a golf course is a mark that describes the measure of difficulty for a bogey golfer relative to a scratch golfer at a specific set of tees. It describes the fact that when playing on a more difficult course, the scores of higher-handicapped players will rise more quickly than those of lower handicapped golfers. The slope rating of a set of tees predicts the straight-line rise in anticipated score versus USGA course handicap, as in the mathematical slope of a graph.
A slope rating is calculated from the difference in a bogey course rating and a scratch course rating, more commonly known as the course rating. This difference is multiplied by 5.381 to get a men's slope rating or 4.240 to get a women's slope rating. Course ratings (bogey and scratch) are determined by course raters, who measure and record more than 460 numbers on a course rating form for each set of tees.
Read more about this topic: Slope Rating
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