Stupid Golf Question
What is slope rating?
The scorecard has a slope number and it sounds like math homework
Plain answer first
The plain answer
Slope rating indicates the relative difficulty of a course for players who are not scratch players compared with scratch players. A course of standard relative difficulty has a slope rating of 113; slope is not a predicted score.
The NPG answer
It shows how quickly the course gets less friendly when you are not a scratch golfer.
When it matters
It matters in handicap calculations and when comparing how two sets of tees affect non-scratch golfers relative to scratch golfers.
What to do next
Read slope beside course rating and bogey rating for the tees you are playing; do not use slope by itself as the full difficulty story.
Do this next
How do I read a golf scorecard?
A scorecard combines hole distances, par, handicap-stroke allocation, totals, course ratings, and optional performance stats.
Read the related questionRelated questions
Join the loop
Want the next note?
Get simple golf survival notes built for the exact awkward moments regular golfers run into.
Ask Mully the follow-up
If this answer unlocked a second question, open the chat here and keep going.