How to Read a Golf Scorecard: Par, Rating, Slope

On a scorecard, par is the score a scratch player is expected to make on a hole. The row marked Handicap or HCP is the stroke index, which ranks the holes and tells you where your strokes go. The Course Rating is the expected score for a scratch player on a set of tees, and a Slope Rating of 113 is a course of standard relative difficulty.

The CardA sample scorecard, line by line

Sample Hills is a made-up course, so the yards, pars and ratings below are for illustration only. The layout is what most real cards look like: hole numbers across the top, a row of yards for each set of tees, par, and the stroke index.

Front nine

Source: Made-up sample card for illustration. What each line means: The R&A, Rules of Handicapping, Appendices E, F and G.

Back nine

Source: Made-up sample card for illustration. What each line means: The R&A, Rules of Handicapping, Appendices E, F and G.

Ratings by tee

Source: Made-up sample ratings for illustration. Meaning of Course Rating and Slope Rating: The R&A, Rules of Handicapping, Appendix G.

Appendix G says the Course Rating, Slope Rating and par for each set of tees must be readily available, so that it is easy to turn your Handicap Index into a Course Handicap and a Playing Handicap. Look on the scorecard first, then at the pro shop or on the club's page.

Row by RowWhat every line on the card means

Source: The R&A, Rules of Handicapping, Appendix E (Stroke Index Allocation), Appendix F (Establishing Par), Appendix G (Course Rating and Slope Rating).

ParPar is a hole score, not a difficulty score

Appendix F describes par as reflecting the score a scratch player is expected to score on a given hole. Length is the starting point, and the same appendix lists playing difficulty as one of the things that can move a par up or down. A par 72 course is not automatically a hard one or an easy one.

That is why the card carries two more numbers. The Course Rating says what a scratch player is expected to shoot from your tees, and the Slope Rating feeds the sum that turns your Handicap Index into strokes. For the yard ranges behind par 3, 4 and 5, see par 3, 4 and 5 lengths.

Rating and SlopeCourse Rating and Slope Rating in two lines

Course Rating: the expected score for a scratch player, in strokes to one decimal. A 72.4 means a scratch player is expected to shoot 72.4 from those tees.

Slope Rating: a course of standard relative difficulty is 113. The difference between the Course Rating and the Bogey Rating is used to determine it.

Both go into your Course Handicap. The USGA gives the formula as:

Source: USGA, Handicapping FAQs, Calculate Course Handicap and Playing Handicap.

For a golfer with a Handicap Index above zero, a Slope Rating over 113 raises the first part of that sum and one under 113 lowers it. The course handicap calculator does the sum for you from the numbers on the card.

Stroke IndexWhere your strokes go

The stroke index ranks the 18 holes, with 1 as the hole where you receive a stroke first. Appendix E sets out how a course allocates the numbers:

• The holes are split into six triads and each hole is ranked on its playing difficulty relative to par.
• Odd numbers go on the front nine and even numbers on the back nine. The even numbers can move to the front if the back nine is significantly more difficult than the front, as determined by the Course Rating.
• The lowest stroke index on each nine (1 or 2) goes in the middle triad. That is why the sample card has its 1 on hole 5 and its 2 on hole 14.
• If possible, low stroke indexes (6 or less) are kept off consecutive holes.

Past 18 strokes, the same order is used again with stroke index 1 repeating as 19, 37 and 55.

What a 14 gets. A Course Handicap of 14 gets one stroke on stroke index 1 through 14. On the sample card that is a stroke on hole 5 (index 1) and hole 8 (index 3), and none on hole 3 (index 17) or hole 6 (index 15). A Course Handicap of 20 gets one stroke on stroke index 3 to 18 and two on stroke indexes 1 and 2. The full list for every handicap is in the golf strokes received chart.

Why it matters for your score. Rule 3.1b of the Rules of Handicapping caps each hole you post at net double bogey: par of the hole + 2 strokes + any handicap strokes you receive on that hole. On the sample card, a player with a stroke on hole 5 (a par 4) has a limit of 4 + 2 + 1 = 7. A player with no stroke on hole 3 (a par 3) has a limit of 3 + 2 = 5.

Source: The R&A, Rules of Handicapping, Appendix E and Rule 3.1b.

Using itHow to use the card on the first tee

1. Pick your tees. Each tee color has its own yards, Course Rating and Slope Rating. Use the ones for the tees you are playing, and if the card lists separate lines for men and women, use yours.

2. Find your Course Handicap. Put your Handicap Index, the Slope Rating, the Course Rating and the par into the formula above, or into the calculator.

3. Mark your stroke holes. Look along the stroke index row and circle every hole where your handicap reaches that number. A Course Handicap of 9 gets a stroke on every hole with an index from 1 to 9.

4. Read the yards in your own tee's row. Each tee color has its own row, so check you are reading the one you are playing.

Watch forCommon mix-ups

The Handicap row is not your handicap. The line labelled Handicap or HCP is the stroke index. It ranks the holes. Your own handicap comes from your Handicap Index and the Course Handicap formula.

Hole 1 is not usually stroke index 1. Appendix E puts the lowest numbers in the middle of each nine, so on the sample card the 1 is on hole 5 and the 2 is on hole 14.

Odd and even are not random. Odd numbers on one nine and even on the other is the Appendix E pattern. If you see the even numbers on the front, the course has chosen to swap them.

Par says nothing about which tees are harder. Three tees can share par 72 and still carry different Course Ratings and Slope Ratings. Read those two numbers to compare them.

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