Originally Posted by
BC MIST
(1) Courses are rated based on the performance of TWO golfers, the "scratch" golfer and the "bogey" golfer, as defined in the RCGA Handicap manual. The slope is a measure of relative difficulty for golfers who are not scratch and is calculated by multiplying the difference in course ratings of the two golfers by 5.381.
(2) Strokes are not allocated based on the degree of difficulty of a hole. Unfortunately, most golfers still believe that the #1 handicapped hole is the most difficult hole, but this is not true. Your #1 hole is the hole on which the higher handicapped golfer NEEDS a stroke. For example, a couple of years ago I took hundreds of scores from our weekly Men's Night and determined average score per hole for the ten lowest handicapped golfers (average handicap of 3) and the worst 10 golfers (average handicap of 22). The averages were then subtracted and the holes ranked by the difference. #6 Premiere, a sub 500 yard par 5, averaged 4.86 for the better players, but averaged 7.03 for the weaker ones. It was the easiest hole for the good players and the hardest for the poorer ones. It had the greatest difference of any hole on that course, making it the #1 handicapped hole because it is the hole on which the high handicapped player NEEDS a stroke.
The par 3's, generally speaking, are the more difficult holes on courses for both types of golfers, as the average approach shot is normally longer than the average par 4. However, the par 3's will have a higher handicap number, because there is less chance of "bogey" golfer making a large number.