How does a course determine the stroke index of each hole?

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After you both convert yours Handicap index for a Course Handicap, you get two shots on a side from your opponent in the match. Now is the time to strategize, based on a glance at the scorecard to remind yourself where those shots were placed.

Few aspects of organized golf are as misunderstood as the process of assigning holes their individual stroke index values ​​for handicapping purposes. For something so fundamental to the competitive elements of the game, there are many misconceptions surrounding how each hole on a given course is given a value from hardest to easiest.

Some of the confusion stems from the relationship between the stroke index and the Course Rating System™. In short, there is none—at least not officially. The purpose of the system is to produce two numbers: Course Rating™, which identifies the overall score expected from a specific set of golf for a scratch golfer on a good day, and Slope Rating®, which measures the relative difficulty of the course for all players other than scratch. Both figures are independent of the strike index.

However, they work together, as a player’s Course Handicap determines which holes they receive strokes, plus the maximum number of strokes they can take on each hole for purposes of posting World Handicap System (WHS) results. As stated in the Handicap Rules, “The maximum score for each hole played is limited to a net double wheel equal to twice the handicap plus any handicap strokes you are entitled to receive based on your Course Handicap.”

Course grading is handled across the country by a network of 55 Allied Golf Associations (AGAs), whose assessors are well versed in the Course Grading procedure. However, these rating teams are not ultimately responsible for determining hit indices.

The final decision to assign a stroke index ranking from 1 to 18 is made independently by the designated course staff or committee members. As technology continues to influence the course rating system, the somewhat artistic nature of hitting holes has become more ingrained in the data. Some of the guesswork has been taken out of the assignment process.

“We now use course rating data to provide a recommended stroke index table or stroke index values ​​for each hole because that’s pretty objective data,” says Scott Hovde, director of Course Rating and Handicap Research at the USGA.

While statistics, weather conditions and other factors have helped give context to how a course is rated, a number of universal factors can be applied to any course across the globe. Says Hovde, “We’re looking at the length of the hole, the obstacles that affect scoring, how close the penalty areas are, the size of the green, the depth and spread of the bunkers, and the approximate elevation, among other aspects.”

This consistency, according to Hunter Koch, director of Course Evaluation for the Michigan Golf Association, allows for a universality of ratings that simplifies how courses are viewed from a difficulty perspective. “Whether you’re in Michigan or New Zealand, everyone uses the same guide,” Koch said. “Hypothetically, there will be repeats of any assessment.”

Of course, there is still room for interpretation.

The evolution of the Course Rating System and the recommendations for golf officials regarding hole handicapping have come a long way, thanks in part to the data Hovde mentioned. While data helps provide courses with an objective assessment of the assessment process, there remains a human element.

“We walk the course to do fieldwork, measuring and grading from tee to green,” says Koch. “Next, we’ll play the course to see and feel it from a player’s perspective.

“On one recent course, I hit three greens with great shots from the fairway, but the ball just rolled off my back,” Koch recalls as an example. “That’s the definition of a strong fix,” he adds, referring to a characteristic that can affect a hole rating.

As the Michigan Golf Association handbook states, “The difficulty of the green is based on the speed and contours of the putting surface. Speed ​​is determined using a Stimmeter reading in mid-season playing conditions.” This data point, Koch notes, can influence how an evaluator views a course. “Then you ask yourself, are these normal flow conditions, or was this an abnormal flow condition that caused this? Is it just that it’s October and extremely dry because the green hasn’t been watered recently? Or is it just a hard green and the ball won’t hold?”

This is a conundrum Hovde runs into often, especially when local AGAs offer course recommendations regarding stroke index allocations. “When we used scoring data, it would vary from month to month and generate completely different scores depending on the pool of players involved. Using Course Rating data is much more objective because it’s something that’s measurable. It’s not affected by a player’s ability to play a particular hole; we just rate the hole for difficulty.”

Although WHS has worked hard to overhaul the stroke index assignment procedure for more consistency, each course ultimately makes its own call on stroke index values.

Says Derek McKenzie, USGA manager of Course Evaluation Administration and Handicap Research, “One of the key points of emphasis is that the USGA is making recommendations based on evaluation data. However, adopting the actual stroke designation is a decision for the course or the club. For example, most clubs have a committee, and in their opinion, it is best to assign them according to their appropriate point. the golfers and the club itself.”

This is why Course Rating and allocation of hole handicaps is more science than ever before, but still involves some artistic and local knowledge.

“We are making that recommendation,” adds McKenzie. “Often, the local committee will just approve it or maybe make minor changes. It’s not the USGA or even the AGA that sets the stroke index values. We’re coming up with recommendations for the club to review, then they’re deciding what they want the assignments to be.”

To help evaluate courses as accurately as possible, Koch relies on the course staff to gain insight into whether things he notices during his field work and round of golf are deviations or features of the course. “We try to meet with the on-site superintendents because they know the golf course better than anyone. For example, green speed and approximate elevation are two constant things that go into the grading process,” he says. Unfortunately, these are two variables that can be quite different depending on when the course is played.

“If we try to evaluate a golf course at the end of April, the greens are not going to be fast,” Koch says. “The rough may not have grown yet. We may have a dry or wet stretch in the summer. The course as you estimate it will never be a perfect representation of the average state over 10 years. In this regard, we rely on intuition and local knowledge.”

The difference between the method of arriving at a course rating and the individual hole ranking is what causes the most confusion for recreational players. For both the entire course and each individual hole, several additional factors come into play.

“We look at all kinds of effective length-of-play factors, like elevation changes, footing or stretches, elevation if the course is at a higher elevation,” Hovde says. “They’re looked at on each hole, which cumulatively creates the 9-hole and 18-hole ratings. We look at the handicaps for putters and golfers on those holes and create what’s called a putt value and a bogey value.”

These values ​​are then compared to the par for each hole, which is a fixed number. Ultimately, holes reflecting the largest gap in expected score versus norm would generate the lowest stroke index assignment recommendations; in other words, identifying the hole(s) where a golfer may most need a handicap shot.

Other factors go into these recommendations. “We look at things like odds and pairings,” Hovde says, about deciding which nines get ranked 1-3-5 and so on. and which 2-4-6 and so on, so that the hitting holes for a match are evenly distributed.

“Usually there are odds on the front nine and pars on the back nine. We have some guidelines for avoiding back-to-back low putt holes. You don’t want the No. 1 and No. 3 holes to be next to each other if possible, and we also recommend avoiding them at the beginning or end of a nine.”

This creates an interesting challenge for courses that boast difficult finishing holes. Despite the drama it’s intended to create, it can be a detriment to match scenarios, as many matches don’t make it past the 18th hole. Says Hovde, “You get to that 16th or 17th hole and you’re down, and you didn’t even get a chance to use that shot that could have helped keep the match going.”

Although the world of stroke indexes can be intimidating and has been known to cause an argument or two on the course, it’s helpful to remember that clubs have the option of using a reliable formula to index each hole.

“The scoring data and the rating that the scoring team is looking at on a hole-by-hole basis is packed into a formula that projects points,” says McKenzie. As such, the course rating is simply a projection of a golfer’s expected score when factoring in length and other data collected on site. “Instead of producing those 9- or 18-hole projections, which are Course Ratings, we break them down on a hole-by-hole basis to provide a ranking of holes based on difficulty,” he adds.

The next time you’re at your local course and wondering why a hole that gives you fits is rated relatively easy, while a hole you have no trouble hitting is listed as one of the hardest, remember that the stroke index is at the club’s discretion. While complying with the recommendations of the AGA, these figures are informed by the data. At other clubs, however, local committees work outside their own system and the outcome can be a little more unpredictable.

In this sense, stroke indexing reflects the game of golf itself.