While the sport may have been founded across the border in Scotland, England also boasts its fair share of golfing history.

English golfers are amongst some of the very best to play the game, across a period spanning over 150 years, so picking the greatest 11 in history was no mean feat. However, we’ve done our best to select the cream of the crop of English pro golfers (as well as a couple of amateurs) in no particular order.

1. Sir Nick Faldo

Born: 18th July 1957
Turned pro: 1976
Professional wins: 41
Highest world ranking: 1st 

There was nowhere else to start. Simply put, no one is more synonymous with English golf than Sir Nick Faldo.

After going pro in 1976, his career began as it would go on, defeating the reigning Open Championship champion Tom Watson in his maiden Ryder Cup appearance in 1977.

Come the late 1980s and early 1990s, he wasn’t just the best English golfer—he was the best in the world. His first major triumph came in 1987 at The Open Championship, and over the course of the next nine years, he’d win five more majors.

In 1990, he became the first player to win back-to-back Masters titles in 24 years, and he’s also won more major golf championships than any European since before World War I.

Faldo represented Europe at the Ryder Cup 11 times, picking up 25 points in the process. In 2008, he’d return to the competition as captain.

Individually, he won the PGA Tour Player of the Year award in 1990 and was named European Tour Player of the Year three times. Combine those awards with his MBE in 1988, the 1989 BBC Sports Personality of the Year award, his induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1998, 97 weeks atop of the Official World Golf Ranking and a knighthood in 2009 and, well, it’s hard to keep up with just how many successes Faldo managed to rack up.

There may never be a better English golfer than Sir Nick. 

2. John Henry Taylor

Born: 19th March 1871 (died 1963)
Turned pro: 1890
Professional wins: 19 
Highest world ranking: N/A

Hailing from Devon and orphaned at a young age, J.H. Taylor is one of the ultimate rags-to-riches stories of all English golfers.

At age 11, he began working as a caddie at the Royal Devon Golf Club, carrying the bag of famed amateur golfer Horace Hutchinson.

Taylor would go further than Hutchinson ever could, becoming a professional at the age of 19 and going on to win five Open Championships, only second to Faldo in terms of majors won by English golfers.

His status was immortalised by his place alongside Harry Vardon and James Braid in the Great Triumvirate, the first ever ‘Big Three’ in golf.

Only one year after winning The Open in 1900, Taylor also became the co-founder and maiden chairman of the British Professional Golfers’ Association, the first of its kind in the world.

In short, his legacy is far larger than that of just a great golfer. The sport we know and love today might have looked very different without Taylor’s input. 

3. Dame Laura Davies

Born: 5th October 1963
Turned pro: 1985
Professional wins: 86
Highest world ranking: 1st (unofficial)

As far as English golfers go—male or female, old or new—Dame Laura Davies deserves a spot right at the top. A tally of 86 professional wins is nothing short of remarkable, and four major honours isn’t a bad total, either.

Her first year as a professional couldn’t have started much better, as Davies picked up the Rookie of the Year and Order of Merit titles at her maiden Ladies’ European Tour appearance in 1985 (then known as the WPGET).

Things would only improve from there. She won the Women’s PGA Championship twice, as well as the U.S. Women’s Open in 1987 and the Canadian Women’s Open in 1996. In 1994, she prevailed on five different golf tours, becoming the first golfer to do so in one calendar year. That same year, she was ranked as unofficial world number one on the Ping Leaderboard. She is also the leading points scorer in the Solheim Cup.

She also has many individual awards, including being named the Sports Journalists’ Association Sportswoman of the Year in 1995 and 1996, becoming a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2014, and being inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2015. 

4. Sir Henry Cotton

Born: 28th January 1907 (died 1987)
Turned pro: 1924
Professional wins: 37
Highest world ranking: N/A

It might be hard to believe, but at first, golf wasn’t Henry Cotton’s calling. A keen cricketer first and foremost, what started as a second sport soon became a professional career and later transformed into something far bigger. 

Cotton went pro in 1924, beginning as an assistant teaching professional at Fulwell Golf Club before moving to Rye Golf Club to become an assistant. At just 19, he’d become the professional at Langley Park Golf Club.

However, it wasn’t until the 1930s and 1940s that he started to find real success. His first major honour came in The Open Championship in 1934, and he’d be crowned victorious again three years later. His final major win—another Open—came in 1948.

The reason for that 11-year gap is that Cotton served with the RAF during World War II, playing exhibition matches to raise money for the Red Cross.

He was also a competent figure in three British Ryder Cup teams. He captained the team in 1947 and 1953, although he didn’t play in the latter. Cotton was knighted as part of the New Year’s Day Honours in 1988. He accepted the award in 1987 but had sadly passed away by the time it was announced. 

5. Lee Westwood OBE

Born: 24th April 1973
Turned pro: 1993
Professional wins: 44
Highest world ranking: 1st

In the pantheon of famous English golfers, Lee Westwood will always be something of an enigma because, despite spending a total of 22 weeks on top of the Official World Ranking and picking up 44 professional wins, he has never won a major championship.

Only seven golfers have more European tour wins than Westwood’s 25, and only five have more than his eight Asian tour wins. He’s finished second or third in six major championships and in the top 10 a further 13 times.

He has been European Tour Golfer of the Year four times and the European Tour Players’ Player of the Year twice, most recently in 2020. In 2000, he won seven tournaments across the globe. And yet, despite all the personal accolades, that major championship has always eluded him.

Having been appointed OBE in 2011, he may forever be known as one of the best English golfers, but also one of the best golfers never to win a major.

6. Tony Jacklin CBE

Born: 7th July 1944
Turned pro: 1962
Professional wins: 29
Highest world ranking: N/A

At the peak of his powers, no English golfer could rival Tony Jacklin.

After discovering golf through his father, Jacklin turned pro in 1962 and wasted no time making a name for himself. He first competed in the 1963 Open Championship, where he finished 30th, but the best was yet to come. 

In 1969, Jacklin won his first major championship at The Open, and a year later, he also added the U.S. Open to his resume. For this, he was rewarded with an OBE.

After captaining Europe at the Ryder Cup in 1983, that OBE became a CBE. He’d go on to captain the team on three further occasions, winning twice, including a first European victory in nearly 30 years in 1985.

For that period of roughly two decades, Jacklin was the crème de la crème of English golfers, and he was deservedly inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2002. 

7. Jim Barnes

Born: 8th April 1886 (died 1966)
Turned pro: 1906
Professional wins: 29
Highest world ranking: N/A

Despite moving to the USA in his youth, Jim Barnes never acquired American citizenship, meaning his four major championship titles remain English.

In fact, he won nine majors during his professional career, although only four came in the modern majors. He first took a major win eight years after going pro, when he scooped the Western Open in 1914. Two years later, he’d win the also defunct North and South Open as well as the maiden PGA Championship.

Over the course of 11 years, Barnes would also win the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. He won 22 times on the PGA Tour, including in 1937, when he became the first player to win the tour over the age of 50.

Barnes would see out his days stateside, but he’s still regarded as one of the very best English golfers to play the game.

8. Harold Hilton

Born: 12th January 1869 (died 1942)
Turned pro: N/A
Major championship wins: 7
Highest world ranking: N/A

Despite never going professional, Harold Hilton still had remarkable successes in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including scooping seven major championship victories.

Of course, there’s the caveat that, of those seven, only two would be considered majors in the modern era, but it’s still a remarkable haul nonetheless. His Open Championship victories in 1892 and 1897 are perhaps the most impressive of his triumphs, but he also won the U.S. Amateur in 1911—becoming the first foreign player to do so, and the British Amateur on four occasions.

His importance to golf went beyond just his sporting successes, having also played a key role in designing Ferndown Golf Club, one of the top 100 courses in Britain. 

Hilton’s significance was formally recognised when he was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1978. 

9. Justin Rose MBE

Born: 30th July 1980
Turned pro: 1998
Professional wins: 25
Highest world ranking: 1st

Few English golfers have a more impressive track record than Justin Rose since the turn of the millennium. 

While he’s only won one major championship (the 2013 U.S. Open), he’s put together an impressive Ryder Cup record with four wins in six appearances. He also took home the gold medal at the 2016 Olympics and spent 13 weeks as world number one between 2018 and 2019.

In 2017, Rose was also awarded an MBE for services to golf.

He’s hardly shown signs of slowing down either. As recently as 2024, he tied for second place at The Open Championship. 

10. Joyce Wethered

Born: 17th November 1901 (died 1997)
Turned pro: N/A
Major championship wins: 4
Highest world ranking: N/A

Like Harold Hilton, Joyce Wethered never turned professional, but in the amateur women’s game, she was untouchable.

Between 1922 and 1929, she won the Women’s Amateur Championship (then known as the British Ladies’ Amateur) four times, the joint-highest tally in history along with Cecil Leitch. This was considered one of the two major amateur championships in women’s golf.

She is also the most successful ever player in the English Women’s Amateur Championship (then known as the English Ladies’ Amateur Championship), having won the competition five years in a row between 1920 and 1924.

Even without having gone pro, Wethered was a trailblazer in women’s golf and was recognised with induction into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1975. 

11. Ian Poulter

Born: 10th January 1976
Turned pro: 1995
Professional wins: 17
Highest world ranking: 5th

While his record in majors flatters to deceive, with a runners-up position at the 2008 Open Championship the peak, what sets Ian Poulter apart from other English golfers is his record in the Ryder Cup.

He’s competed in the competition seven times, earning 16 points in the process. Of those appearances, five have been wins, garnering him the nickname ‘The Postman’ because of just how consistent he was at delivering European points.

Whatever happens going forward, he’ll always be remembered as Mr. Consistent when it comes to serving his continent, earning him a deserved spot as one of the top English golfers of all time.

The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.

It’s the first thing many golfers will talk about when they’re in the clubhouse. It can define whether they enjoy their round or not.

Of course, we’re talking about greens. Members and visitors want them to be great, but do we have any idea of the costs involved in producing good turf?

For Your Course, produced by the British and International Golf Greenkeepers Association, we [National Club Golfer] spoke to three course managers from across the UK to understand how they overcome common problems that arise on golf courses during winter.

This week, we’re asking about the costs of preparing a golf green and what we all need to understand about the speed of our putting surfaces.

Tackling those questions are greenkeeping veteran Andrew Laing; Caroline Munro, head greenkeeper at Bonar Bridge and Ardgay; and Rob Sandilands, course manager at Formby Ladies.

How much does it cost to maintain a golf green and keep them to the standard you want?

Rob: It’s a reasonable amount, but the whole premise of what we’ve tried to do around fine grasses is to make it as sustainable as possible.

There are certain things – from a links point of view – where if you can spend money on quality products then you should. Grass seed, wetting agents, certain high quality organic based fertilisers, or products that work well and have the longevity you need.

Links managers would probably put our faith in quality wetting agents and grass seed, more than anything, and a good wetting agent programme nowadays costs a lot of money.

Caroline: My budget for the year is £3,000 and pretty much half goes on the greens. My general running costs – fuel, fertilisers, hand tools, maintenance of the machines – we try to keep within that.

I have got a great relationship with other courses. Tain are using a different feeding system this year so I got all their old stock for £500 and that will pretty much do me for the next three years.

Skibo have given me their hole cups and pins. I’m getting 18 and I’m only using nine. I’ll get another two seasons, maybe three, out of that so it’s another six years’ worth of stuff. St Andrews were getting rid of their tee markers. They’re very good to me.

Andrew: That is a really difficult question to answer because there are so many variables – whether we’re taking into account labour or the actual physical cost of materials and machinery. We invest heavily in our greens.

Gaudet Luce is relatively young. They are 30 years old this year and I was course manager for 21 of those. In the early days I made the decision, ‘what keeps golfers coming back?’ While the rest of the course was fairly immature, I thought, ‘if the greens are good, people will come back and forgive an awful lot of other sins’.

That’s something I maintained throughout all those years – to invest significantly in greens and their maintenance and upkeep, both in time and materials and whether that be sand, fertilisers, bio-stimulants and all the other things we can use. You play 50% of your round on a green and putting is when you notice it the most.

What do golfers need to understand about green speeds?

Andrew: I focus less on green speed and more on smoothness and consistency so that any one green is similar in pace to any other on the golf course. We don’t regularly monitor green speed. We don’t take regular readings. We never, ever, publish them.

I don’t think it is something I’d like to get into because, to the average golfer, it doesn’t mean anything. A Stimpmeter reading of 10 probably doesn’t mean anything and, to those that it does, they can wear it as a badge of honour.

I don’t want to go down that route. It does vary throughout the year for us. When we have big events on, or club championships, we might change our practices a little bit more to increase the green speed. That could be a bit of extra rolling or a slightly lower height of cut for a day or two. But green speed is not something I really focus on.

Rob: I absolutely agree with that. It’s a risky business if you’re one of those places that are going to publicise green speeds on a daily basis.

That would be pretty challenging. I think the green fees alone in this part of the world are pressure enough on course managers and their teams. Smoothness and trueness. How is the ball rolling? That’s what it is all about. Putting a number on it probably only really has its place if you’re producing surfaces for tournament play or tour play.

Caroline: If you have the staff to cut and roll, that’s fair enough, but golfers moan when you do aeration – it’s like you’re deliberately ruining their enjoyment of the greens.

They will go, ‘your greens are amazing, why have you done that?’ Well, it’s because of the cutting and the rolling and the compaction. You have to alleviate that.

They don’t understand the process of relieving compaction has to be done. I think there are some unrealistic goals. They see places like Augusta and Pebble Beach, and all these other places, and it’s all about being green and they don’t realise the input that’s going into these things is just unattainable for most places.

I don’t do any of that [taking data, looking at moisture levels]. They are what they are. There’s nothing more I can do.

I’ll scarify them and stuff like that to try to help before a big competition –to speed them up a bit – or a double cut. But knowing how fast they are is not going to make any difference to how I treat them because I can only do what I can do.

We’ve got greens that are exposed. We’ve got greens that are shaded. I think it would be pretty much impossible to get all my greens stimping at the same anyway. I try and get them as close as I can.

One of the most important aspects of golf is understanding which club to use and when, and knowing the average distance of each golf club in your bag is a huge part of this. 

Understanding club distances can help you approach your shots properly and free you up to focus on perfecting other areas of your game, like your swing.

In this golf club distances guide, we’ll explain the average distance for each golf club type, what affects those distances, and how you can use this information to make better decisions during your round. Whether you’re aiming for the fairway, attacking a green, or getting out of a tricky bunker, having a clear appreciation of what each club is designed to do will help you play smarter golf.

Why knowing your distances matters

Every round of golf involves making dozens of decisions, like what club to use, where to aim, and how much power to apply in your swing. Knowing the average distance for each golf club will help with these decisions and shape how you approach a shot. For example:

1. Improving your accuracy: As you can confidently select the right club for each shot.
   
2. Helping to avoid hazards: Knowing your distances will make you less likely to overshoot or come up short.
   
3. Supporting your improvement: Understanding where you’re losing distance can highlight key areas to work on.

What are the average distances by golf club type?

Before we get into things, it’s important to note that the distances quoted below are general averages for experienced male and female amateur golfers. Pros will likely be able to hit further, while beginners may fall shorter. Your own distances will vary based on your swing speed, technique, equipment, and skill level.

Driver

Male: 200-230 yards
Female: 150-180 yards

Drivers are designed for hitting long distances off the tee, with the lowest loft (usually between 8°–12°) and the longest shaft in the bag. They’re the ideal club for long par-4s and par-5s.

3-Wood

Male: 180-215 yards
Female: 125-160 yards

Used most often on the fairway or off the tee on tight holes, the 3-wood has slightly more loft than the driver and provides good distance but with more control.

5-Wood & 7-Wood

5-Wood – Male: 170-195 yards
5-Wood – Female: 150-170 yards

7-Wood – Male: 150-170 yards
7-Wood – Female: 130-145 yards

Woods with higher lofts are excellent for long fairway shots or when you need to get the ball airborne more easily.

Irons

3-Iron
Male: 180 yards
Female: 130 yards

4-iron
Male: 170 yards
Female: 120 yards

5-iron
Male: 160 yards
Female: 110 yards

6-iron
Male: 150 yards
Female: 100 yards

7-iron
Male: 140 yards
Female: 90 yards

8-iron
Male: 130 yards
Female: 80 yards

9-iron
Male: 120 yards
Female: 70 yards

Irons are used for a variety of shots – from tee shots on short par-3s to precise approach shots. Loft increases as the iron number goes up, meaning shorter distance but higher ball flight and better control.

Wedges

Pitching Wedge (PW)
Male: 110-120 yards
Female: 60-80 yards

Gap Wedge (GW)
Male: 90-110 yards
Female: 50-70 yards

Sand Wedge (SW)
Male: 80-100 yards
Female: 40-60 yards

Lob Wedge (LW)
Male: 60-80 yards
Female: 30-50 yards

Wedges are scoring clubs that help set up your putts. They’re perfect for short approaches, chips, bunker shots, and pitches. Their higher loft helps stop the ball quickly on the green, assisting with precision placement.

Putter

We’re not giving distances here, as that’s not what putters are about. Once you’re on the green, putters help you roll the ball into the hole, ideally with a smooth, controlled stroke.

What affects how far you hit with each club?

Even if you use the exact same clubs as another player, the distance per golf club you achieve compared to others will vary, depending on:

• Swing speed: The faster your swing, the more energy is transferred to the ball. Faster swing speeds generate more distance, especially with longer clubs like a driver or 3-wood.
  
• Strike quality: Clean, centred contact with the clubface on the “sweet spot” is vital for achieving maximum distance. Mishits lose both power and accuracy.
  
• Club loft: Lower lofted clubs, like a driver or 3-iron, send the ball further with a shallower trajectory. Higher lofted clubs, like wedges, give more height and spin but reduce distances. Read more about loft and lie.
  
• Shaft type: Shafts come in varying flex ratings, like regular, stiff, and extra stiff. A shaft that suits your swing speed can help you generate more distance. Too stiff or too flexible, and you’ll lose both distance and precision.
  
• Weather and course conditions: In the UK, wind and rain can be frequent companions on the course. Wet fairways limit roll, while cold air can reduce carry distance. A dry summer fairway might give you 10–15 extra yards.
  
• Ball type: Some golf balls are designed for distance, others for control. If distance is your focus, choose balls with lower spin and higher compression.

How to measure your own distances on the course

Average figures can give you general guidance on what distances to aim for and can help you understand which club to reach for in different situations. But tracking and recording your own distances can help you better understand and improve your own game.

By measuring and keeping a record of your distances, you can get a clear handle on what kind of lengths you’re achieving. You’ll also understand whether or not you’re consistent and if you’re underperforming with a particular club type. We recommend you:

• Try a launch monitor: Now cheaper and more portable than ever, a launch monitor can track your hits, analysing carry distance, ball speed, spin rate, and more. Once expensive items of kit used mostly by professionals, launch monitors are common aids amongst amateur players today.
  
• Use a rangefinder: Rangefinders can help you accurately measure distances on a course, allowing you to understand how far you are from the target area you want to hit along the fairway, but also allowing you to measure how far your ball has travelled once it’s landed.
  
• Keep notes on the course: Once you’re measuring your distances, keep note of them. Try to record your distances, plus what type of shot you took and what club you used.
  
• Go to the driving range with your notebook: As well as noting distances when you’re on the course, you can take recordings of repeated swings with different clubs at the driving range. With multiple measurements, you’ll be able to make your own golf club distance chart, from which you can work out your averages and your consistency.

How to hit further out on the course

Knowing which club to reach for in each situation is vital, but when it comes to maximising the distances you’re hitting, whether driving or using a wedge, there’s plenty you can do to practice and improve. 

The article below was written by Steve Carroll of National Club Golfer.

It was one big experiment. For six months – from April until the end of October – I submitted every score into the World Handicap System.

It was irrelevant whether it was a competition or a knock with a couple of pals, if I teed it up I put a card in.

The rigmarole of toiling over three-foot putts EVERY time I was at a golf course quickly told me I’d never want to find myself in a situation where all scores counted. If you love all that, more power to you. It’s just not for me.

But as an exercise in watching my WHS index move, it was an illustrative time.

There was one thing that struck me like a lightning bolt. It was how my scores worsened when I played away from my ‘home’ course.

A pal and I went on something of a tour of the North of England – taking on a lot of a different courses – and the differences in my differentials (easy for me to say) between those rounds and those at a familiar venue was something like five shots.

Now, I wasn’t trying to cheat the system in any way. I was trying my nuts off. But I wasn’t familiar with the courses – where to hit, where to miss – and I didn’t play as well.

My handicap increased substantially. It led me to think there should be a weighting put on ‘away’ scores which accounted for the conditions that might see a player struggle to replicate their demonstrated ability.

With the row over the potential to manipulate WHS still going strong in GB&I, coming up on five years since the introduction of the system, I actually wonder if all general play scores should face an adjustment.

Hear me out.

However well intentioned, it doesn’t matter how many awareness campaigns there are, or how many governing bodies ask golfers to respect the Rules of Handicapping and the Rules of Golf, people will cheat.

Twas ever thus, you might say, but it is also very clear that the World Handicap System as it operates does make it easier for people do it.

Yes, there are far more ways to get caught, and more players are being flagged up than ever.

But regardless of that scrutiny, general play scores present more opportunities. If you’re not stupid about timestamping, or idiotic about winning a big competition after weeks of bad scores, who can tell if your trio of missed 5-footers, or those couple of duffed chips, were just poor strokes or an intentional act?

Do we need to look again at how general play scores are measured?

No handicap committee could unravel that puzzle. And as time passes, those missed shots, those slightly altered differentials, will make a difference.

Look, I like general play. I enjoy the flexibility it provides. If I’m feeling in a competitive mood, it allows me to scratch that itch. If I’m lucky enough to play a trophy course, I can put my handicap on the line and see how I match up.

But the feeling I have during those rounds is different to what I experience during the battle of competition.

It doesn’t matter how much I tell myself that a general play putt is crucial, it just doesn’t cut as deep as when pride and prize money are on the line. It’s just not as important.

Even if my attitude only dips by five per cent, that makes a difference to the scores I am submitting. And so it is potentially affecting my handicap.

So what if the way score differentials were calculated were slightly adjusted for general play? What if they added a small weight that smoothed the impact of that score whether it was good or bad?

WHS already has such measures within it. Your handicap can’t increase by more than five shots in a calendar year. The soft and hard cap is also applied to keep players from moving even quicker.

If general play scores weren’t treated quite the same as in competition, if there was a gentle hand pressing down on their impact, wouldn’t it make it harder to use them to manipulate an index? And wouldn’t that start to nullify the arguments that general play is little more than a cheat’s charter?

There are, of course, some big issues with this ‘utopia’. Wouldn’t it create a two-tiered system, with those who choose not to play competitions having an inferior – or, more accurately, a statistically incorrect – handicap to those that do?

The result would be that far from being that demonstration of our ability, could it actually be even more convoluted in that respect than the old CONGU system?

Would it also make a system that some claim is already too complicated even more difficult to follow?

Is general play just the price we pay for developing a system that is designed to be more welcoming and more accommodating?

No handicap system is perfect but given general play scores are going nowhere, should the focus be on creating a format that allows people to tee it up whenever they want and also allows everyone to have confidence in competitions?

The article below was written by Rachael Tibbs of National Club Golfer.

Hit the ground running faster than ever this season and increase your clubhead speed and distance by applying the science in the gym!

Here are three main scientific principles contributing to increased clubhead speeds, swing efficiency and greater shot distance.

Increase ground reaction forces

The more force you push into the ground, the more momentum and force you can generate in your golf swing. For every force applied to the ground, there is an equal and opposite reaction of force that you can transfer to your clubhead to generate more speed and distance.

Improving lower body strength and power can help you to produce more force from the ground. In the gym, this can be achieved through these simple steps:

1. Big lifts where you need to push your legs into the ground to move a heavy weight

2. Jump variations where you use the ground to achieve height

3. Explosive lifting of a weight using the ground.

Increasing the width of your swing

Creating more width in the backswing and then maintaining this width and a large arc in the downswing increases the force and duration of this force applied to the clubhead, thus contributing to greater speeds.

The ability to use the rib cage to rotate away from the target and the lats/shoulders to hold the club away from the body requires a certain amount of mobility and strength. Working on specific mobility exercises for the ribcage and shoulders can help to improve this range of movement so that you can tap into more width and greater swing speeds!

Improve separation and sequencing

Many amateur golfers struggle to initiate their golf swing with their legs and achieve the correct sequencing, which can contribute to greater clubhead speeds and distance.

Improving the ability to separate your torso and hips and drive with your legs can be improved through specific mobility, strength and transition drills in the gym.

If you’re looking to increase your clubhead speed by 10 mph this golf season, it’s not too late!

You’ve probably glanced at your scorecard recently, noticed the terms ‘course rating’ and ‘slope rating’, and thought, ‘What on earth do those mean?’. You’re not alone. 

Many golfers overlook these numbers, especially those just starting out or playing casually. But it’s important to note that these ratings are, in fact, some of the most crucial metrics in your golf game. 

Understanding these ratings provides golfers with a comprehensive evaluation on which to assess course difficulty and gain insight into the challenges they may face, regardless of skill level. 

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced player, familiarising yourself with course and slope ratings can enhance your golfing experience and help you navigate courses more effectively.

Understanding these key terms will give you confidence throughout the course as you select appropriate tees and set realistic expectations for your performance. So, let’s dive into everything you need to know about course and slope ratings, and how you can take your golfing experience to the next level.

How are golf courses rated?

When a golf course is evaluated by a national or regional golf association, a team of experts assesses various aspects to determine its difficulty level. Using laser technology and a Stimpmeter, they do this by:

• Measuring the course – the actual length of the course from each set of tees, adjusted by factors such as elevation and the ball’s roll, which can make the course play longer or shorter.
• Evaluating obstacles – how features such as bunkers, water hazards, rough areas, width of fairways, obstacles, and green contours impact the two modal players: (Scratch golfer and Bogey golfer).

This information is then used to calculate the course rating, which indicates the expected score for a scratch golfer, and the slope rating, which shows how much more difficult the course is for a bogey golfer (compared to a scratch golfer). 

Let’s delve further into these ratings and how they affect your game.

Course rating for golf

A course rating is a numerical indication of the difficulty of a course for a scratch player (a player with a handicap of 0). It represents the score they will achieve under normal course and weather conditions. For example, a course rating of 72 means a scratch golfer is expected to average 72 from their designated tee. 

The range for course rating is generally between 67 and 77, which means a 67-course rating – on the lower end of the scale – is a sign of a slightly easier golf course. A higher course rating means it’s more difficult for a scratch golfer. 

Slope rating for golf

While the course rating indicates the difficulty of a course for a scratch golfer, the slope rating indicates how difficult the course should be for a bogey golfer (a golfer with a handicap of approximately 20 for men and 24 for women). Slope is about the difficulty difference between golfer types.

The average slope rating gives us an idea of how the course plays for the average or “bogey” player. The slope rating scale ranges from 55 (easiest) to 155 (most difficult), with 113 representing the standard difficulty level. A higher slope rating means a golf course is more challenging for a bogey golfer than a scratch golfer.

The larger the difference is between the course and bogey rating, the higher the slope rating will be. The formula used to determine the slope rating is 5.381 for men and 4.24 for women.

Here is an example of how slope rating can be worked out for men:

• If there’s a course rating of 71.0 and a bogey rating of 92.5, the difference between the course and bogey rating is 21.5, which, when multiplied by 5.381, results in a slope rating of 116.
• If there’s a course rating of 71.0 and a bogey rating of 95.5, the difference between the course and bogey rating is 23.5, which, when multiplied by 5.381, results in a Slope Rating of 132.

How do these ratings affect your game?

The main difference to note here is that a course rating measures the difficulty for a scratch player, while the slope rating measures the difficulty for a bogey golfer. 

These numbers can give you a good sense of what you’re in for before setting foot on the first tee. Understanding how course difficulty affects your scores and handicap adjustments helps you better assess your performance and maintain a fair and accurate Handicap Index. 

Golfers can therefore plan ahead and choose courses that match or challenge their abilities, making for a more enjoyable or rewarding round of golf. You can then craft your strategy based on the course’s layout and ratings.

Using this to your advantage

Being armed with detailed knowledge of the course and slope rating is one thing, but it’s more than just the numbers. 

Together, these ratings offer a comprehensive view of the course’s challenges, enabling players to tailor their game to its unique characteristics. With a clear understanding of what’s to come, you can set realistic performance goals. So, use the ratings to your advantage and set yourself up for a great round.