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Correct yardage is key to an accurate Course Rating
Course rating and handicapping go hand in hand. And if one is inaccurate, so is the other. The two function together to be an equalizer in golf, allowing two or more players of different skill levels the ability to play together on an equal field. In that respect, golf is unlike any other sport. Each golf course and set of tees is different, and each player has their own level of ability.
In order for each player to have an accurate and fair Course Handicap™, the Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™ must be accurate. Although there is no absolute percentage attributed to yardage, the length of each individual hole on a golf course is the predominant factor in course rating. After yardage, all of the other Obstacles as well as Effective Playing Lengths Corrections are factored into the formula.
The WHS requires that each course is rated using the correct yardage, from the center of the teeing area to the center of the green. Because of this, the OGA measures each course from those specific places. If the golf course sets the permanent markers at a different location, it can throw off the course rating and therefore the handicaps of the players, as well as the perception of the individuals playing the course. OGA is required to use equipment that is calibrated to less than 6 inches for every 250 yards. That is far more accurate than the average golf app, laser or GPS.
From the Course Rating Manual:
"When a single tee pad is designated for one set of tees, placement of the permanent marker at the middle of the tee pad is appropriate. This maximizes the ability to use the entire tee pad and reflects an average of movable marker placement over time."
The teeing area may be a designated individual tee pad or a portion of a shared teeing area. The teeing area for each set of tees should reflect the average placement of the moveable daily tee markers over time. Course setup should reflect moving the tees and flags to reproduce the overall yardage.
The following chart shows a quick and simple guide to where permanent tee markers should be placed to reflect accurate ratings and play of a course:
The following chart shows examples of permanent markers that would artificially skew the golfers’ handicaps if the OGA used these yardages for Course Rating:
If you think about it in terms of the Rules of Golf, since the Teeing Area is two club-lengths deep, and they move regularly forward and back, the center of the teeing area is the only logical location to place the permanent tee markers.
Definition of Teeing Area: the area the player must play from in starting the hole they are playing.
Let me throw out a little math for you. OGA measures a golf course using the WHS requirements and we end up with a total for 18 holes of 6200 yards. If the markers for each tee are placed 10 yards behind that spot, the course would read being 180 yards longer than its ACTUAL playing length. On yardage alone that could make a change of + 0.8 Course Rating and +2 Slope rating. Conversely, putting the markers of the front of the teeing area could achieve the opposite.
Here’s how that would affect the Score Differential™ of scores for the following 3 golfers:
Bob has a Handicap Index of 0.0, Paul’s is 15.0, Bill has a 25.0 Index. Using a fictitious golf course with a rating of 72.0/135, par 72, and yardage increased by 180 to 6380 or reduced by 180 to 6020 yards, here is what happens to the players’ Score Differential:
It’s pretty obvious that even one round at the incorrect yardages could impact a players’ Handicap Index fairly drastically. Can you imagine what would happen to a player’s handicap who played at an incorrectly measured golf course on a regular basis?
Wouldn’t it make sense that the yardage that the course is rated from matches the yardage on your scorecard as well as your permanent tee markers?
The OGA provides GPS measuring to golf courses that host OGA Member Clubs in our region. We have measured all courses that we provide ratings for. And we are available to re-measure any time your course undergoes any new construction of tees or greens that would affect the yardage of a single hole, tee or the course as a whole.
Please contact Gretchen Yoder, Director of Handicapping and Course Rating, if you have any questions about your Course Rating, yardage and OGA measuring services. gretchen@oga.org or 503-981-4653 ext. 228