A U.S. Open course is tough by any measure. The measure the United States Golf Association uses is the course and slope rating system, which assigns two different numbers meaning two different things.

If you have ever examined a scorecard or posted a score for handicap purposes, you have probably seen the terms Course Rating™ and Slope Rating™. While most golfers know they pertain to course ...

A picture might be worth a thousand words, but numbers can say plenty, too. For instance: 79.1 and 155. Those are the course and slope ratings, respectively, for the tournament tees at the Ocean ...

For a score to be acceptable for handicap purposes, it must be played on a set of tees on a golf course with a valid Course Rating and Slope Rating. All tees up to 6,000 yards on an 18-hole course ...