How are Course Ratings and Slope Ratings made?
A course rating is simply the average score that scratch golfers would likely shoot on that course. Slope ratings, however, are a lot more complicated. The USGA has a formula that factors in all kinds of variables such as distance, flat or hilly land, doglegs, forced layups, elevation changes, altitude if over 2000 feet, prevailing wind, fairway widths, sizes, shapes, contours and firmness of greens, amount of rough near landing areas, water hazards, bunkers, out of bounds, trees, and psychological factors due to visible dangers. The higher the slope number, the more difficult the course.
Monday, August 25, 2003
Joey, I`m a 6-7 handicap, but i want to add distance with the driver,so as to shorten my approach shots. i`m using a cobra,350,with a stiff shaft. i`m usually fairly accurate, but only get it out there 250-260.can you give me some ideas on getting more power?
Answer - If you can consistently and accurately drive 250-260 yards, that is pretty darn good. The craving for more power will always be there, but if you want to lower your handicap you may be looking in the wrong area. I would suggest you keep statistics on how many greens you hit in regulation, and how many times you fail to get up and down, and work on those areas first. That being said, take your Cobra to a store where they have a computerized hitting bay, and compare results against other brands of demo drivers with different lofts, shaft lengths and flexes. A longer shaft theoretically can give more distance, but the extra length could make it more difficult to hit the sweet spot every time, which is most important. Also, even if you can hit it longer, do not sacrifice accuracy or consistent ball striking for the occasional home run. Don't trade in the Cobra, you may want to come back to it if the others cannot perform as accurately and consistently on the course. 250-260 consistently may be in the 99th percentile of all golfers. Lots of people can hit it that far, but not consistently or accurately.
Answer - If you can consistently and accurately drive 250-260 yards, that is pretty darn good. The craving for more power will always be there, but if you want to lower your handicap you may be looking in the wrong area. I would suggest you keep statistics on how many greens you hit in regulation, and how many times you fail to get up and down, and work on those areas first. That being said, take your Cobra to a store where they have a computerized hitting bay, and compare results against other brands of demo drivers with different lofts, shaft lengths and flexes. A longer shaft theoretically can give more distance, but the extra length could make it more difficult to hit the sweet spot every time, which is most important. Also, even if you can hit it longer, do not sacrifice accuracy or consistent ball striking for the occasional home run. Don't trade in the Cobra, you may want to come back to it if the others cannot perform as accurately and consistently on the course. 250-260 consistently may be in the 99th percentile of all golfers. Lots of people can hit it that far, but not consistently or accurately.
