The CSGA Links Volume 3 Issue 6 September 2015 | Page 44

FEATURE

Meet the Course Rating Team

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he Connecticut State Golf Association is proud to have a course rating team
usually consisting of 12 individuals who rate anywhere between 15 and 20 local
courses per season. It is mandatory to rate each course every 10 years or sooner
if a course has been renovated. It takes the team roughly two hours to rate nine holes. At
the completion of the rating, the team typically plays the course to review their ratings.

Our course rating team follows the USGA Course Rating System using the USGA Course Rating
Field Guide. The USGA Handicap System is built upon the USGA Course Rating
System, thus affecting the calculation of every golfer’s Handicap Index.

There are multiple obstacles that affect the playing difficulty
of a course, and therefore the rating. The obstacles include, but are not
limited to, elevation, prevailing wind, roll, altitude, dogleg/forced lay-up,
miscellaneous obstacles, and most importantly, the measured yardage
of the course. These obstacles increase the objectivity in course rating. “I
think the biggest thing is to be objective, go by the book. You can’t let
your opinions about the course influence your rating,” said Manager of
Competitions and course rating team leader, Chris Austin. According to the
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