How often are golf courses rated?
Per World Handicap System guidelines, new courses are to be rated within 5 years of the initial rating date, and existing courses are rated at least once every 8-10 years.
What if changes are made between scheduled ratings?
If changes to your tee yardages, pars, obstacles, or stroke allocations (hole handicaps) are made between course rating cycles, please contact us as soon as possible. If the changes are small, we will advise you if any rating changes are needed. It’s also important to keep the yardages, pars, and stroke allocations updated in the course rating system so that the correct information is used to calculate any Net Double Bogey (maximum hole score) adjustments. If the changes are large, we may need to schedule a partial or full re-rate.
If your course is undergoing construction or repair, and the change in total yardage is more than 100 yards, please contact us as soon as possible for a temporary course rating.
You can also request combo tees, using a combination of holes from 2 different tee sets, at any time, using existing course rating information. However, it should be a tee that will be used regularly, and available for score posting.
Do we need to order new scorecards when our club is issued new course ratings, or has other changes?
We would recommend it, but it’s not required, as long as you communicate any changes to your members. This is especially true for par and stroke allocation, so that they have the correct information to figure Net Double Bogey. If you print the course ratings on your scorecards, be sure they know these have been updated. We receive a lot of questions about rating discrepancies, and it is almost always because old ratings are listed. We recommend not printing course ratings on scorecards, because this information is automated when posting their scores and only causes confusion.
How do I request a new or revised course rating? Where do I direct questions about my current course rating?
Please contact Emily at 1-800-628-3752, ext 1, or emily@msgagolf.org, with any requests or questions.