On a Golf Course what does the rating and the slope mean?

Question

For example some say rating 72.5 and a slope of 139

Answer 1

COURSE RATING™, BOGEY RATING & SLOPE RATING®

Course Rating™ represents the playing difficulty of a course for a

s c ra tch golfer under normal we a ther and course conditions.

B o gey Rating represents the playing difficulty of a course for a

b o gey golfer under normal we a ther and course conditions.

Slope Rating® is the difference between the Bogey Rating and th e

Course Rating™ multiplied by a mathematical const a n t .

T h e r e fore, Slope Rating® represents the relative playing diffi c u l t y

of a course for a non-scra tch golfer compared to a scra tch golfe r.

The higher the Slope Rating®, the gr e a ter the gap in expecte d

scores between the scra tch golfer and the bogey golfe

Answer 2

The rating and slope along with your score is used to calculate your handicap.  The rating is the average score and course length.  The slope is the speed of greens this is measured with a piece of angle iron about 24" long and slanted at a specific angle on the green.  Then a ball is rolled down the angle iron and the distance it travels is called the slope.