History - 1947 to 1970

The USGA Handicap Committee adopted the Massachusetts Golf Association's recommendations for course ratings for men in 1947. This method called for rating on a hole-by-hole basis where each hole was rated in tenths of a stroke. The Handicap Manual contained descriptions of golf holes that typified holes of a specific rating. The hole ratings were totaled and rounded off to the nearest whole number; i.e., "The rating of the entire course is the total of the separate hole ratings, with the final figure being the nearest whole number, such as 69 or 72, and never in fractions, such as 69.4 or 71.8."

During this same period, the Chicago District Golf Association endorsed the "fractional par rating method." The Chicago rating method depended on (1) yardage, (2) course difficulty, and (3) experience. "Course difficulty" was based on a course's overall character rather than the sum of a hole-by-hole evaluation. "Experience: meant the observation of the play of expert golfers and comparison of their performance with the existing rating.

Both course rating procedures were eventually approved by the USGA. Both remained in effect until April 1960 when a new single approach was introduced. It involved a "preliminary yardage rating" for each hole which was "modified, if necessary, in the light of significant course conditions, called Rating Factors." The Chicago District Golf Association continued to use the fractional par method.

In 1963, the USGA introduced another course rating system. It was essentially the procedure developed by the Massachusetts Golf Association modified by the principles of the fractional par rating method used by the Chicago District Golf Association with one official yardage rating chart calculated by the USGA.

Another significant change was announced January 1, 1967. Effective that date, course ratings were expressed in decimals and not rounded off to the nearest whole number.

History of Course Rating           
The Early Years         
1971 - 1980                  
1981 - Present   

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