Course Rating and Par

[Jeremy_Glenn.]

So the Rees Jones renovation of the "famed / overated" Blue Course at Royal Montreal is now complete and the course opened yesterday.  The course will be set at 7,153 yards for the 2007 President's Cup.

The par remains at 70.  The course rating is 75.7  (with a slope of 138)

That would be 5.7 strokes OVER par.

As much as I cringe at giving the concept of "par" any credibility, what are some of the highest "over par" ratings of golf courses you've seen?  I can't think of any higher.

[Tom Huckaby]

Interesting.

What I take from that is it's pretty cool the slope is "only" 138.  Scratch is gonna fight mightily there - and that's cool for him, he likes that - whereas bogey still has a fighting chance to have some fun.

As for others, well... the highest rating here in NCGA is a Nicklaus course called Ruby Hill.  76.7 on par 72.  There may be others with a higher deviation from par... but man 5.7 over is indeed huge.

Word is that Kiawah Ocean is rated something like 80 from it's back monster, not to be used tees....

TH  

[JohnV]

Two in Western PA:

Oakmont is 77.5 with par of 71 for 6.5
Mystic Rock is 78.1 with par of 72 for 6.1

There are plenty more as the yardages increase and the par stays the same on lots of courses.

[Jim Nugent]

Here is a link to a Hawaii (Oahu) course that was given a slope of 162.  I know the max is 155.  But they list it at 162 on the scorecard, and call themselves "America's scariest (or toughest) course."  Rating is only 76.2, though, against a par of 72.  Architect: Dick Nugent.  (No relation.)  www.koolaugolfclub.com

But it looks like The Pines course, a Tom Fazio special at the International in Bolton MA, may take the cake.  Course rating from the tips is 80, par 73, with yardage at 8325.  Higher handicappers seem to get a break, though.  Slope is only 154. http://www.theinternational.com/club/scripts/golf/view_course.asp?CID=27&GRP=1622&NS=GO

[Mike Hoak]

I played at Ko'olau three years ago and I can personally attest that it deserves every bit of that slope rating.  It's hands down the most difficult course I have ever played.  The course is carved out of the jungle basically, so if you spray your shots at all, kiss your ball goodbye.  I'm an 11 handicap and lost at least 6 balls that day.  A Scottish fellow I was paired with blew through a whole dozen in 7 holes.  He had to get a marshal to go get him more.

The 18th was a prime example.  It played about 450 yards with long forced carries over the jungle on your drive and the second shot, with thick jungle left and right about 10 yards off of the fairway, and a string of deep bunkers on the right hand side of the green and the runup to the green.  It was target golf the whole way around.

It's a beautiful place though.  It runs along the bottom of a rocky mountain range (the one they show all the time on that ABC show "Lost").
 

[Jason Topp]

From the USGA website for the US Am:

"SLOPE AND COURSE RATINGS – Hazeltine National will carry a USGA Course Rating™ of 77.8 and a Slope Rating® of 155."  


Par is 72.