How are golf slope ratings figured?

What do the letters in the golf word, slope standfor?

• this is a rating system in golf for handicap systems to be used on different golf courses depending on their level of difficulty. I would like to know if the letters individually in the word, slope stand for anything in particular?

• Answer:

  The individual letters do not stand for anything! Slope ratings came into existence in the early 1980's. Slope ratings were introduced because of the obvious, the more difficult a course is, the greater the discrepancy between the scores of stronger and weaker players. Course rating systems did not account for that factor slope does. Imagine the discrepancy plotted on a graph. The lines for both a strong golfer and weaker golfer would rise but the line of the weaker golfer would be steeper than that of a strong golfer. Thus we get the term "slope" referring to the relative steepness of the graph line of the weaker player's scores.