Travel How a golf hole’s difficulty gets rated, according to a USGA course rating expert By: GOLF Editors June 17, 2021 Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Share by Email How exactly is a golf hole’s difficulty quantified? Here’s the par-5 18th at Pebble Beach, explained by USGA rating expert Scott Hovde. Latest In Travel 20 hours ago The PGA Tour canceled its Sentry event. Here's what the course looks like now 2 days ago This pristine public 9-holer in New York's first capital topped my 2025 list 3 days ago My favorite course of the year offers an incredible summer deal 5 days ago Our 6 favorite golf resorts we visited in 2025 Golf.com Related Articles Lifestyle The Best Jobs in Golf: USGA Museum Curator By: Connor Federico Travel This pivotal 4-hole stretch at the U.S. Amateur at Ridgewood CC could decide matches By: GOLF Editors News U.S. Open Recap: Fitzpatrick triumphs, The Country Club impresses on golf's biggest stage News U.S. Open Recap: Fitzpatrick, Zalatoris rise to the top with superstars in pursuit News Joel Dahmen dishes on U.S. Open pressure News U.S. Open Recap: PGA Tour stars headline Friday leaderboard Instruction Why players can't absolve themselves of technical thoughts during high-pressure events News U.S. Open Recap: Highs, lows, and what we learned Thursday at The Country Club Tournaments Rory McIlroy discusses his mindset after round one of the 2022 U.S. Open