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 4 hours ago This pristine public 9-holer in New York's first capital topped my 2025 list 1 day ago My favorite course of the year offers an incredible summer deal 3 days ago Our 6 favorite golf resorts we visited in 2025 5 days ago Why the best course I played in 2025 was the one I played backwards 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