PDGA Player Rating^SM and Course Rating^SM System

The official PDGA Player Rating^SM & Course Rating^SM system provides a PDGA Player Rating (PPR) exclusively to all current PDGA members and PDGA Course Ratings for each course and layout used in a sanctioned PDGA tournament. The PPR is a 3 or 4 digit number indicating the skill level of the player, with a PPR of 1000 set as the reference point for top level scratch players (zero handicap). On typical courses, ten rating points equals one throw. A player with a 1030 PPR would be expected to shoot scores averaging 5 throws better per 18-hole round than a player with a 980 PPR. Ratings are generated only from play in PDGA sanctioned events. Official Player Rating statistics are provided at pdga.com for current PDGA members only.

A PDGA Course Rating is calculated each round from the scores of at least 5 players with established Player Ratings higher than 799. The course rating for a round is called the Scratch Scoring Average (SSA). PDGA scratch players with a PPR of 1000 would be expected to average scores equal to the SSA for that course layout. Typical disc golf courses will generate SSA values around 54 from the long tees. Many newer courses are getting more challenging and sometimes have SSA values as high as 60, with even a few courses nearing 70. Once a course layout has a few SSA values from PDGA tournaments, the course pro may use this information to set official pars for each hole and the course. This is sometimes referred to as the World Class Par, or WCP.

There are a number of useful documents that provide in-depth detail on the PDGA Rating system. Most of these documents have been written by Chuck Kennedy, chief architect of the PDGA Ratings system. For questions about the Ratings system, please contact the PDGA Ratings Committee .

PDGA Ratings System Documents and Links

Note: Adobe Acrobat document files can be viewed and printed using the free Adobe Reader software.

• Current Player Ratings are updated five times a year, in mid-February, April, June, September and December
• To view Course Ratings, select the Course Statistics link on the Tournament Results page while displaying results for an event played on that course. From the Course Statistics page, you can search for any rated course
• A guide to the Ratings system that goes into more detail than the summary above
• The basic terms and abbreviations used in the ratings system
• The ratings calculations formulas
• A description of the "compression" factor used in ratings calculations
• A useful graph to help players determine what scores they might expect to throw on courses with different course ratings
• Charts showing the Ratings distribution of male and female PDGA players of different ages who entered events in 2003
• An Excel template that can be used to calculate unofficial local player and course ratings for local events or leagues
• A background document for those who are interested in how par developed historically as a concept in ball golf, including half pars
• A comparison of how handicapping calculations are done by the USGA for ball golf and the way the PDGA ratings calculations are done