Bengaluru, Aug 20: The United States Golf Association is partnering the Indian Golf Union for its first-ever Course Rating Seminar here from August 23 to 25.

The course, to be conducted at the Bangalore Golf Club, is a workshop for experts in the field of rating courses on the degree of difficulty.

Course ratings become important from the standpoint of determining how difficult a course is and also for handicaps.

The workshop also endeavours to prepare future course raters.

In golf, there are two bodies which issue ratings courses, the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St Andrews (R&A) and the USGA.

About 50-55 applicants, who are being charged Rs 3,000 per person are expected to attend the workshop.

The first batch of raters will be issued certificates by the visiting USGA experts, but in future such workshops will be conducted by IGU.

To start with the raters'' tests will be for Indians only, but later, this will be extended to allow applicants from neighbouring countries.

The programme is being sponsored by IGU affiliated club, Bangalore Golf Association.

PTI