What Is the Rise Index? Your Sim Golf Number, Explained

If you've played RISE, you've seen your Rise Index. It's the number at the top of your profile, and it's the thing the whole system is built around. So here's what it actually is.

It's calibrated to you, not to par

The Rise Index is a measure of your real ability on the simulator. When you start, RISE looks at your handicap, your driving distance, your tee choice, and a calibration round, and builds a difficulty profile that's yours and yours alone. That's how it can set targets that sit right at the edge of your game instead of using some generic par that's too easy for a scratch player and impossible for a beginner.

Lower is better, like a handicap. But here's where it's different.

It's built to move

A handicap is designed to describe you. The Rise Index is designed to be beaten. Every round you play feeds it, and as you get better, the number comes down and your targets get tougher to match. It's a live readout of your game improving, not a static label.

That's the core idea of RISE. GSPro can tell you what you shot today. The Rise Index tells you how far you've come since you started. One is a snapshot. The other is the climb.

Why it matters for the leaderboard

Because the Index tracks improvement, the RISE leaderboard can rank people by how much better they've gotten, not just who's naturally good. A 20-handicap who grinds down to a 15 over a season outranks a scratch player who stayed flat. That's the whole point. Everyone has a reason to keep climbing.

Curious how a round actually feeds the number? Here's the full loop, step by step.