GAME GOLF vs. USGA Handicaps

[NM Bruce]

With 20+ rounds recorded on Game Golf, I'm seeing a ~3 stoke discrepancy between my GG and USGA indexes.  I would expect the USGA one to be lower since I apply ESC when posting, but that's not the case.  I've emailed GG asking if/how ESC is applied, but no response.  My only other theory is that GG counts 2 9-hole scores as 2 rounds, whereas USGA combines them into 1 18-hole round, which may skew the stats.  Puzzling.

[iacas]

No, the answer is that GAME GOLF calculates a handicap based on course length.

http://support.gamegolf.com/customer/portal/articles/1929900-handicap-everything-to-know

Quote

- How is the GAME GOLF handicap calculated?

We have a vast data set for users who have played a large number of rounds and can be identified as scratch players (average normalized score of 70-75).  So we are using this as a benchmark baseline to estimate a player's handicap.
From Game Golf scratch players (which act as the benchmark group), we first discover how these players score (average number of strokes) on holes of a certain yardage* (yardage is from first tee shot to the pin location).  Then we aggregate all the scores from the holes played from all of these players and bucket them into 5-meter intervals using holes 60 meters and up to 600 meters.  Meters are converted into yards when needed.  
To calculate a handicap, we then apply the same principles to a player of interest and getting their average number of strokes played for each of those hole distance buckets.  We then collect the difference between that player and GAME GOLF's Scratch players, and then find the collective average.

… and…

Quote

- What's the difference between the USGA's handicap and GAME GOLF's?  

Besides being similar in terms of a stroke-count representation of how well a golfer performs with respect to typical scratch golfers, the main difference is that GG Handicap doesn’t use the course/slope ratings against a players score.  GG Handicap uses the actual yardage played for each hole from their tagged tee positions to the middle of the green, with dog-legs factored into the equation according to the design of the hole.

 

[NM Bruce]

Thanks!

[cutchemist42]

Just to add to this, I have a Golf Canada HI and use Gamegolf. I only have 6 rounds being used in my official HI as I play alone a lot, while GG captures all my rounds. I've actually wondered if GG applies ESC behind the scenes as well.

Golf Canada- 20.6

GG-20.4

Edited July 2, 2018 by cutchemist42

[NM Bruce]

Interesting that your HI's are so close, and mine are considerably different.   I wonder how typical this is. 

[Shindig]

13 minutes ago, NM Bruce said:

Interesting that your HI's are so close, and mine are considerably different.   I wonder how typical this is. 

Mine are a bit off;  12.7 on GG, 14.0 actual index. 

[dennyjones]

I don't have an official handicap but use Game Golf and The Grint. (I enter all rounds, even the ones I play alone) but mine are 14.4 and 14.8. 

[HJJ003]

Don't have a lot of GG rounds logged but mine are:

GG: 21.3

HI: 22

[JuanTheGolfer]

My GHIN is 7.3 while my GG HCP is 5.

For my GHIN I only put in rounds where we are betting some money, and I am playing with someone else.  That way I can be assured we played by the Rules the entire round.  

Some of my GG scores are on my home course, where I can score WELL, or when I play alone... or play only part of the round with someone who can attest the score.  I found when you play a course LOTS of times, you can get your average score on that course down by 3-4 strokes lower than when you play other courses of the same Slope Rating and Distance.... since you KNOW the course.  IMHO.

Edited July 2, 2018 by JuanTheGolfer