The number indicating the mean score for your best 50 games at your current tier is most often referred to as simply, your "average".
It is of high prominence on the screen, directly below your name, right next to your current tier. This high prominence makes it one of the most easily identifiable markers of a player's ability.
My problem is with the use of the word "average", which it isn't. I propose the word "index" as it's official replacement
The use of the word "average" to describe this number is ubiquitous. Experienced players use the word as a linguistic shorthand for "average of your best 50 games at your current tier".
For the inexperienced player, it appears to be some sort of average (with a 150 baseline) because it fluctuates higher and lower through the first fifty games of any tier. In fact, the earliest tiers may not even reach that 50 game limit before moving up to the next tier.
The result (because everyone was new once) is a number that has been given artificial weight, from the first day, to it's relationship with playing ability.
It is a wildly inaccurate barometer.
To be clear. I am not questioning it's usefulness. Only what we call it.
It is an effective counter measure to those who would artificially depress their scores in non monetary games in order to have a tee box, green speed, and playing condition advantage over others in monetary games and tournaments.
That said, scoring index is a much more accurate term for this number. A mathematical index is a number derived from a formula, used to represent a collection of data. Which is precisely what this is; a formula representing data.
Its relationship to playing ability is circumspect at best.
As an example, take two players, (for convenience) let's say they are in the same tier.
Player one has been playing for a long time and has "leveled up" significantly and, because of the high level, owns the best equipment. He's been at his current tier for a year and played 500 games. His best 50 equal an average score of 70. Let's say his average over the remaining games is 80. Meaning player one, for 500 games at his current tier averages a 79.
Player two is new to the tier, has lower level equipment and has only played the bare minimum 50 games. His average is 75.
When they play each other, player one's 70 "average" vs. player two's 75 gives many the mistaken impression that player one is a better player by five strokes, when in fact nearly the opposite is true.
Why does this matter?
Linguistic and psychological dishonesty (gamesmanship) has a demonstrated effect which is why its pervasive in sports, politics, business, and even playgrounds. Numbers that erroneously indicate (through use of the word "average") that one player has an advantage over another is linguistically and psychologically dishonest.
The easiest way to circumvent the issue is to refer to it by it's mathematically and linguistically correct term.
Scoring Index, which does not carry the barometric connotations of the word "average"
Just a thought...