prochaser:I don't understand why the skills of the players are only determined through ranked strokeplay and not by every round they play.
It's a valid question and there's a valid answer.
In match play and alternate shot games, the golfer may adjust his play depending on how is opponent is playing.
If your match play opponent just drove into the fescue and he's screwed, there's no reason for you to take a risky shot. Just play it safe and lay up (or whatever).
On the other hand, if your opponent drops his approach 2" from the pin, you're likely to take a much more aggressive next shot knowing you have nothing to lose.
Basically, it comes down to MP and AS games are not accurate barometers of your golfing ability so much as they are accurate barometers of how well you play against another person.
Blitz and CTTH games are only one aspect of golf; the approach shot. There is no measurement of putting or driving, so naturally, they cant be used as measurements of one's golfing ability either.
All that's left is stroke play...That's why it's used as a measurement.
The real question is, with the majority of players eschewing stroke play in favor of other games, shouldn't there be a separate measurement of a golfer's talents beyond stroke play? To which the answer is, absolutely!
There's no reason why a player with 2500 AS games, but only 300 ranked rounds can't have an AS specific rating (or a MP specific rating, or blitz, or whatever) that more accurately gauges his ability in that particular game.
Some people just don't like stroke play and avoid it, not because they're cheaters, but because it's just not fun for them. Likewise, others can't stand match play or alternate shot games (me).
A simple solution is to weigh a players game-play tendencies and then, with a simple algorithm, present his experience as a graph or number. For example:
- Stroke play = 65.5/28% (avg / percentage of game play)
- AS/MP games = 63%/ 55% (percentage of wins / percentage of game play)
- Tournaments = 10%/17% (percentile vs. rest of the field / percentage of game play)
It would give a much more accurate overview of a player's abilities and make immediate judgment calls easier to make.