WHS Score Differential - help please ?

[Rich3119]

I have been using the WHS app bith via my previous club and now using iGolf membership which I have to say is great, however some elements regarding the calculation of 'score differential' are baffling to me and I want to post here because the WHS team have tried to explain my query with very matter of fact statements but can't seem to understand the whoe scenario I am describing and offer any logical response. - here goes ....

My question is around 'Score Differential' being calcualted at a different value even when i'm shooting the same score on the same course from the same tee's OR a playing partner of a different standard to me who also shot the same score and his score differential is also different.

I understand the calcualtion : SCORE DIFFERENTIAL = (ADJUSTED GROSS SCORE – COURSE RATING-PCC) * (113/SLOPE RATING)

So using that calculation Score Differential should be the same for anyone who shot an adjusted gross of the same number right ? I see no inclusion of handicap being involved here its shots scored converted into the COURSE/TEE/PCC equivalent.

So looking at an example i've found (2 different players) :

Player 1




Player 2



Both players shot 52 off the same tee's with the same Course/Slope ratings and no PCC adjustment - they have different Course Handicaps because one player is higher than the other but in the Score Differential calcualtion 'course handicap' is not a factor that is taken into account (or at least it doesn't show it).

Something is either being missed in the calculation for Score Differential OR the system is wrong ? I'm sure there is a perfectly good reason and solution for why the application calculates 'score diff' differently and its probably justified BUT its not clear.

When I contacted WHS they sent the following reply : "The reason you both have a different score differential, even though you scored the same, is down to your course handicap which is calculated from your Handicap Index on the day"

Now that is an answer that makes sense .... but how is that incorporated into the calculation ????

Anyone know how this is truly calcultated ?

Thanks

 

[wjemather]

When playing 9 holes, the score differential calculation involves scaling-up to an 18hole score by adding a second 9 holes with a score equivalent to 17 Stableford points. As such, it is dependent on what the player's current Course Handicap is, hence the different results in your example.

 

[Rich3119]

Ah that makes total sense now, thank you 'wjemather' ... so the second 9 holes regardless of your first 9 gross score will be (Net Par + 1 Stroke) - i.e. 8 holes scoring 2 points and 1 hole scoring 1 point based on handicap.

The moral of the story is to play 18 holes of golf when using WHS to get a better indication of Score Differential as any 9 hole entries will always be 1 shot worse than handicap on that second 9 which is added to the first 9 for purposes of the calculation to get Score Differential.

Thanks Again - and i'm sure a lot of people will also read this post and it will suddenly click

 

[Backsticks]

Ah that makes total sense now, thank you 'wjemather' ... so the second 9 holes regardless of your first 9 gross score will be (Net Par + 1 Stroke) - i.e. 8 holes scoring 2 points and 1 hole scoring 1 point based on handicap.

The moral of the story is to play 18 holes of golf when using WHS to get a better indication of Score Differential as any 9 hole entries will always be 1 shot worse than handicap on that second 9 which is added to the first 9 for purposes of the calculation to get Score Differential.

Thanks Again - and i'm sure a lot of people will also read this post and it will suddenly click

Not quite. Its more a case of a best estimate to bring it to handicap rather than 1 worse than. One worse than is a more likely actual score than handicap, so using 1 worse than is a more accurate scaling to 18 holes. Guessing for 20+ HI or so, 2 shots worse would be even more accurate, but the laws of diminishing returns set in for the calculation algorithm.