Rating Courses

[lstouradmin]

Hey all,

I want to use a course rating in a player's ranking so if someone plays on hard courses it would increase his ranking a bit. And if he played on easier courses, his ranking would fall a bit.

Do you guys think a public course rating would work for this? Basically everyone would get a chance to vote on how difficult a course is.

What do you think?

Mark

[terrell]

i think linkscorner has a pretty good rating system in place. apparently, it's morphed in the last few months, i guess in an attempt to make it more accurate. i disagree with most of the reviews, as it most times looks like some kinda group grope, but the rating system seems to work. (8

[LarryKnecht]

Good idea, but could be a complex subject. I would think that ones score would have to be considered in combination with with the course rating. Also, if we are going to "vote" on the course ratings, a set of rating criteria should be identified to establish common factors. Since many IRL courses are rated now, there must be a common set of criteria in existance.

I'm sure there are several people that know much more than I on course ratings and how to incorporate them into the ranking system.

Good luck and let the posts fly folks.

[DennisHarris]

I like your idea Mark.
A Ranking System adjusted for course rating (harder to easier) is/would be a smart move. Players can still choose to play only certain or favorite course's (cherry picking in some players eyes) however their ranking would be adjusted accordingly. So no one would have a ranking advantage by playing only certain course's.

IMO one additional consideration to add to this calculation might be to adjust ranking for high winds and green speed in rounds too. It is certainly harder to score (at least for me it is) in high wind and fast greens on an easy course that with no wind moderate greens. But to adjust for wind and green speed at least at this point, might be micro management,.

I think Terrell has a good idea to use the course slope rating I think it is that Links Corner has. Its readily available and could be adjusted easily (by LSPN) if needed.

Larry Warrilow and several others can add valuable insight too. Because they have delved into testing many of the lower rated three, two and one star course's available at Links corner for one purpose or another. Their research and testing can be invaluable to validate or adjust said course slope ratings.

Go for it Mark.

[ErnieB]

Hey all,

I want to use a course rating in a player's ranking so if someone plays on hard courses it would increase his ranking a bit. And if he played on easier courses, his ranking would fall a bit.

Do you guys think a public course rating would work for this? Basically everyone would get a chance to vote on how difficult a course is.

What do you think?

Mark

Since we're referring to a computer game, an accurate rating system would be based less on opinion and more on data. Links Corner does have a fairly good user rating system, but it too is driven mostly by opinion.

Best, IMO, is the Links Corner course difficulty index number (the last column on the right) which is based solely on the scoring performance of AI golfers. While this is also not without shortcomings, it is far less subjective as the LC user rating or the result of polls.

[Dr_Dave]

Hey all,

I want to use a course rating in a player's ranking so if someone plays on hard courses it would increase his ranking a bit. And if he played on easier courses, his ranking would fall a bit.

Do you guys think a public course rating would work for this? Basically everyone would get a chance to vote on how difficult a course is.

What do you think?

Mark

Since we're referring to a computer game, an accurate rating system would be based less on opinion and more on data. Links Corner does have a fairly good user rating system, but it too is driven mostly by opinion.

Best, IMO, is the Links Corner course difficulty index number (the last column on the right) which is based solely on the scoring performance of AI golfers. While this is also not without shortcomings, it is far less subjective as the LC user rating or the result of polls.

I agree 100% with Ernie, a data driven course rating would work a lot better than opinion. Not to mention the logistical nightmare of trying to come up with a number based on polls.

[Westview]

IMO one additional consideration to add to this calculation might be to adjust ranking for high winds and green speed in rounds too. It is certainly harder to score (at least for me it is) in high wind and fast greens on an easy course that with no wind moderate greens. But to adjust for wind and green speed at least at this point, might be micro management,.

Let's not forget pin location.

I like this idea of factoring the course rating into a players rank, it would eliminate most cherry picking. Although I must admit, I'll kind of miss the heated arguments about padding your stats with easy courses and conditions. You all know who I'm talking about!

I'm also hoping tournament completion % is factored in.

[canuck]

gr8 idea mark, this is what ive been waiting for here

it wont make the ranking system perfect, but it will never be.

chris

[wes37]

I,also, would suggest that the "difficulty index of courses" as used at Links Corner be used to rate the courses on the tour here. There are 7 categories from very easy to very difficult with back tees, windy conditions, firm/fast greens, and difficult pin placement used as determing factors to distinguish difficulty level.

We could use this system for our 1st season, making adjustments, or not, based on that experience. This system does away with a "popularity" contest, allows us to have a system in place, and, allows Mark to work on getting the tour started sooner.
wes

[SE_BlackBeard]

GREAT IDEA MARK!

[lstucz]

I think it is a great idea, too.

I would also like to place my vote for using the course difficulty index from Link's Corner. It does seem like the fairest way to go. There may be less arguments using that index, since it is calculated on a different site than this one. And, it would be less trouble for you, with it already being an established rating system.

I think factoring in the course conditions would be awesome. But, wouldn't it make the code very complicated to write? Maybe start with just the index rating system to get the ball rolling and work out the bugs, then you could add in the other factors seasons down the road?

[lstouradmin]

Ok, cool, I can go with that - using the Links Corner figures. I'll email Ian and ask if it's ok.

One more quesiton to spark discussion, what about course conditions? I was thinking of ranking all variations of conditions from hardest to easiest and using that in the ranking as well.

My thoughts on rankings are basically this. Overall score has the most weight, then factor in event completion, course difficulty, and conditions. I'd like to make the new ranking system much simpler than the old one but more accurate if that makes sense.

Thanks guys!

Mark

[tryandtyoneon]

Just a thought here.......If you put the tougher rounds out first, you might get a higher completion rate .....Those willing to play the first round or 2 will be less willing to give up good stats by missing the last round or 2.

Those that don't like the toughies, won't bother to enter.

[SE_BlackBeard]

I WOULD GIVE A HEFTY PENALTY TO ABANDONED TOURNEY'S, TOO MANY PLAYERS LEAVING AFTER THEY HAVE A BAD HOLE. THEY CAN READ THE COURSES AND CONDITIONS BEFORE THEY ENTER, AND NOBODY HAS THAT MANY CRASHES LOL.

[lstucz]

I'd like to make the new ranking system much simpler than the old one but more accurate if that makes sense.

Thanks guys!

Mark

Sounds great! I'm a firm believer in the KISS method.