How to calculate averages

[striker12]

works same way if you where below your avg soo if u where below avg series then u would dosame thing and just divide games and it will tell you how many pins u go down.

[AZBowla]

Any time, if only my bowling skill rivaled my math skill

I second that!!

Not me... I suck at math. :P I'm far better at bowling than math (and that ain't sayin' much so you can just about imagine how bad I am at math).

[snafu]

Well, if they did your average would vary greatly if you had one good/bad week, but hey it would remove sand bagging from the game

This is something I have been trying to convince my league to do, that is work out a floating average over the previous four weeks rather than over the season. Firstly it removes sandbagging aka cheating and more accurately reflects how you have been bowling. Take for example a bowler who had a 160 average for half a season and improves through coaching, equipment etc. Their average only marginally goes up and they will kill you for the rest of the season.

[bowl1820]

This is something I have been trying to convince my league to do, that is work out a floating average over the previous four weeks rather than over the season. Firstly it removes sandbagging aka cheating and more accurately reflects how you have been bowling. Take for example a bowler who had a 160 average for half a season and improves through coaching, equipment etc. Their average only marginally goes up and they will kill you for the rest of the season.

It doesn't remove sandbagging, in 4 weeks you could easily plunge your average 10 to 20 pins.

You have to remember while "Their average only marginally goes up" is true. The reverse is true also, if someone bowls bad their average only marginally goes down.

Now you could add a 10 pin drop rule to make it more effective. But if you did that, I don't think there would be any need to do the four week averages over the standard way.

[75lockwood]

It doesn't remove sandbagging, in 4 weeks you could easily plunge your average 10 to 20 pins.

You have to remember while "Their average only marginally goes up" is true. The reverse is true also, if someone bowls bad their average only marginally goes down.

Now you could add a 10 pin drop rule to make it more effective. But if you did that, I don't think there would be any need to do the four week averages over the standard way.

Sorry could you explain the 10 pin drop rule? not familiar with it and how it would effect averages...

[bowl1820]

Sorry could you explain the 10 pin drop rule? not familiar with it and how it would effect averages...

A Ten Pin Drop Rule is for handicap purposes, a bowler’s average cannot drop more than 10 pins below his entering average (when entering average is a book average).

For new bowlers, a new bowler’s average cannot drop more than 10 pins below his 21-game established average (an average established after bowling his or her first 21 games) which will remain for the balance of the season.
(It doesn't have to be 21 games, it could be something different.It just depends on how the league handles establishing averages for new bowlers)

Example:
Bowler "A" enters with a 200 book average, the handicap is 90% of 230 his handicap is 27. Now if he averages below that 200 lets say 180, he only gets handicap for a 190 average (36) His handicap doesn't go any higher than that 36.

[snafu]

A Ten Pin Drop Rule is for handicap purposes, a bowler’s average cannot drop more than 10 pins below his entering average (when entering average is a book average).

For new bowlers, a new bowler’s average cannot drop more than 10 pins below his 21-game established average (an average established after bowling his or her first 21 games) which will remain for the balance of the season.
(It doesn't have to be 21 games, it could be something different.It just depends on how the league handles establishing averages for new bowlers)

Example:
Bowler "A" enters with a 200 book average, the handicap is 90% of 230 his handicap is 27. Now if he averages below that 200 lets say 180, he only gets handicap for a 190 average (36) His handicap doesn't go any higher than that 36.

The "Ten Pin Drop Rule" does not affect the concern I raised that for one reason or another a bowler's scores improve dramatically part way through the season while their average and therefore handicap does not alter proportionally.

[billf]

So the bowler that spends their own time and money to improve shouldn't have an advantage over those that don't? Talk about no reason to improve lol

[snafu]

Certainly they should be rewarded for their effort, but the idea of handicapping is to try to level the playing field not to offer an opportunity to have an unfair advantage. Take for example a bowler who has an average of say 160 and through the season by equipment and or coaching improve a couple of spares a game to average 185, should he still be handicapped on the marginally increased average of about 165 or on his recent more accurate average?

[bowl1820]

Certainly they should be rewarded for their effort, but the idea of handicapping is to try to level the playing field not to offer an opportunity to have an unfair advantage. Take for example a bowler who has an average of say 160 and through the season by equipment and or coaching improve a couple of spares a game to average 185, should he still be handicapped on the marginally increased average of about 165 or on his recent more accurate average?

Okay "not to offer an opportunity to have an unfair advantage." The 4 week system.
(Lets see 160 ave. went up to 185 and 25 pin increase.)

While a 4 week system wouldn't give the low ave. bowler a unfair advantage. It could give the high ave. bowler a unfair advantage.

Take for example a bowler who has an average of say 200 and due to being in a slump, illness or condition changes for the last 4-5 weeks he averages a 175, should he still be handicapped on a marginally decreased 195 average or on his last 4-5 week 175 average? when all of a sudden he's back to bowling his normal 200 ave.