For the same swing improvement, the strokes it returns differ between someone who shoots 90 and someone who shoots 75. So we ask for your average score during the analysis and convert the improvement to match that level.
Why we ask for your score
There are two routes to a lower score when your driver gets better: more distance, which shortens the club into the green, and less lateral dispersion, which means fewer OBs, hazards, and rough. On the course the second one matters far more.
But that effect varies a lot with ability. A low-handicap golfer rarely has the big accidents already. Cutting 5 yards of lateral dispersion changes little, because it wasn't going OB in the first place. A golfer near 100, on the other hand, loses a large share of the strokes in a round to OBs and penalties. The same 5 yards makes a much bigger difference.
Ignore that and show everyone the same "expected stroke reduction", and it's an exaggeration for a low handicap and an understatement for a high one. So we use a different conversion coefficient for each level.
Conversion coefficient by level
| Average score | Category | Coefficient | Maximum strokes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 75 or under | Low handicap | 1.00 | 4.2 strokes |
| 80 or under | — | 1.25 | 5.2 strokes |
| 85 or under | — | 1.55 | 6.5 strokes |
| 90 or under | Default | 1.90 | 8.0 strokes |
| 95 or under | — | 2.30 | 9.6 strokes |
| 100 or under | — | 3.30 | 13.5 strokes |
| Over 100 | High handicap | 4.00 | 16.0 strokes |
"Maximum strokes" is a ceiling. However large the calculation comes out, it never goes past this value. It's there to stop results that claim one piece of equipment takes 20 strokes off.
It feeds into the shaft recommendations too
Your level goes into the direction of the shaft recommendation, not only the stroke conversion.
- Toward high handicap, we lean a little lighter and more forgiving. Being easy to swing and easy to square up helps the score you actually shoot
- Toward low handicap, we lean a little heavier and stiffer. You're already making plenty of speed, so there's more to gain from stability and control
That said, this is a fine adjustment. Your measured launch angle, spin, and strike quality come first, and the level is a correction laid on top. Even if you shoot 90, if the data points to a heavier shaft, the heavier one is what we recommend.
Choose by your recent round average, not your best score. Pick by a good day and the improvement comes out smaller than it really is. If you're not sure, leaving it on the default of 90 or under is fine.
How to take these numbers
The "expected strokes" here are a sense of direction, not a guarantee. Your actual score depends far more on putting, irons, the short game, the difficulty of the course, and how you feel that day. A driver shaft accounts for part of it.
What these numbers are good for is gauging whether fixing this is a high priority right now. Changing a shaft for half a stroke is a waste; for 4 strokes it's worth taking seriously.