I believe the ACBL can develop an accurate ranking system by adapting the methods used by the PG TOUR and other worldwide golf tours.

Every tournament (there are hundreds) is assigned a numerical ranking based on the quality of the golfers it normally attracts. Each golfer who finishes above a specified level receives points, calculated as a percentage of the ranking determined by his finishing place. The golfer’s total points over a period are divided by the number of events entered in that period to achieve an average. The PGA system is updated weekly and includes two years of data with priority given to more recent data.

I see an ACBL ranking system that only includes sectional, regional and national tournaments and ranks only the top, say, 1500 players. The system is based on where a player finishes each time he plays. It is fair and reasonably accurate, despite the flaws cited by Jason Fuhrman in his letter from the August issue.

HOWARD JACOBY

San Diego, California