9.2.3 The suggested pitch is not what I expect — is Auto-Suggestion on?

The suggested pitch is not what I expect — is Auto-Suggestion on?

9.2.3   FAQ

 

If the pitch values appearing on a spec sheet do not match what you would expect for the measurements entered — or if values that should be auto-suggested are not appearing at all — the first thing to check is whether the Auto-Suggestion feature is active and configured correctly. This page explains how to verify the auto-suggestion state, why suggestions may differ from your expectations, and how to distinguish a misconfigured suggestion from a deliberate or legitimate difference.

🔍 Step 1 — Confirm Auto-Suggestion Is Enabled

Auto-suggestions can be turned off at the account or user level. If suggestions are not appearing where you expect them, confirm the feature is active before investigating the suggestion values themselves.

1. Click or tap your pro shop name in the top-right corner.
2. Select Settings from the dropdown.
3. Locate the Auto-Suggestion or IBPSIA Suggestions setting.
4. Confirm the toggle is set to On.
5. Save if a change was needed and return to the spec sheet.

⚠️ Verify with Spectre team: Confirm the exact label and location of the Auto-Suggestion toggle in the current UI — specifically whether it is in the general Settings section, within the Spec Sheet settings, or within a dedicated Fitting Preferences area. Also confirm whether it is an account-level or user-level setting, as a staff member may have disabled it on their own device without affecting other users.

🔍 Step 2 — Confirm the Measurements That Drive Suggestions Are Complete

Auto-suggestions are generated from the measurement fields already completed on the spec sheet. If key input fields are empty or contain placeholder values, the suggestion engine has incomplete data to work from and will either not generate a suggestion or generate one based on partial inputs that does not reflect the full picture.

• ✅ Confirm grip type is selected — suggestions differ significantly between conventional, fingertip, and semi-fingertip. An unselected or incorrect grip type produces suggestions calibrated for the wrong grip.
• ✅ Confirm finger measurements are complete — hole size, knuckle size, and joint measurements for both middle and ring fingers. Missing joint measurements in particular affect span and pitch suggestions.
• ✅ Confirm span type is selected and matches how the measurements were taken — a span type mismatch produces suggestions based on a different measurement convention from the one used.
• ✅ Confirm thumb measurements are entered if Add Pitch Thumb is enabled — incomplete thumb data with Add Pitch Thumb on produces finger oval suggestions that are based on partial grip geometry.

🔍 Step 3 — Understand Why the Suggestion May Legitimately Differ From Your Expectation

If Auto-Suggestion is on and all measurement fields are complete, a suggestion that still does not match your expectation is not necessarily wrong. There are several legitimate reasons why the IBPSIA-standard suggestion and your expected value may differ:

The IBPSIA formula and your shop standard use different reference points

Some experienced operators develop shop-specific pitch conventions that differ from the IBPSIA standard — not because the standard is wrong, but because their customer base, their equipment, or their fitting philosophy has evolved away from it. If your shop consistently fits bowlers with pitch values outside the standard range, Spectre Cloud's suggestion will consistently appear lower or higher than your practice. This is expected behaviour, not an error.

• ✅ Use the suggestion as a reference point rather than a target — understand where the standard sits and where your practice departs from it.
• ✅ If the departure is consistent and intentional, consider documenting your shop's standard in the spec sheet notes so the reasoning is visible in the record.

The bowler's measurements are outside the typical range

Bowlers with unusually large or small hands, unusually long or short fingers relative to their span, or atypical joint proportions may receive suggestions that appear extreme because their measurements are at the edge of the formula's typical input range. The suggestion is mathematically correct for those measurements — it may simply reflect the fact that a non-standard measurement set produces a non-standard recommendation.

• ✅ Verify the measurements are entered correctly before concluding the suggestion is wrong — an unusual suggestion is often the first signal of a measurement entry error.
• ✅ If the measurements are confirmed correct and the suggestion still appears extreme, treat it as a starting point requiring fitting judgement rather than an automatic guide.

The suggestion reflects the configured method, not the method you expected

As established in the previous troubleshooting pages, the Oval Calculation Method (EDGE vs. CENTER) and the Add Pitch Thumb setting both affect output values. If either was recently changed, suggestions generated after the change will differ from those generated before it — even for identical measurements.

• ✅ Confirm the current Oval Calculation Method matches your expectation before concluding the suggestion itself is the problem.

The bowler's previous spec sheets used manually overridden values

If a returning bowler's previous spec sheets contain pitch values that were manually overridden from the suggestion — as is common for experienced fitters with a preferred approach — the current suggestion will match the standard formula, not the previous override. The suggestion is not wrong; it simply does not know about the override unless the previous values are taken as the reference point.

• ✅ For returning bowlers, compare the current suggestion against the previous spec sheet values rather than against a personal expectation formed from working with that bowler.
• ✅ If the previous values are the appropriate reference, override the suggestion with those values and note the reason in the spec sheet.

🔍 Step 4 — Check Whether a Previous Override Is Being Carried Forward

If the spec sheet was cloned from a previous one, any pitch values that were manually overridden in the source sheet are carried into the clone — they are not replaced by fresh suggestions. This means a cloned spec sheet may show pitch values that appear to be suggestions but are actually historical overrides.

• ✅ When reviewing a cloned spec sheet, treat all pitch values as inherited overrides until you have verified them against the current measurement inputs and the current suggestion.
• ✅ Clear any pitch fields that should be freshly suggested and allow the auto-suggestion system to repopulate them based on the current measurements.
• ✅ If the cloned values are correct and intentional, leave them — but note that they are not current suggestions so future staff know they were a deliberate choice.

⚖️ Suggestion vs. Expectation — Decision Framework

Observation	Most likely cause	Recommended action
No suggestions appearing anywhere on the spec sheet	Auto-Suggestion is disabled	Enable Auto-Suggestion in Settings
Suggestions appearing for some fields but not others	Input fields for those suggestions are incomplete	Complete all measurement fields and confirm grip type and span type are selected
Suggestion is present but consistently lower than expected	Shop practice uses higher pitch than IBPSIA standard; or EDGE vs. CENTER mismatch	Verify Oval Calculation Method; document shop-specific standard if intentional
Suggestion is present but consistently higher than expected	Add Pitch Thumb enabled unexpectedly; or measurement entered too large	Check Add Pitch Thumb setting; verify measurement entry
Suggestion differs from previous spec sheets for same bowler	Previous values were manual overrides carried by clone; or settings have changed	Compare against previous spec sheet values; confirm current settings match those used previously
Suggestion seems extreme for this bowler profile	Measurement entered incorrectly; or bowler's measurements are at edge of standard range	Re-verify measurements; cross-check against bowler's history if available
Suggestion changes when switching grip type	Expected behaviour — suggestions are grip-type dependent	Confirm correct grip type is selected for this fitting

✨ When to Contact Spectre Support

The situations above cover the vast majority of unexpected suggestion behaviour. If you have worked through all of these checks and the suggestion output still cannot be explained, it may indicate a platform issue worth reporting:

• ✅ Suggestions that change unpredictably between sessions with no settings or measurement changes.
• ✅ Suggestions that differ significantly from the IBPSIA-standard expected value for a straightforward, mid-range measurement set where no override or unusual condition applies.
• ✅ Auto-Suggestion toggling itself off between sessions.

Contact Spectre Cloud support via support.spectrebowling.com or through the support channel linked in the app. Include the specific measurement values, the current settings configuration, and a description of what the suggestion is showing versus what you expected — this gives the support team everything needed to investigate efficiently.

⚠️ Verify with Spectre team: Confirm the correct support URL and whether there is an in-app support channel — update the contact reference above with the verified pathway before publishing.

Related Sections

• 9.1.4 — Using Auto-Suggestions effectively for faster fitting sessions
• 9.2.1 — Why is my oval cut showing unexpected values
• 9.2.2 — My drill press reads pitches opposite — what setting do I change
• 5.6.5 — Choosing EDGE vs. CENTER: which method fits which bowler
• 6.1.3 — Step 3: Set grip type and enter finger measurements
• 9.1.1 — Recommended Settings configuration for a new pro shop

✨ Tip: The most reliable way to confirm whether an unexpected suggestion is a configuration issue or a legitimate standard-formula output is to create a test spec sheet with a simple, textbook set of measurements — a straightforward fingertip bowler with conventional pitch values — and check whether the suggestion matches your expectation for that profile. If the suggestion is correct for the simple case and unexpected for the specific bowler in question, the issue is in the measurement inputs or the bowler's specific profile. If the suggestion is unexpected even for the simple case, the issue is in the settings or the suggestion system itself.