<vent>

There. I said it. $@%#%@ all of it. I'm done bowling handicap tournaments and would love to never bowl on another THS again. After hardly bowling for 3 months, I walk in, shoot 690 for the first 3 games of a 4 game qualifier, and am still 100 out of the cut? So I should walk in and shoot 790 to stay in the hunt? Really? Glad the guy on top is getting 20/game and is shooting 260's all over the place.

That's fair. I promise.

Fry.

</vent>

There's scratch tournaments here in Chicagoland, and I love bowling Boot Hill tournaments and the tournaments that Jerry Marrs runs. No handicap, no soft condition, just you against another bowler on a fair condition. Wanna beat my brains in? Better throw it good. I can handle bowling bad and losing. Just don't make it a stupid scorefest. Cheetah can be a scorefest. Make it a fair scorefest. There are patterns that are sport compliant that aren't hard.

I haven't started bowling any tournys yet, but will likely do so in the near future.  I'm trying to think through how this plays out.  Do people sign up for weekly sanctioned leagues and bowl like crap on purpose to get a high handicap for tournys? 

Sadly, yes, there ARE people who do that and have for many years...but with the prevalence of the THS and matching up, there are also those who just happen to find their acorn that day.

Other times, there are occasions where people have the unfortunate task of only having a pit of hell locally and that carry better when in a facility that is maintained 'properly.' But even that does not happen often since so many tourneys don't pay enough to get people driving in like 20 and 30 years ago. 

On rare occasion, you will get someone who was actually early in their bowling career and who was improving year over year and where the book really did not accurately reflect their ability.  The ethical bowler will have let the TD know about the current average and defer to the TD's discretion for how to handle the situation...sadly, there are too few of THOSE around anymore either...

I miss the days of the midnight marathons that were often 12-game events...some in the Dallas area even provided a meal between games 6 and 7 while they stripped and re-ran the lanes.  Massive calcuttas and a sweet payout for the winner...and yes, they were scratch.   

Frustrating yes, but it's what the BPAA and USBC wanted, not what the serious bowler wanted..

In a recent Florida State Bowling Association (handicap) tournament, the winning singles score was 936, and because the handicap was based on 90 percent of 220 at the time (it's now 90 percent of 240), that means that all bowlers with entering averages of 207 or higher HAD NO CHANCE TO WIN, EVEN WITH A 900 SCRATCH SERIES!

What does that tell you?

In a recent Florida State Bowling Association (handicap) tournament, the winning singles score was 936, and because the handicap was based on 90 percent of 220 at the time (it's now 90 percent of 240), that means that all bowlers with entering averages of 207 or higher HAD NO CHANCE TO WIN, EVEN WITH A 900 SCRATCH SERIES!

I've had the exact same thing happen.  Drove 4 hours to bowl a large regional handicap tournament, only to see a 900+ score posted in the leader position.  Nothing like lacing up for a tournament you can't win.

Lol, try bowling a No-Tap handicap tournament on a THS! 
We just had one (I didn't enter) and the guys with no handicap throwing close to 900 and still not even placing. 

I also will not bowl in a handicap tourney. I have always tried to do the best I can. It is sad but true that someone who always tries to do thier best, and scores well gets penalized with a higher average. No wonder so many sandbag. Well the baggers wont get my money, I just dont go to those events.