<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>

I ran a weekly handicap throughout my state for over 11 years, plus a scratch one for the last 2 years.  Here was the problem.

Many higher average bowlers scream they wanted harder shots, but when I put one down, most of them did not show up.  Now why is that ?  Well, if you average 230 on THS and then I put down a much more difficult condition and you are not getting many pins, you can not compete with the handicap bowler that rolls the ball straight down the lane regardless of the condition.  You would think that the higher average bowler would make the proper lane adjustments but in most cases, NO.  Lets face it, many bowlers average high because the center where they bowl puts down a high scoring condition. They use the same ball and stand in the same spot on the lanes every week.  Thus inflating their average and their heads.

In my experience, higher average bowlers like to complain too much.  Shot is too easy, I can not compete or the shot is too hard and I do not get enough pins.

My advise to all the higher average bowlers is try to bowl in scratch ONLY tournaments and if you do try to bowl in a Handicap one, just put on your shoes, bowl and stop complaining. Lets face it, the tournament director did not force you to bowl in his tournament, that was your choice.

I understand where are you coming from... I used to gripe about the handicap at those tourny's more so after i showed up thinking that i was gonna do well and then lay a big ole egg and bowl like crap... That was then.. now i stick mostly to scratch tourny's and still bowl a few handicap with friends just for fun.. but then again ill use a handicap tourny as a chance to work myself out of slump or to kinda refocus now and then..

I understand where are you coming from... I used to gripe about the handicap at those tourny's more so after i showed up thinking that i was gonna do well and then lay a big ole egg and bowl like crap... That was then.. now i stick mostly to scratch tourny's and still bowl a few handicap with friends just for fun.. but then again ill use a handicap tourny as a chance to work myself out of slump or to kinda refocus now and then..

I don't need to pay an entry fee to do that, lol. The week prior, no one was getting any cap. Made it more fair. I guess I just need to stick to scratch.

If you are a scratch bowler entering a handicap tourny you should just expect those type of results.  Best bet for you to make money is in brackets for the most part.

I'm at an unfortunate point in my bowling.  I currently am averaging yearbook 203, and 205-211 this year.  Too high to get much for handicap, but don't regularly bowl well enough to go to a score fest scratch tourney, and would need a cheap entry to make it worth the potential donating lesson.

The one localized tournament I have seen succeed used a system like this.

The first time you bowl, you use your book average.

For every tournament you enter and do not cash, they took 2 pins off your book average for the next tournament you entered with them.  (bowl 5 events and do not cash and you are -10 from your book average on event 6)

If you cashed, your average is +2 pins on what you entered that week with.

If you win a tournament, your new average is what you averaged for the tournament  that you won.

What it did was eliminate sandbaggers real quick.  They'd win one tournament and quit.  What was left was a group of true tournament bowlers whose averages fluctuated based on how good or bad they cashed, only the winners were reset.

It ran for years.  Bowling 3-4 events per month moving from house to house in the city with any where from 50-200 entries.  Mutiple squads and re-entry allowed.

And over the years the tournament director know who the known baggers in the area were.  When they showed up to bowl, he'd rerate them on the spot or they refuse to bowl.  Wasn't sanctioned so they couldn't appeal to anyone.

The one localized tournament I have seen succeed used a system like this.

The first time you bowl, you use your book average.

For every tournament you enter and do not cash, they took 2 pins off your book average for the next tournament you entered with them.  (bowl 5 events and do not cash and you are -10 from your book average on event 6)

If you cashed, your average is +2 pins on what you entered that week with.

If you win a tournament, your new average is what you averaged for the tournament  that you won.

What it did was eliminate sandbaggers real quick.  They'd win one tournament and quit.  What was left was a group of true tournament bowlers whose averages fluctuated based on how good or bad they cashed, only the winners were reset.

It ran for years.  Bowling 3-4 events per month moving from house to house in the city with any where from 50-200 entries.  Mutiple squads and re-entry allowed.

And over the years the tournament director know who the known baggers in the area were.  When they showed up to bowl, he'd rerate them on the spot or they refuse to bowl.  Wasn't sanctioned so they couldn't appeal to anyone.

Great stuff - I like this.  Would love to see more of it.