You don't need this change without the third division, though.

The biggest issue I saw with it is, that you have to have your team rosters set 14 days in advance.

We have had several times the past 10 years where we had to get subs for doubles/singles.

You will still be able to get subs.  They can do verification's at the window.  They just want to try and speed the process up.  If everyone waited till the last minute no squad would start on time. 

I have only gone a couple of times, but I have never started on time as it is.  Even before internet.

If they are going to use the last 3 years of Nationals play, that should be the only average if you have 27 games in.  What better way to establish how you perform at that level than to look at what you've done at that level?  You should only use a league average if you don't have 27 games in. 

I am a house hack for sure.  I don't have an opportunity to bowl on a sport shot where I live...it's not an option.  So I bowl 9 games on sport all year (and do really, really bad), but because I averaged over 210 on a house shot once in the last 3 years (last year), I get to bowl against the pros that bowl on sport shots all the time.  Seems fair.

Might as well go to a handicap format.  Entries will be up in 2017 because of the brand new venue in Vegas, and USBC will credit the changes in classifications.  Trend in entries will be back down the next season.

If you are going to make the change just have a handicap and a scratch division.     

Just went to bowl.com to check out my averages from the past 3 yrs... League averages (composite avg: 224,220,212) which comes out to a 3 yr avg of 218.6... Now they have a tab that shows your scratch average for your most recent 27 games at Nationals  which spans from (2008-2015) my scratch average is (188) and my sport adjusted avg is (214)... Looks as if I get to stay in the Open division

I think everyone should check it out...take all the guess work out it

If you review the prize list for the classified division for the past several years, you will find some similar names in the top 100 every year.  How is it that they can goto Nationals on some of the toughest sport patterns and average 190-210 but on a THS they ALWAYS manage to be 179 or under? 

This rule addresses that issue.

Also, if you were on Facebook when Jeff Richgels (Riggs) posted about the 3rd division when it was announced, there were several bowlers who said, they would sandbag for a year to get a 209 average so they could enter the new division and dominate brackets and get a good check.

This rule addresses that as well.  Unless you are willing to sandbag at league and at nationals for 3 straight years, you are going to bowl in the correct division for your average.  And since it wasn't announced until now, it cannot happen in Vegas.  If any average over the last 3 years or your sport adjusted average from Nationals is 210 or higher, you are going to Division 1.

No one is going to be able to sangbag into a lower division for 3 years.

The "true" middle division bowlers will actually be the ones that deserve to be there.