Amateur tournaments should be for amateurs.  I already know the PBA pros are better than me; I don't need to compete against them in a tournament to know this.

I'll compete against anyone, at any time, in any Center, on any pattern. However, when you have to shell out that much money for travel, dining, entry, shipping, and everything else, it's really hard to justify. I love competition, but let's face it, someone with a PBA card that bowls as often as they practice and compete on patterns, is going to be able to beat my best day with their mediocre day 90% of the time.

The USBC needs to go back to placing them in their own division like they used to be. And it's not crying about having to bowl with touring players. I don't want to bowl against people getting 70 pins a game handicap either.

I don’t think the USBC Open Championships is a mandatory tournament for members. If you do not like the rules do not bowl. If enough lesser players like yourself stop going maybe they will come up with a HDC version for you.

I don't know who that supposed to be aimed at but I have no issues bowling against Pros or anyone else for that matter.

Amateur tournaments should be for amateurs.  I already know the PBA pros are better than me; I don't need to compete against them in a tournament to know this.

The top amateurs are also better than you. Should they not be allowed to bowl?

As others have said, if you don't like the rules don't bowl in the tournament.

I bowled in a local house shot doubles no-tap tournament a few years ago.  A couple of regional PBA players came in and shot 1790 and won.  That was the last time I bowled in that tournament as I don't think that PBA players should be beating up on non-professional bowlers in a no-tap on a house shot.

A family member bowled in a state tournament last weekend.  Rules stated that teams could have no more than 2 PWBA members, and doubles could consist of only 1 PWBA member.  Seems like a reasonable rule.  No one that placed in the top 10 was a professional.

I think professionals should have their own tournaments, and amateurs should have their own.  If an amateur wants to bowl in a professional event, they can join the PBA, pay the membership fee, and give it a run.  If a pro reaches the point where they no longer want to bowl in pro events, they can cancel their pro membership and get back into amatuer events (after some sort of required waiting period.)

Arkansas? Now that's funny. 

I do always remember what a team mate told me the first time we bowled nationals back in the 70s.  He said you will be shocked how many great players are not or is and how many mediocre players are PBA members.

This is still true today. There are many good amateur bowlers who are not PBA members. I know a few people who are actually PBA members (as a status symbol/think they're better than they are) and have no shot in our local 8 gamers ran on challenge or sport.