Author Topic: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers? (Read 2191 times)

txbowler · « **on:** September 16, 2008, 07:42:13 AM »

In my opinion - easy lane conditions and ball technology has not helped that many bowlers.

As a percentage, I'd venture that 85% of the bowlers in a house average under 200. Now in a high end league, that number is probably reversed.

And as a percentage, easy lane conditions and ball technology has only helped bowlers who probably averaged 185 and above before those changes.

That is less than 20% of the national bowling population.

But yet we complain that bowling is too easy. Why?

The majority of bowlers who bowl still are in awe of a 300. Why? They don't have one and never will.

The majority of bowlers cannot take advantage of a wall.

But yet, the posters on this forum all complain that too many bowlers have it too easy. Really? 80% of the people who bowl cannot take advantage of the "easy" conditions.

What is the problem? Why do the high average bowlers feel they should make it harder?

Why do the 20% feel that they should be given first priority over the 80% who cannot take advantage of the conditions they want to made harder. Are you that conceited?

Juggernaut · « **Reply #16 on:** September 17, 2008, 02:11:53 PM »

quote:
But with a little bit of work it is alot easier to get to a 200 average or a 300 game, hell look back a bit the scores being shot routinely in leagues were unheard of 20 years ago in league. I read in a bowling magazine that 27,000 300 games were shot in 06 that is a joke it can't be that easy. We complain that it is to easy because the equipment doesn't always favor the better bowler. Bowlers that can't take advantage of the wall should WORK at it! Remember this is a SPORT and a SPORT should be Difficult so if people struggle who cares because they should struggle, I struggle from time to time, you struggle from time to time, PBA Pros struggle from time to time because that is the nature of the SPORT!

Height average bowlers want it to be harder because they WORK at the SPORT and want a Challenge. You know it gets really boring going up their every week on the same shot with a mark 7 boards wide and shoot 7+ and the only thing that keeps you from 8+ is carry. And carry contests suck I say we should bowl like men and have a tough pattern that makes everyone work not a girls shot and that only makes a few people work at.
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MainzerPower

Mainzer, I agree with much of what you say, but bowling, I believe, has become separated into two distinct and very different factions.

On one side, you have the open/occasional/recreation side. It is a very large portion of the sport nowadays. In fact, there are quite a few center in recent times that have gotten completely away from league bowling and have gotten into family/recreational bowling by adding bowling to many other attractions as a secondary activity. Many people only exposure to "bowling" is when they go to a family recreation center for a party/birthday and find that the "recreation center" has bowling as one of the activities available. NO LEAGUES PERIOD at these places, only open bowling.

On the other side, you have the hard nosed, dedicated bowlers who will travel long distances just to bowl and couldn't care less about anything else but that. No pool or skee ball for them, no siree. They aren't "purists" so to speak, but they hold a reverence for the game and where it came from, and most don't like where it is going. Finding a true "bowling alley" is getting harder and harder to do, not to mention a center that will welcome leagues on an anytime basis. God forbid you want to bowl a league at 7:00p.m. on a Friday night, you would be cutting in on the houses "profit" night!

It has come to this. Bowling once was a SPORT, but had all the earmarks of a fun GAME, one that anybody could play at its most basic level. Thing is, there are MANY more who play it at its basic level, and to keep them interested ( read "make more profit" ) the proprietors "dumbed down" the SPORT to the point that, in the name of profit, that it became a GAME.

Soon, ball makers saw the opportunity to create a boon market by utilizing all the modern technology available. They weren't worried about the sport/game of bowling, only how big they could expand their bottom lines, so more and more balls flooded the market, each with its own brand of "high performance" technology designed to make bowling/scoring easier and easier for the less skilled players. Multiply that times the proprietors making house shots easier to retain their customers, and you can see the ever increasing, downward spiral that has happened to bowling.

Now, there are two distinct and separate sides. Those who want to COMPETE in the SPORT of bowling, and those who want to PLAY the GAME of bowling. The problem is, there is no magic "line of demarcation" to distinguish where one is supposed to stop and the other is supposed to start. And, I don't think the SPORT side could make it on its own anymore, not enough of us left, so we now NEED the recreational side, just to keep the sport going. That is where the problem comes, because, for the SPORT to survive, we must embrace the GAME, and that is a bitter pill for many of bowlings older participants.

Technology hasn't helped everyone. And, it has helped turn a SPORT into just a GAME in many ways.
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Edited on 9/17/2008 2:14 PM

EagleHunter · « **Reply #17 on:** September 17, 2008, 02:50:00 PM »

There is a problem with linking this issue to the recreation issue. Is it the glow bowling, birthday party having, open play bowler who supports the technology we are talking about? How many of your run-of-the-mill open bowlers come in with Dexters and a Black Widow? How many of them are really concerned about the condition of the lane?

The recreational bowler (not league bowler) often uses house equipment and complains about all "the grease on my ball." Has technology hurt them? Fill the house with nothing but balls from the 70s, and lay down a 25ft 1-to-1. Will they notice or complain? Nope. Will they shoot high scores? Nope, but they don't now either.

The issue is with the league bowlers. Proprietors don't put out easy shots for the recreational players (see above), only for leagues. Alledgedly that is what the league bowlers want. There is some agreement here though, that a majority of bowlers do not benefit from "the wall." So why then is it REALLY there?

txbowler · « **Reply #18 on:** September 17, 2008, 03:24:31 PM »

Because the 170-200 average bowler today was the 150-180 average bowler before and he wants to keep his new improved average. They still have never had an 300 and probably never will (exceptions will occur).

The new balls and house shots help the typical bowler to strike more.

But for the majority of bowlers, it does not get them to the level to compete with the true elite bowlers.

The needs of the many will outweigh the needs of the few.

Juggernaut · « **Reply #19 on:** September 17, 2008, 03:52:26 PM »

quote:
There is a problem with linking this issue to the recreation issue. Is it the glow bowling, birthday party having, open play bowler who supports the technology we are talking about?

No. But those occasional bowlers Do account for a large part of the open play that happens at a center. It also gives us/you a chance to invite them to take a larger part in it and perhaps join a league.

quote:
How many of your run-of-the-mill open bowlers come in with Dexters and a Black Widow? How many of them are really concerned about the condition of the lane?

Answer: Not many. But, that is where we get new league bowlers from. At least I think they come in from outside of bowling, having gotten their first taste of it from having bowled recreationally. Not so much pure open play bowlers, but those who can be talked into joining leagues and then want to compete.

quote:
The recreational bowler (not league bowler) often uses house equipment and complains about all "the grease on my ball." Has technology hurt them? Fill the house with nothing but balls from the 70s, and lay down a 25ft 1-to-1. Will they notice or complain? Nope. Will they shoot high scores? Nope, but they don't now either.

Partly my point. Bowling today is surviving due to people who enjoy the GAME, but have little knowledge or appreciation of the SPORT. Not enough competitive bowlers to keep it alive without the recreational side of the sport/game.

quote:
The issue is with the league bowlers. Proprietors don't put out easy shots for the recreational players (see above), only for leagues. Alledgedly that is what the league bowlers want. There is some agreement here though, that a majority of bowlers do not benefit from "the wall." So why then is it REALLY there?

Not what ALL league bowlers want, just the very large majority of them who have come over from the recreational side of the game. At its most common denominator, bowling is about how many you can knock over. Anything that increases the bowlers ability to knock them over, or decreases the difficulty of doing so, will be heralded by that majority and, most probably, followed by most proprietors in order to keep their business.
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mainzer · « **Reply #20 on:** September 17, 2008, 03:52:36 PM »

quote:
Because the 170-200 average bowler today was the 150-180 average bowler before and he wants to keep his new improved average. They still have never had an 300 and probably never will (exceptions will occur).

The new balls and house shots help the typical bowler to strike more.

But for the majority of bowlers, it does not get them to the level to compete with the true elite bowlers.

The needs of the many will outweigh the needs of the few.

Well then maybe they should work harder if they want to be better? You know football players bust their butts year around, as do Baseball and Basketball players, bowling is as much a sport as the ones I mentioned above. Also the ''majority'' of bowlers don't deserve to be at the same level as elite bowlers hence SPORT! If you want to be elite work at it if you wanna just another hack stay that, way but don't cry to me about it not being fair, and that I am to good, and you don't have a chance because that is what we have handicap for. As far as 300 goes well it is way to easy to shoot 300 cmon didn't you read my post over 27,000 in one season? Let me let you in on something. Years ago and even now 300 is a honor that only the BEST bowlers get not every wannabe should be getting one because the sport loses credibilty when some fool with 180 average fell backward into 300.

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MainzerPower

Gunny · « **Reply #21 on:** September 17, 2008, 04:02:09 PM »

quote:
Too add to that, a bowler can bowl for 1 year or maybe 2 and average 200. It took bowlers 5-10 years to reach that benchmark and some still never made it.

there's a few of them in my league. and its funny when i talk to them about adjusting and moving so many boards left or right. one fellow last week said he didnt care about boards, he just judges where to stand and throws. he says all that other bu1l is useless. oh yeah and he does avg 210. go figure...

mainzer · « **Reply #22 on:** September 17, 2008, 04:06:10 PM »

quote:
quote:
Too add to that, a bowler can bowl for 1 year or maybe 2 and average 200. It took bowlers 5-10 years to reach that benchmark and some still never made it.

there's a few of them in my league. and its funny when i talk to them about adjusting and moving so many boards left or right. one fellow last week said he didnt care about boards, he just judges where to stand and throws. he says all that other bu1l is useless. oh yeah and he does avg 210. go figure...

great point. txbowler let me ask you this. Some of the ''majority'' don't care about getting better so why should we try to make them better with equipment and eaiser shots? IMO if someone wants to get better they will if they don't they won't.
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MainzerPower

joegunn · « **Reply #23 on:** September 17, 2008, 04:26:26 PM »

In 2006-2007, there were 51,557 - 300 games shot. There were 2,608,279 USBC members. If every bowler was on a 4 person team that bowled 3 games a night for 30 weeks, that would be 938,980,440 games (2,608,279*4*3*30) to throw 51,557 - 300's...or .005491%. Suddenly, the game doesn't sound too easy...of course, 25 years ago there were 6 million bowlers and 12,000 - 300's shot a year. So did the game get easier? Yes...is it too easy? Who's to say? The people who shot the 300's or the ones who didn't.

EagleHunter · « **Reply #24 on:** September 17, 2008, 07:10:22 PM »

quote:
So did the game get easier? Yes...is it too easy? Who's to say? The people who shot the 300's or the ones who didn't.

I'll probably get flamed for this but who cares..."Who's to say?"

Bowlers who have accomplished things throughout their careers. Bowlers who have put up the time, effort, patience, money, etc., in order to IMPROVE their games with or WITHOUT the advances in technology. A bowler who over the course of a season would only see a minor drop in average (relatively speaking) when presented with various conditions requiring different lines of attack, different rolls, different speeds, different thinking, etc. Bowlers whose accomplishments do NOT involve ONLY a sheet of honor scores (or high averages) at the same house for their entire career.

These are the bowlers who have earned my respect, the respect of their peers, and often the respect of the bowling community.

Sorry if this offends some of you, but if you've managed to average 200+ after bowling for 3 years, have honor scores to show your "talent," then find yourself on something foreign (USBC Nationals perhaps) and often manage to score WAY below your vaunted average...you should have NO SAY. If you have put zero effort into improving your game, but complain that things should be easier or KEPT easier...you should have NO SAY.

To think that just because there are more of you means your opinions matter more, or that everything should cater to you...just ridiculous. Should we let beginning bowlers tell us how things should be run too? Or perhaps should those that have experience be the ones who get weighted input into things?

There is a reason that people making important decisions usually have experience to back them up. Do you want a Med student operating on you or the Chief of Surgery? Who do you want defending you...the kid right out of Law School or a veteran with a successful record?

Any choice is a gamble. But the odds are better if you go with experience.

rvmark · « **Reply #25 on:** September 17, 2008, 09:55:28 PM »

Quite honestly I am not on one side or the other of this issue. I will say that if you truly want the sport bowling to be all walled shots or all sport shots you are going to lead a miserable existence. I have seen this same issue hashed and rehashed time after time with some of the same people expressing the same opinions.

Has ball technology helped bowlers? Definitely.

Does a walled shot help bolwers? Definitely.

Does technology help better bowlers as well as ave bowlers? I think both benefit.

Do I think that we should disregard the opinions of the 85%? Their opinions still matter.

In the end you will either have to enjoy the leagues you bowl in whether tough or easy shots or you need to find one that better fits what you are looking for in bowling. I for one enjoy bowling and am looking forward to the fall leagues as well as PBA league next summer, I choose not to sweat the small stuff.

Sorry for the rambling just my thoughts after reading through this post.

Mark

Author Topic: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers? (Read 2191 times)

txbowler

Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

Juggernaut

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

EagleHunter

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

txbowler

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

Juggernaut

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

mainzer

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

Gunny

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

mainzer

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

joegunn

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

EagleHunter

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?

rvmark

Re: Do technology advances really help that many bowlers?