I've been bowling for almost 8 years now, no 800 for me.  I don't consider myself "good" either.  It depends on how you define good really.  But people have good days.  I do have a couple 300s and about 5 700s.  Some people get the hang of things faster than others.  Good coaching will get you better faster.

"Good" is subjective. I would say a person is "good" if they're reasonable range of their house's all-men's or all-women's average, whichever applies. If you're able to replicate your game in different houses and on different shots, you go up from good to very good and then some. I would say the vast majority of people on this site are probably "very good" or higher.

It took me eight years of bowling to get above my house's all-men's average. From there, I stair-stepped up pretty quickly to my current level, then leveled off when my work schedule cut into my practice time and I hurt my wrist. But if I had unlimited time, I still wouldn't be able to advance much further, as I'm reaching the tap-out limit on my talent. I won't ever be "great" or "elite."

What you'll find as you get better is that you're more likely to advance in steps than on a steady incline. You may hang out at, say, 160 for a couple of years, then all of a sudden jump 10 or 20 pins in average, stay there for awhile, then jump again.

Most of all, welcome to the sport. It's a sport that's easy to get hooked into and most of the people involved in it are great folks.

Jess

I have been bowling for a little over 2 years now. I would consider myself to be good. I bowl in two different house and maintain a 190+ average in both, and I have had 3 700's in the last year, and more 600's than i could even keep track of. Not really trying to brag or anything. I think one of the reasons i have become "good" is because i am constantly practicing and  working on refining my game.

Roughly 4 years of taking it seriously to average over 200 consistently, took me less then 2 years to hit my first 7 with a 279/278/182, I totally skipped the 600's. Went from low to mid 500's to the 7 back down to mid 5's for a while, then the 6's started rolling in the next year with a few 7's thrown in.

I've been bowling for almost 10 years total now, my high avg on a wall of china is currently 227 for 40 something games at the easy house, 223 for 66 games at a different (harder) house. My PBAX average is in the john currently (159 or some crap..typical house hack, you betcha), but I've only gotten to bowl on each pattern twice in my life..so there is a bit of a learning curve on how to play the patterns, obviously. I bowled a hell of a lot better on them the 2nd time around, and also am starting to practice on them (when they DO lay them down..lazy sob's) for the upcoming spring/summer PBAX league in my area.

It definitely doesn't come easy to be consistent though..
--------------------
Big B > *

Edited on 3/19/2009 7:18 PM

I bowled off and on since I was a kid.  A few YABA leagues about 20 years ago.  Didn't bowl regularly until I started in the fall of 2002.  I averaged 128 that first season.  Took me about 3 years to pick up that first 600.  I think it was the fall of '06.  My first 278 was a little more than a year later.  Then two and a half more years to get my first 700 about two weeks ago.  

The highest I've ever averaged for a season is 181 and I'm down to 176 now.  I would hardly call myself a good bowler.  I'm looking to get back up to 185 next year.  I may never average 200 and I may never shoot an 800.  To get to 200 I'll need considerably more practice than I have time to put in, and probably a good bit of outside help.  Right now, I'm self-taught.

My USBC profile.

SH

It would be best to define good.  The national average is still around 170 or so.  So, anybody averging 190-200 on a wall shot is above average.  

I don't judge people on house shot scores.  Sorry, but I don't.  I watch mechanics, repeatability and how quickly that person can adjust.  I watch our house guys bowl tournaments and see how much their scores fall.  

I guess good is relative.  Good at bowling as a recreational game, there are many good "bowlers".  But, good at bowling as a sport, there are far less.

Instead of figjamming, I am going to give you some tips on how to progress.

First, you have to have some degree of natural talent.  I've seen a few bowlers that will never be "good" because of lack of natural talent.

If you have that talent, find someone that can help you with your approach, swing, and release.  Repeat these until your foot at the foul line is within 1/2", side to side, each time you slide (for the same starting position).  Mark your starting spot with your slide foot so you can compare to your finishing position at the foul line.

PRACTICE.  Bowl at least 25 - 30 games per week, including your league games.  When the pro's are working on their game they bowl 40+ games a day.  In your practice sessions, try different things.  Start with an extreme outside line, then work your way to an extreme inside line 3 boards at a time, staying on each change until you're hitting the pocket.  DO NOT WORRY ABOUT SCORE IN PRACTICE.  Use your first ball to shoot 10 and 7 pins, then your second ball to hit the pocket.  If your center will allow it, make a layer of two pieces of white adhesive tape, cut to 2" width - center the tape on your target board and practice hitting it.  By the time you can hit that 2" piece of tape 9 times out of 10 you will be well on your way to being "good".  --  JohnP