USBC doesn't realize the implications of what they are doing.  This is an attempt to regulate 2-handed bowlers.  They think two handers can put 2 weight holes in the ball and call one a thumb hole, regardless of where it is.

My argument is "SO freaking what".  What advantage does increasing the differential in a bowling ball do for them?  If nothing else it hurts them because their rev rate is SO dominate.  They don't need more performance out of a ball.  One handed bowlers have just as many exotic drill patterns; double thumb, motion hole, rico, USA, rev leverage, Danny Wiseman pattern and on and on and on.

If they are truly against two handed bowling, make a rule against it.  Don't use ball regulations to try and tip toe around it.

I would love to here JustRico chime in on this!!!!

I don't like having 3 sets of ball regs for different style bowlers.

If you throw it with a thumb, you follow ball spec A
If you throw without a thumb, then you follow ball spec B
If you throw without any fingers or thumbs, then you follow ball spec C

How can you be fair, if different style bowlers have to go by different ball specifications?. 

If there is no advantage to shifting the thumb hole as "some" two-handers do.  My question would be WHY do they do it??  There has to be some advantage no??

Well there's a theoretical advantage perhaps, whether it's realistic or applicable is a different story.  The last thing most two handers need is a more dynamic/earlier/sharper reaction, which is what I imagine would happen.  Or in other words, what they think is helping them may be hurting them because there's a misconception that a stronger ball reaction is better. 

If there is no advantage to shifting the thumb hole as "some" two-handers do.  My question would be WHY do they do it??  There has to be some advantage no??

Let's take Belmo for an example.  Some of his layouts the thumb is WAY right of his grip center line.  He NEVER uses his thumb (even on spares) so my question is why they choose to lay a ball like that if it doesn't do anything to help him.  Now I believe it won't hurt him at all perfromance wise, but with the knowledgable people he has in his corner, there HAS to be an advantage to layout his stuff like that.  If there weren't there would be no need to do it.  I mean it could be just as simple as they needed to get excess weight out to comply with the weight rules.  Or it could be to give him a ball roll you couldn't get with the "thumb" hole staright up and down his grip line.  Who Knows..

I don't know how many of you have ever been to a PBA tour stop, either bowling or just watching.

I would have to say the top 25 bowlers on the tour "most" of the time on any given pattern, hit the pocket 95% of the time.

It is not like watching league.

All of these guys are so good, they all have the pocket.

What they are seeking is carry.

Carry is the difference between TV show vs. just cashing.

At their level, they are looking for every conceivable advantage they can find. 

As you read in other posts, a lot of pros donate balls to the youth after a stop.  Well when they drilled up 10-20 that week looking for carry, they need to do something with them, as they start the process over again on the next stop.

And if a weird layout with someone calling an extra hole a "thumb" hole when in reality there is no freaking way they could put their thumb into it gives them carry (probably due to their talent), some jealous bowlers are going to fuss that it is because of the layout which a bowler who uses his thumb cannot duplicate.

It is sort of like the old plastic ball tournaments I used to bowl in the 90's.  As part of your entry fee, you were given a white dot.  You had to drill it over label.  Now it's just the talent of the bowler vs. the talent of the bowler.

No equipment advantage of any kind. 

Before this rule, true or not, it was being viewed as an equipment advantage.

I'm willing to bet there is not a single layout a 2-handed bowler can do that someone with a thumb couldn't duplicate and get the same performance numbers out of the ball.

Someone with the Blue Print software maybe able to confirm this.