what they told me was NO CLEANING THE BALL WITH A APPROVED BALL CLEANER AFTER THE FIRST BALL IS PUT IN PLAY, THAT GOES FOR THE TOWEL THAT YOU USED TO CLEAN WITH. you can use a new towel or shammy after first ball is put in play

You could go read the rule.  Seems a logical first step

Rule 18 – Bowling Ball - Altering Surface

While bowling in USBC competition, a bowling ball cannot:

a. Have the surface altered by the use of an abrasive.
b. Be cleaned with any liquid substance or cleaning agent.
c. Have any foreign material on it including, but not limited to, powder, rosin, marker or paint.

All bowling balls so altered or cleaned must be removed from the competition.

Note:     Should a foreign substance appear on the outer surface of a bowling ball which cannot  be removed with a dry towel, an approved cleaner may be used with consent from a league or tournament  office.


http://usbcongress.http.internapcdn.net/usbcongress/bowl/rulebook/2019-2020Rulebook.pdf


Edited to add USBC link.

7. If I take a ball out of my bag that I have not bowled with, can I clean it with an approved cleaner?

No, approved cleaners cannot be used once competition has begun. This rule applies to balls from a bowler’s bowling bag, locker or car, etc. We suggest you clean all your bowling balls prior to the start of competition.

8. What happens if a bowler uses a cleaner, abrasive, or puts a foreign substance on the ball?

If the bowler was not aware of the rule, the ball is removed from competition. The bowler also should be given an explanation of the rule. Conversely, if the bowler knows a ball cannot be cleaned, patted with rosin or powder or use an abrasive, the ball must be removed from competition and the games are subject to forfeiture. If there is a question as to whether a bowler knew the rule or not, the league board of directors makes the determination.

9.Can I pat my ball with rosin or powder if I wipe the ball before it is delivered?

No. Wiping the ball with a towel does not make the ball compliant to the rule. Patting a ball with a product is adding a foreign substance to the ball and cannot be done during competition. A product can only be applied to a bowler’s hand and not leave residue on the surface of the ball.

10. If my ball comes back with residue on it and I cannot clean it with my dry towel, rag or shammy, can I use an approved cleaner?

Yes, provided you get permission from a league officer or tournament official. If you clean your ball without prior permission, you may be asked to remove the ball from competition, and/or the games may be subject to forfeiture.

11. When I have permission to clean my ball, may I clean the entire ball?

Yes, you may clean the entire surface of a bowling ball or just the area needing to be cleaned.

12. I have a ball cleaner that has the USBC “Approved Anytime” logo on it. Can I still use the cleaner during competition?

No, the cleaner can no longer be used during competition.

13. I still see there are products with the USBC “Approved Anytime” logo on it. Why is that?

USBC communicated the rule change with bowling ball cleaner companies prior to the adoption of the rule changes to allow the companies to make the necessary adjustments to labeling and cycle through existing inventories. There will be USBC “Approved Anytime” products in the marketplace until inventories are depleted; however, these products cannot be used during competition.



Edited to clean up typos.

Well this came into play this past week in league.  One of the bowlers had some kind of goo or rubber all over the ball that would not come off with a dry towel.  We had to stop while he got approval for a league officer to clean the ball.  We were bowling on lane 29 and the league officers were on 2 and 5.  Whole process took about 15 to 20 minutes and we all had to wait while this went on.  A couple of other bowlers also had this problem but decided to just keep bowling even though the goo was in the track area and I feel sure it affected their shots.

IN MY OPINION THIS IS A STUPID RULE AND NEEDS TO BE CHANGED NOW.  It's the bowlers who pay fees that keep the USBC running.  Don't we at least have a say so in some of these rule changes?

I'm with you thedjs!! Another stupid ass rule, implemented by the king of USBC without input from the folks it directly affects!!

I wrote Chad and told him so as well!!! Of course, ZERO response from the coward!

I have no problem with the rule.

Clean your ball before or after competition if you want but not during.

And I'm tickled to death that nobody is throwing their rosin bags on the ball return covering the approaches and balls. Nationals haven't allowed that for years.

And if it takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk down 30 lanes...... well I'll just leave it at that.

In 45+ years of bowling I can count on one hand the times that some substance got on a ball that could not be removed with a dry towel.

This.  Exactly.

It is not a difficult rule to understand or abide by.

If your ball is getting covered in grease or goo regularly during bowling, the issue isn't the rule.  The issue is the house.  Go to the counter and/or manager and bring it to their attention so they can check the equipment and try and prevent it from happening continually.  If the equipment is working correctly, it will reduce the instances of having to get permission to get your ball cleaned with an approved cleaner.

It should never take 15-20 minutes to get a decision on whether a ball can get cleaned with a cleaner or not.  Now that the rule is in effect, there is no reason why the league president can't simply have a bottle of USBC listed approved cleaner and a microfiber towel at the ready.  Someone asks for approval, the president simply says, "sure, you can use this cleaner and this towel.  Clean the ball in front of me right here, right now.  If you don't want to use this cleaner and this towel, then you use a dry towel and clean the best you can.  Your choice."  Should take no more than 2 minutes. 

People also need to use common sense.  If your ball gets "dirty" after your first shot, just use the ball to pick up your spare and then go seek approval when it isn't your turn.  Let the rotation continue while you try to get your ball cleaned.  If you are trying to get your ball cleaned between your 1st and 2nd shots in the same frame, shame on you for making several others sit and wait.  You should be penalized for delay of game.

The USBC, at the both the local and national level, hosts meetings that can be attended by the general public.  Anyone who would like to go to the open meeting and voice their opinion is welcome to do so.  At the local level, the open meeting occurs at least once per year.  The interesting thing is the public session of our local association is rarely attended by more than a handful of people.  For all of the complaining that sanctioned bowlers do about the rules, they do not make efforts to get involved and voice their opinion to the people who can potentially help bring about some sort of change.

USBC National will accept input from any bowler throughout the year via Email or letter.  Contact them and let them know your thoughts on the rule.  If enough people reach out to them with some well written, compelling thoughts it may at the very least prompt them to re-evaluate the rule.

When you divide it all out, USBC sanctioning turns out to be approximately 40 CENTS per week for the entire year.  Contrary to popular belief, the USBC at both the local and national level work hard to make sure that bowlers have organized support to be able to participate in the sport they enjoy.  As members, we have a choice to actively contribute to their efforts or we accept their decisions and move on.  Life is too short to make so much out of this.

Wait until August 1, 2020 when the balance hole/extra hole rules go into effect.  Get your popcorn ready at the lanes, that is going to be really interesting to sit back and watch!

Quote from: Pinbuster on September 07, 2019, 06:32:57 PM

I have no problem with the rule.

Clean your ball before or after competition if you want but not during.

And I'm tickled to death that nobody is throwing their rosin bags on the ball return covering the approaches and balls. Nationals haven't allowed that for years.

And if it takes 15 to 20 minutes to walk down 30 lanes...... well I'll just leave it at that.

In 45+ years of bowling I can count on one hand the times that some substance got on a ball that could not be removed with a dry towel.

This.  Exactly.

It is not a difficult rule to understand or abide by.

If your ball is getting covered in grease or goo regularly during bowling, the issue isn't the rule.  The issue is the house.  Go to the counter and/or manager and bring it to their attention so they can check the equipment and try and prevent it from happening continually.  If the equipment is working correctly, it will reduce the instances of having to get permission to get your ball cleaned with an approved cleaner.

It should never take 15-20 minutes to get a decision on whether a ball can get cleaned with a cleaner or not.  Now that the rule is in effect, there is no reason why the league president can't simply have a bottle of USBC listed approved cleaner and a microfiber towel at the ready.  Someone asks for approval, the president simply says, "sure, you can use this cleaner and this towel.  Clean the ball in front of me right here, right now.  If you don't want to use this cleaner and this towel, then you use a dry towel and clean the best you can.  Your choice."  Should take no more than 2 minutes. 

People also need to use common sense.  If your ball gets "dirty" after your first shot, just use the ball to pick up your spare and then go seek approval when it isn't your turn.  Let the rotation continue while you try to get your ball cleaned.  If you are trying to get your ball cleaned between your 1st and 2nd shots in the same frame, shame on you for making several others sit and wait.  You should be penalized for delay of game.

The USBC, at the both the local and national level, hosts meetings that can be attended by the general public.  Anyone who would like to go to the open meeting and voice their opinion is welcome to do so.  At the local level, the open meeting occurs at least once per year.  The interesting thing is the public session of our local association is rarely attended by more than a handful of people.  For all of the complaining that sanctioned bowlers do about the rules, they do not make efforts to get involved and voice their opinion to the people who can potentially help bring about some sort of change.

USBC National will accept input from any bowler throughout the year via Email or letter.  Contact them and let them know your thoughts on the rule.  If enough people reach out to them with some well written, compelling thoughts it may at the very least prompt them to re-evaluate the rule.

When you divide it all out, USBC sanctioning turns out to be approximately 40 CENTS per week for the entire year.  Contrary to popular belief, the USBC at both the local and national level work hard to make sure that bowlers have organized support to be able to participate in the sport they enjoy.  As members, we have a choice to actively contribute to their efforts or we accept their decisions and move on.  Life is too short to make so much out of this.

Wait until August 1, 2020 when the balance hole/extra hole rules go into effect.  Get your popcorn ready at the lanes, that is going to be really interesting to sit back and watch!

All this sounds wonderful to you folks that have a choice of houses to choose from to play at!

A lot of us DON'T! In some towns there's one house and one house only! And this stuff with the goo happens all the time!

Guys still use rosin bags and throw them on top of balls as well as their personal cleaning pads or towels! This stuff continues to happen! Just because you're lucky enough that it doesn't happen to YOU, doesn't mean it suddenly disappears with this new rule!

To all you stand up guys that love the rule, kudos to YOU! I hate it!