Read between the lines here. The reason USBC is giving us 3 oz. is because it means LESS than the current rules that allowed extra holes. Am I upset? I actually don't care one iota.
It's their other ruling that prohibits the guy whose ball comes ball from the pinsetter with crap all over it from cleaning it with an APPROVED cleaner during play that has me baffled.
The USBC has clarified in the FAQ that there will be no Approved Anytime cleaners in 2019. If a bowler has a situation where a ball has marks or a substance that cannot be removed with a dry towel during sanctioned competition, they can consult with a league or tournament official about cleaning the ball with a cleaner on the approved list.
The biggest issue with the new specs will be with no thumb bowlers, and bowlers who don't use all finger holes all the time. There have already been words between bowlers at the local center. The no thumb guys think they will still be allowed "performance holes", and don't understand they cannot have anything other than finger holes. The bowlers that only put one finger in their ball to pick up spares don't get they cannot do that anymore either.
The local association has already started spreading the word, and the local center said they will be watching bowlers closely in the fall of 2020 to ensure compliance. They also said with 2 years notice there will be no excuse for sanctioned bowlers to not be in compliance. There will also be heavy reliance on PSOs to drill new equipment under the new rules and explain to customers what can and cannot be done.
At the end of the day this is going to be an absolute trainwreck, and there will be a lot of arguments the first few weeks of fall 2020 sanctioned leagues. If the USBC was smart, they would mail the FAQ to every sanctioned bowler from the past 3 seasons to the address on file. Communication is crucial for this type of change, and it hasn't been very well communicated so far.
