I think everybody's had those games or nights where everything is just working right, and whether you start really thinking about it or not, by even the 4th or 5th frame you know you've got a good possibility of getting them all. Then there are other nights where you feel just as good or better, but it's just not happening at the pins. Revzilla said it best about the matchups. Sometimes 300's just fall in your lap, and other times you've got to do some serious work. Yes, mine are all on house shots, but there are a few I really feel like I earned, and a few I'm almost embarassed about, then the rest are just kind of in the middle.

At the same time, the seemingly universal value that the majority of bowlers have given the number 300 is what everyone has the problem with. I know plenty of people who are insanely cocky about it, and view 300 as a sign they've arrived, despite any big 4 cavings or brooklyns it took to get them there. Those are the people nobody likes, those are the attitudes that people take issue with, and I think they combat that by being overaggressive with the "the game is too easy," argument. Or in other words, they fight a blanket value of a 300 with a blanket statement of all house shots are too easy.

Somebody said nobody averages 300 so it's not too easy, which is a pretty extreme statement. Averaging "perfection" wouldn't happen no matter how easy a game was, but the game being too easy should only in part be reflected by scores. There's still an awful lot that has to go right to get a 300 no matter how good you throw it. There are tons of physics involved, and it all has to work inside the same 12 frames at the right time. How many 300s would everyone have if they counted 12 strikes in a row ANYWHERE as a 300? Practice games? I've had practice 300s that were more difficult to get than some of my sanctioned ones.

At the same time, I think LGD probably has the best attitude of anybody about it. You can't control anybody else, you can't change their mind, or how they think. You know what's of value and what's not, and things have a way of evening out. Some little cocky bastard can plop one in and go around running his mouth, but if he does nothing else but donate in leagues and tournaments, what good is it? There was a kid here that shot one in high school practice a couple weeks ago, and boy he sure was quick on the trigger telling people how many he had now, but did it help him at all in their meet the following day? Not a bit, had a pretty mediocre day.

All in all, I've got a pretty different attitude about it now. It still won't quell the frustration of certain comments like, "Well now I've got a 300, I can put my name right up there with a bunch of other people, and I don't even practice or have all the fancy balls or anything," and "I don't need coaching, I have 300's, I know what I'm doing," and especially everybody who thinks that having 300s gives them a license to start coaching themselves. I get frustrated with the problems that type of thinking causes because I have to deal with them quite often. But at the end of the day, you can't "fix" everybody, you can't solve every problem, and there will still be ignorant people out there. Just have to do your best to wade through all of it and keep it from dragging you down.

Heck txbowler I may have bowled against you.

Primarily I bowled the Wednesday scratch league at Rose Bowl East.

I am always happy when someone gets their first particularly a long time bowler who might have given up.

And true some nights are just your night. I've seen guys throw Brooklyn's and back door strikes while shooting 300. Some have bragged they only had 3 Brooklyn's.

I had one summer where I matched up with the condition perfectly and did things I will never do again. It was easy to get to the hole and my carry percent had to be 90.

I haven't come close to that since and probably never will. And I sure don't think I'm as good as I scored that summer.

David,

I agree with your points.  The top 1% of the bowlers now can now get multiple 300s and for them it's just another game.

But for each of them, I have a friend who has bowled for 40 years and averaged as high as 217 and he is still looking for his first.

Pinbuster:  Bowled mainly at Northrock & West Acres.  Back when I was there, Northrock was the big Wed scratch league.  Craig & Jeff Jensen ran Rose Bowl West.  I bowled several tourneys at rose bowl East.

I don't think this is a yes or no question. I think every individual answers that question for himself or herself. Now, have the reactions to 300 changed? In most cases, yes. When I was growing up, the whole center would stop and get behind the pair to watch someone shoot 300. Now, in most leagues, you don't even know it happened until they make an announcement or you hear a larger-than-average cheer. To me, that's sad. It's become so commonplace in many centers that it doesn't even cause people to take notice. Still, it doesn't mean it isn't special, especially to the guy or gal shooting it. That's what it's all about. One of the things I like the most is watching someone actually get excited about a bowling achievement. About a month ago, an older guy in my league shot the first 700 of his life, and he was totally geeked about it. I loved it! That's what I miss in bowling. I miss people actually getting excited about things.

Has the value of a 4-minute mile gone down? Only to those athletes who have no problem running them, but nowadays most top shelf runners have no issue doing it.

Who cares?

It's all subjective, and if the bar moves higher as equipment, talent and knowledge increases (as it does in all sports) then a new bar must be set. In this case, 900, or just to beat the rest of the field.

I'm obviously not in the majority on this, but all this pants-wetting over the "special-ness" of a certain score is infantile.

I agree with Gene, that this is a question everyone must answer individually. The spectacle of watching a 300 has gone away, mainly because they do happen more often now. When I threw my first in 1986, it was one of those where the entire house was watching. Pretty intimidating for a 16 yr old. Now, you are lucky if the pairs next to you stop. But, that doesn't mean the value of them has gone down, at least not to me. I still see it as doing something pretty special. I have 28 300 games at this point in time. I have rolled them on house shots, in a collegiate tournament, in State and City tournaments. Each one to me is special. And now that I have gone a few years without one, I know the next one I get will be special too. Don't confuse the lack of the spectacle with a lack of being special.

I'm obviously not in the majority on this, but all this pants-wetting over the "special-ness" of a certain score is infantile.

It has nothing to do with the "special-ness" of the score, it has to do with the resulting attitudes.  It's like buying a 16 year old a brand new Mustang.  People are able to score much higher without really knowing what they're doing, but because it happened to them, all the sudden they're a pro, they're a coach, and they're an industry expert.  I find that to be a problem.  I do get the rest of your point though.  Golf has adjusted the challenge to the increase in technology though . . College bball has extended the 3 point line a couple times, major league baseball still uses wooden bats, etc.  Scratch golfing 30 years ago was par.  What is it now?  Par.  What was scratch bowling 30 years ago?  200.  Now?  220.  I don't think in any sport you should be able to do very good unless you know what you're doing.  Bowling is the only sport I can think of that requires no practice, just a bunch of area, a reactive ball, and speed and revs to be "perfect." 

HOWEVER, note the ALL CAPS.  I have no problem with where bowling is at . . I don't think recreational bowling should be brutally hard . . it's the perspectives and the attitudes though.  A kid shoots 300 on a wide open house shot and all the sudden thinks he's Chris Barnes.  Yeah, if he goes onto something tough he'll get a wake up call, but it's a rough wake up call because it's completely unexpected.  Not only do you find out you aren't as good as you think you are, you find out you aren't even close.  It's super deflating.  If there was better education and better parity, more people could enjoy the game more.  This site is a microcosm of bowling.  It's a bunch of bitter pissy people that aren't happy for one reason or another.  It's not even the scoring pace . . it's the lack of information and perspective and understanding. 

You're comparing golf at the highest level to league bowling. 

I play in a men's club with about 300 members that has golf tournaments every weekend.  The course isn't obsolete for any of us.