When someone extols the virtues of the USBC and them establishing and maintaining rules and everything else, nobody really understands that they just write stuff down and close their eyes and turn their backs.  The minimum 3 units is just so they can say they have a rule, because owners will put down a reasonable amount of oil anyway to protect their surface.  And even their lane certification requirements are a joke because all they really require is that you check boxes stating whether or not the centers meet the requirements, they don't require actual proof of lanes or oil patterns meeting specifications.  This is also one of the problems of house shots and handicap.  The handicap is inflated to match the inflated scores, and if you run into a problem like this, a 230 average guy won't average 230 or anything close to it, but the 180 average bowler isn't consistent enough to notice that big of a difference.  Just not a fun situation all the way around. 

Condition bowler gets upset when his favorite condition isn't there.  Move along folks, nothing to see here.

Quote from LGD: funny stuff here!!!
Condition bowler gets upset when his favorite condition isn't there.  Move along folks, nothing to see here.

+1

Truth is that the lane certification is totally different from what it use to be! I remember back in the day of taking all the pins out and weighing them. Measuring the flat gutters for the proper depth and inspecting the lanes. It use to be an ordeal to get certified. If somebody shot an honor score we use to run tapes and send them to get checked. A lot use to go into getting the lanes ready for the season and that's when it was ABC! Oh, we paid less in sanction fees back them and had more work involved! Did we get better with USBC? Oh and Zanatos, I do understand your problem and frustration, cause that's my problems with a lot of centers is not know what to expect with conditions! Just my $.02, Bruce

After I bowled my only 300 game in the summer of 1972 the center manager said he was going to go to the back and weigh the pins so he could replace any that were out of the weight spec before the association secretary got there to check them.  I never did ask if he had to replace any.  --  JohnP

I want to know is there a rule on lanes not being sanction or legal...

This past week I promise whoever ran the lanes screwed them up... The lane had no friction on the outside and nothing in the back... I understand the concept of making friction but my team doesnt understand that concept... The lanes did give some halfway through the 2 game but I was already pissed...  Later on I found out the dude who ran the lane wasted oil in the back and attempting to mop it up.. WTH..  I have seen more friction on NABI than last week...

You might say I am complaining and that might be true but is there on rule on this type of stuff - YES IT WAS AMF and it was position round....

This is a good question, as I only had 1 time in my 36 years of bowling where something similar happened.

In my situation, the lanes were stripped the night before, and oil was put out for the morning/midday senior leagues. All lanes afterwards were stripped again, but in the case of the pair I was on, the mechanic skipped our pair to accommodate lanes for a league that had a start time 30 minutes ahead of my league. He then went back to the pair right of ours, and missed ours completely that night.

I had spoken up about it to both the league secretary and president, which the latter was on my team. We then called out the manager of the alley about it, who insisted that he saw the mechanic oil them, but the mechanic owned up to it and said that he missed it and apologized.

Our problem was that while we were figuring this out, the opposing team's first two bowlers had completed their first frame. There was a rule in the books (I remember it being a USBC rule, but I'm having trouble finding it) stating that you can not alter the conditions of the lane once match/league play had started. Those first 2 bowlers entered league play, so we were stuck.

All the manager could do for us was refund the lineage fee for that night. It sucked more for me because I was 4 pins out from securing the last spot in that alley's AMF Pins Over Average tournament. The guy ahead of me didn't bowl that week, and that was the only league I had at that house. So I missed out on the finals thanks to the mechanic's screw up.

My point: I didn't complain about the lanes being run and were screwed up; my complaint was that my pair wasn't run at all. I adjusted as much as I could.. in fact, I was high man on that pair, at 573. Anchor bowler on the opposite team carried a 235 average at the time, and he didn't break 550. But definitely know your rules, use them when you need to, and most of all...

Bring equipment that you can use on ANY condition. The only reason I was at 573 and high man was because I brought my old Blue Hammer with me, even though I was still inside 20 at the arrows with it. If I had the time to run home and bring my Blue Pearl Hammer with me, I would have shot 650+ and had a shot at the tournament.

I have to agree with LGD, but I'll a step further. It's amazing how many people complain when their favuorite condition isn't there, but it's even more amazing how they only want their favourite condition with their favourite new, modern ball.

Like with New Recipe Coke; sometimes newer =/= better, or better suited to the condition.

BL.