After three straight years of being held in Las Vegas, the Senior Masters is currently underway in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Entries went down from 310 last year to 194 this year. I figured participation would take a hit, but not to this level.
 
Moving forward, I'm guessing the USBC will think twice about scheduling the tournament in midwest outposts. Too much potential revenue is being lost.

Off topic slightly:  I'm so excited for Vegas in 2017

Quote from: Good Times Good Times on July 30, 2015, 09:03:34 AM

Off topic slightly:  I'm so excited for Vegas in 2017

 
Not entirely off topic. I believe the phenomena applies to any large scale USBC tournament. The Open Championship (Nationals) has a hard core following that will follow the tournament to any backwoods pit stop, but bowlers are becoming more discriminate. If they're going to invest significant time and money, they want a destination that offers more than just the bowling. Green Bay is showing that loud and clear.

Agreed. 

I went to Billings in 2002 and would have rather went to Antarctica. It was beautiful, but there was absolutely nothing to do there. I'm a huge hunter and the most exciting part of the trip was the herd of Elk that walked across our hotels parking lot...should have brought my bow! LOL...Being from the Midwest it will be nice to hit Reno next year after taking time off from the Nationals.

So with that said, what, on the whole, would define a place as a destination location? Tourist traps? something for the family to do? weather?

 
It's going to mean different things to different people, but in general, anything that's a significant draw besides bowling. BTW, you don't have to be into gambling to enjoy Vegas. My wife comes with me to the Vegas tournaments, and we usually take in a show, eat some good food, and enjoy the nightly freak show that is simply walking down different parts of the strip. 
 
BTW, here are the numbers in Albuquerque relative to Reno: 

2001, Reno, Nev., 16,104
2000, Albuquerque, N.M., 10,688
 
Again, the same story as the difference from Billings. The trend is clear. I don't know why the USBC considers locations that are almost guaranteed to result in at least a 30% drop in attendance. It's not like the organization is so flush with cash that money doesn't matter.

Steven,
    I think your numbers don't tell the whole story. In 2001, Reno was still "exciting". The National Bowling Stadium (NBS) was still a spectacle. It was only the 3rd time ever hosting the tournament. Reno, ever since 1995 when the NBS opened always saw a dramatic increase in entries. Let's look at a better picture:

2009, Las Vegas, Nev., 17,200
2008, Albuquerque, N.M., 12,615
2007, Reno, Nev., 16,235
2006, Corpus Christi, Texas, 12,606
2005, Baton Rouge, La., 13,222
2004, Reno, Nev., 16,585
2003, Knoxville, Tenn., 12,203
2002, Billings, Mont., 10,806
2001, Reno, Nev., 16,104
2000, Albuquerque, N.M., 10,688
1999, Syracuse, N.Y., 9,912
1998, Reno, Nev., 15,925
1997, Huntsville, Ala., 9,480
1996, Salt Lake City, Utah, 9,764
1995, Reno, Nev., 17,285

While I personally enjoyed Billings, played my very first game of Texas Hold 'em there (and got fleeced by the local establishment I believe, lol) I think this picture shows that Billings did stunt the growth slightly that year. Discounting the "Reno effect" (which at this time was a positive unlike the negative version we see now) you see a 7% growth from Syracuse to Albuquerque, but only a 1% growth in Billings. Then we see bigger increases leading up to the huge numbers in Vegas in 2009. I feel this was due to the fact that it was the first time in Vegas in a long time, and it provided people with a destination that offers a wide variety of entertainment options for the first time as well.

The other thing to consider is travel. How much does it cost to go to Vegas versus Billings, versus Green Bay? Many airlines run deals to Vegas where you can find airfare at rock-bottom prices. How many offer specials to Billings, to Green-Bay? My guess would be none. In the example of the USBC Senior Masters here, why would some of the fringe and lower level bowlers spend the extra dollars to fly to Green Bay instead of Vegas. Think about it from the perspective of the guys fighting for the last cash spot...go to Vegas on a cheap flight, bowl, enjoy entertainment even if I don't bowl well or...go to Green Bay, pay for an expensive flight, perception is there is nothing to do other then bowl, so if I bowl bad, not only am I out more money, I won't get to enjoy my time there (whether it's true or not). Now add in the fact that the PBA50 scene at the moment, has many, many of the PBA's greatest players active in it right now....just look at the final 5 from this tournament. Why spend the extra dollars to fly to Green Bay, to have an even smaller chance of doing well then in prior years with all the 50 year old HOF quality bowlers?

I think the USBC needs to look at places where there are many direct flights, where airlines may offer discounted fares, to hold these tournaments. It doesn't have to be Vegas, I am sure there are other cities most of the major airlines offer discounted flight to, and then look to find venues that can host events like this. I think you will still see decline over places like Vegas, but it may not be as severe.

JMHO

Jorge,
 
Your better numbers still tell the same overall story. The cities that are considered to be more in the "destination" category (Vegas, Reno, Baton Rouge) drew more entries. Not always a lot more, but enough not to dismiss the significance. Regardless of your justifications for the 2001 Reno bump, you can't ignore the much lower numbers in Billings the year before and Albuquerque the year after. The clear trend show that location matters.
 
As far as your analysis of the Senior Masters in Green Bay, the irony is that it was actually much easier to make the cut this year. Even with the year-to-year reduction in entries from 310 to 194, they still took 64 players to match play (and a guaranteed check) in the first cut. I see guys who were usually bottom third donators come close this year. I know a lot of the California Seniors who didn't go, and it had nothing to do with competitive fear. I don't believe the added cost of travel was an overriding factor either. It always came down to Green Bay. You're only bowling a few hours a day. You can only sit around and watch TV for so long. It's a big reason there were 44 California Seniors last year, and only 4 this year.
 
You can't ignore the desires of the West Coast bowling population and be surprise when participation takes a hit.