I hate tournaments

[ghoul31]

But bowling is a dying sport

How are you supposed to grow the game if every alley has 20 lanes open all day , but doesn't let anyone use them?

[bowl1820]

But bowling is a dying sport

How are you supposed to grow the game if every alley has 20 lanes open all day , but doesn't let anyone use them?

Every alley doesn't have 20 lanes open all day. State tournaments happen only once a year and most of the time rotate around to different houses each year.

So just find the next best deal there or at another house or another night and when the tournament is done go back.

[e-tank]

That's a loaded question because you don't know if handicap is used the lane conditions or format. The last few tourneys I've bowled the best average didn't win and they were scratch events. The reason was due to format top 8 do brackets so the best average doesn't always win. Average only matter when handicap is involved if you are in a scratch event best that day cashes. Consistency matters hit you mark, make every spare, know your best ball layouts for lane conditions. If you count every strike as a good throw you will be destroyed in any event with capable bowlers on any pattern. You will be amazed when a great bowler locks into their line and makes rows of X's when you are squirting balls everywhere (3 board misses is all it takes).

As for state the score to win varies depending on the venue(s). In my state this year the scores will be well over 800 in singles and doubles close to the current record 1575 because the location and what bowlers live in my state. Team maybe over 3700 and all-events 2300. For me I've only thrown 700+ in that house 2 times this year but I'm proud of the guys I setup for team and doubles.

haha yea i kinda figured it was a loaded question but i was looking for a generalized statement. I had no idea there were a ton of different formats for tournaments so i guess there really is no way to get a generalized statement as a wanted.

[SouthpawTRK]

If there are any AMF centers in your area, they always have some kind of special that runs during the week/weekend. They would be your best bet in regards to being able to practice a lot for not a lot of money. If you don't have an AMF near you, I'm sure that there are bowling centers that have specials during the weekday; probably either early morning or later in the evening.

While it can be frustrating to not be able to bowl when you want due to tournaments and/or league; it's part of how bowling centers make their income and also to grow the sport.

Eventually, there could be a day when you want to either join a league or enter a tournament; at that point the shoe might be on the other foot. You may be glad that there is not some bowling next to you that is having fun, but pays no never mind to bowling etiquette.

You should consider joining a league; even if you just started; it's a lot of fun and a great way to help the sport grow. An added plus is that you can receive league discounts for bowling fees; a great way to not only save some money, but become more familiar with the lanes you bowl at.

[ghoul31]

While it can be frustrating to not be able to bowl when you want due to tournaments and/or league; it's part of how bowling centers make their income and also to grow the sport.

I can see leaving one lane open as a buffer between leagues/tournaments and open bowlers. But 15 lanes?

I remember when I was younger, me and my friends would go to a bowling alley, and they never seemed to have open bowling, and yet there were always 15 empty lanes.
And it always pissed me off. And eventually we stopped trying to bowl.

It makes bowling very casual unfriendly. How does that grow the sport?

If you have a 45 lane alley and are only allowed to use 30 lanes, then why not just build a 30 lane alley?
But I guess then you would only be allowed to use 15 lanes.

Because having 15 lanes that you are never allowed to use grows the sport?

[striker12]

well the one thing that happens here where i live but i dont bowl here no more they will have a league and have 10 lanes open and they say those lanes are for the league when there lanes break down umm thats gives you a idea that the bowling alley is junk if they need that many lanes for broken lanes.

[ShortChanged]

I bowl in tournaments as often as I can. It's not so bad! Though I can understand your frustrations...

[billf]

It's no different then when a company or organization rents the alley and then doesn't have the turn out they had hoped for. The lanes go unused. It's at the discretion to who paid for the lanes. Just as you could rent two or more lanes when you go bowling and then they wouldn't be able to rent them out then either.

As for entering a tournament without much experience, there use to be many times Derrick and myself would be left without a doubles partner (no call, no show). We would need our pins to count towards the all events category but would have to forfeit. Now we are doubles partners so it doesn't happen. We also bowl two teams of league together. But in a case like we had, we wouldn't care if you bowled a 50. It sucks paying the entry fee and having to not only forfeit a section of the event but then knowing it's impossible to place in another.

[billf]

just out of curiosity, i saw you post a couple days ago about how your average was 224 in a tourney. Would you say having an average that high is normal to pull out a win? im aware every tourney is different and have different skilled people but im just talking on a normal basis.

Usuall, like this past weekend, 224 won't cut it to win. Most of the handicap tournaments around here are 80% of 220. This past one was 90% of 220. I got no pins. A sandbagger came in, rolled a 690 his first three games and got 120 pins in handicap. That actually beat the guy who averaged 260. We all made that cut but the sandbagger won the whole thing. He didn't roll a single game under 220 all day. I usually place high enough to place in the payouts.

Scratch tournaments, I'm not good enough....yet. There was one tournament that in match play I lost 279-289. Placement of the spare was the difference.

Either way, I bowl all the tournaments I can. It's to the point where I don't feel any nerves or out of place anywhere I'm at. Much different than the first time I bowled away from my home center.

[GeoLes]

Here's the scenario: You have signed up for tournament and just before you bowl you realize that there is some clown who does not know what he is doing on the adjacent lane distracting you while you have money riding on your performance. I hate not-tournament bowlers.

Lanes make big $$$$ holding tournaments. Consider your lucky to be able to bowl. While at it, I would watch them bowl and see what I can learn.