How do leagues usually set an average for a new bowler?

[Aslan]

My summer league used a system I hadn't seen before. I'm used to just taking the new guys average at the end of the first night and using that.
This league uses 185 for the first 3 weeks for a new male bowler, 165 for a new female bowler, while they establish an average.

I like that. If it were me, I'd use the following:
1) Established league; use the bowler's average from the previous season.
2) If a new bowler, use their last league average.
3) If never bowled there before, use the overall bowler's average from all of last season's leagues, male and female.

It would look like this:
1) Bob the Builder is back for his 7th season in this league....last season he finished with a 179 average....thats his average to start.
2) Jim-Bob McGillicutty is no stranger to the Lanes...but this is his first year in this league...so we're going to take his average from the most similar league he played in last season...186.
3) Suzie and Johnnie just moved here from Bumfluffle, Arkansas...and last season...the female average across all 7 leagues was 132 and the league average for men across all 7 leagues was 167...so Johnnie starts at 167 and Suzie starts at 132.

The disadvantage of using the first week's average is 3-fold:
1) It makes week 1 a "scratch week".
2) It makes week 2 almost a reverse of week 1. Worse the game you have week 1, more dominant you are in week 2. Better you are in week 1, more horrible you are in week 2.
3) SANDBAGGARIFIC!! It makes it SUPER easy to sandbag in week 1...throw a 120 or a 100...you're guaranteed to have 3-5 weeks of domination throwing in the 190s.

It makes for more work for the bowling alley staff...but it also cuts down on the "so and so sandbagged!" complaints.

[J Anderson]

The disadvantage of using the first week's average is 3-fold:
1) It makes week 1 a "scratch week".
2) It makes week 2 almost a reverse of week 1. Worse the game you have week 1, more dominant you are in week 2. Better you are in week 1, more horrible you are in week 2.
3) SANDBAGGARIFIC!! It makes it SUPER easy to sandbag in week 1...throw a 120 or a 100...you're guaranteed to have 3-5 weeks of domination throwing in the 190s.

It makes for more work for the bowling alley staff...but it also cuts down on the "so and so sandbagged!" complaints.

This does not make week one a "scratch week". That would mean the new bowler would get a zero handicap no matter what his three game average works out to be. Its always good to have a brand new bowler because you know at least one person on the team is going to hit their average that night.

[Aslan]

This does not make week one a "scratch week". That would mean the new bowler would get a zero handicap no matter what his three game average works out to be. Its always good to have a brand new bowler because you know at least one person on the team is going to hit their average that night.

I must be confused. I was thinking everyone sets their average in week 1. So therefore, there's no handicap in week 1...which makes it scratch. If you have 4 guys shooting 200...playing a team of 4 average bowlers with 165 averages...and each one scores a 185...they still lose. And to add insult to injury, they now have 185 averages to live up to. Meanwhile, those 200 average guys will probably spend the rest of the season with no pins being given to them...but they knew that going in. But for week 1...it was scratch...they won regardless of the other team playing much better than average.

Or...me being a newb...am I completely not understanding??

[Hampe]

Not sure how it is there, but here I think that if your handicap is determined by your result the first week, it gets added retroactively. For example, (with a 80% of 220 handicap) if you have no official handicap, and roll a 140 avg the first week, that would give you 64 handicap.....which would then get added to your result give you a 204 avg total for week 1.

I have no idea how official usbc leagues do it though....

[vdubtx]

Not sure how it is there, but here I think the if your handicap is determined by your result the first week, it gets added retroactively. For example, (with a 80% of 220 handicap) if you have no official handicap, and roll a 140 avg the first week, that would give you 64 handicap.....which would then get added to your result give you a 204 avg total for week 1.

I have no idea how official usbc leagues do it though....

USBC nor leagues do not look at averages with Handicap. Many leagues will keep track of Scratch and Handicap games and series, but for the most part a handicap game of 300+ is not regarded as anything other than a pat on the back and maybe an individual league award at end of season if the league structured the prize monies as such.

[bowl1820]

I must be confused. I was thinking everyone sets their average in week 1. So therefore, there's no handicap in week 1...which makes it scratch. If you have 4 guys shooting 200...playing a team of 4 average bowlers with 165 averages...and each one scores a 185...they still lose. And to add insult to injury, they now have 185 averages to live up to. Meanwhile, those 200 average guys will probably spend the rest of the season with no pins being given to them...but they knew that going in. But for week 1...it was scratch...they won regardless of the other team playing much better than average.

Or...me being a newb...am I completely not understanding??

On most leagues you have a "Entering average" and that's used to base handicaps on the first night.
(If it's a handicap league they must have handicap even for the first night, you can can't win with just scratch scores)

A lot of leagues will "hold" that average for the first nine games. then after that your current average will be used.

So if you come in with a 190 average, that's what handicap will be based on for the first 9 games(3 weeks).

Entering averages used on most (but not all) leagues are:

1-Last years league average if you bowled on that league.

2-If no last years league average, they use the highest book average (mostly only the local assoc. average, but some will use national average)

3-If a new bowler, then they establish the first night (and that average is used to figure hdcp. to determine wins and losses for that first night.)

Now some leagues will use a "composite average" which is a average of several averages, but there are very few that do that.

[Aslan]

Okay...thats what I was thinking. It just didn't make sense to me that a guy with a 210 average could walk in week 1 and throw a 180...then for the first 3-5 weeks get a ton of pins handicap. And if you didn't use past averages...week 1 would be scratch...which would be rather disappointing if your week 1 opponent is 3-time league champion "Bob's Wholesale Construction Boutique" with 4 bowlers that haven't bowled under 180 since 1990.