great read

[rv driver]

Depends on the tournament/sponsor/association

PBA Tournaments often require a PBA card (>$$). USBC tournaments require some form of USBC membership dues (< $). ABTA and ABT and TNBA will often require you to join their association (< $). Local alley tournaments usually don't require a "membership" or dues or you to be sanctioned.

But the real disadvantage of being non-sanctioned is the average you take with you into handicap tournaments. For USBC tournaments, you NEED a book average OR sometimes they'll take a sanctioned league average. BUT...they will NOT take non-sanctioned averages. And if you bowl without a sanctioned average, you generally get 0 handicap or bowl in the highest division.

ABTA/ABT/TNBA generally also require some type of verified average. They are a little "looser"...and might except a non-sanctioned league sheet. I actually got annoyed at an ABTA tournament because one of the gals running it bowled with like a 165 average and I looked up her USBC book average and it was like 174. It seems to me that if you have a book, THAT should be used...not whatever you say your league average is.

So, the answer is, it varies. I've bowled in a USBC tournament and an ABTA tournament. The USBC ones are more strict and run better...it's more about the competition. The ABT/ABTA/TNBA are more about $$$ and sidepots and brackets and trying to win money/balls/bags...and the rules are more "lax". If you're a lower average bowler, the USBC tournaments will be better but you MUST have a USBC membership and be in a sanctioned league. If you're a 200+ scratch bowler...you might prefer the ABTA/ABT/TNBA where you can often make more money and the rules aren't as favorable to low average/handicap bowlers.

Thanks for the detailed info! But first I gotta get into a league. Before I compete with others, I've gotta get my mojo back and stop competing with my own burgeoning limitations that seem to have grown exponentially since I last bowled. Hopefully, by Fall 2015 (perhaps summer), I'll have sufficiently relearned the game and built some muscle memory to the point where I can concentrate on competition.

[Amyers]

Thanks for the detailed info! But first I gotta get into a league. Before I compete with others, I've gotta get my mojo back and stop competing with my own burgeoning limitations that seem to have grown exponentially since I last bowled. Hopefully, by Fall 2015 (perhaps summer), I'll have sufficiently relearned the game and built some muscle memory to the point where I can concentrate on competition.

There you go RV get out there and kick some a**

[rv driver]

There you go RV get out there and kick some a**

By 2016, I may fly out to Vegas and open a can of whupasp on Aslan and Iceman! And I may even use my old rubber ball to do it :-P (Thought I'd start practicing talking smack now.)

[Amyers]

By 2016, I may fly out to Vegas and open a can of whupasp on Aslan and Iceman! And I may even use my old rubber ball to do it :-P (Thought I'd start practicing talking smack now.)

Smacks only good if you can back it up one of these too is going to be wearing egg on their face. Where's Rob in all of this I haven't heard any smack from him at all. Is he preparing for defeat? Or just loading his guns?

[rv driver]

Smacks only good if you can back it up one of these too is going to be wearing egg on their face. Where's Rob in all of this I haven't heard any smack from him at all. Is he preparing for defeat? Or just loading his guns?

Some guys don't neeeeeed smack...

Anthony, Roth, Williams, Duke... Rob?