Handicap vs Scratch

[Tony]

I love it too, however realistically I see two problems with setting up leagues like this with too many different cap levels:

1. It would limit the social aspect of bowling together to bowlers with similar averages.
2. It would limit the size of leagues, and since many leagues are put totally into the hands of the league secretary who gets paid for his/her services based on the number of bowlers in the league, it probably wouldn't go over too well with them.

I would certainly agree with 1, the team I am on and quite a few of the teams in the league have a range of bowling averages. My team has a 200 avg 180, 160 and 140 bowler, I've bowled with the one fellow 20 years, and known the other 2 30, and 10 years and we just have a good time even when we are not having a great game! We have several teams with brothers, fathers and sons and various relatives like that that have disparate averages.
I can see a place for leagues like this for the right group and I might even be tempted to join but it wouldn't replace the league with my buddies.

[HowDoIHookAgain]

Handicap is a really good idea in my opinion, because you're giving not-so-great bowlers a chance to compete against pros and more consistent bowlers. It's more for leagues where you have kids, or adults who just want to have a good time and not have crazy competition.

The problem occurs when 1 of a few things happen.
1. The bowler/team getting handicap goes above their average. Not only does the non-handicap bowler/team have to shoot better to compete with their better-than-average game, but they also have to fight the handicap.
2. Both bowlers/teams have an off-game, or shoot their average. The handicap bowler/team will win this because they have the handicap to push them over the non-handicap bowler/team.
3. The non-handicap bowler/team will most likely have to shoot above their average no matter what to catch up with the handicap bowler/team.

As I said above, handicap is more for leagues that aren't as competitive (no money involved, people who want to have a fun time, kids, etc.). My father and I bowl in a league with handicap, and some teams are getting 100+ handicap to us (combined average around 370), so you can see how much of an issue this can be become when one of us has an off game. But, it's fun nonetheless, and I think the handicap helps push me to do better anyways.

Is it my favorite thing in the bowling world? Hell no, my favorite thing would probably be watching someone slide on the approach and fall on the lanes, and get a strike. But again, it does add an extra level of competitiveness for the people not getting handicap. If you can maintain a 220+ average, you can beat someone with a 130 average and 90 pins handicap, hypothetically speaking.

[fortheloveofbowling]

Most of the scratch leagues around here have a cap to discourage loaded teams. That really hurts the amount of teams signing up unless that is in place. Also, that gives a chance to some guys or gals in the 170-200 range to bowl with and against better players. Being able to witness and talk to others in regards to their lane play and thought process is a big help for those level players in the development of their games.

[RobLV1]

Handicap is a really good idea in my opinion, because you're giving not-so-great bowlers a chance to compete against pros and more consistent bowlers. It's more for leagues where you have kids, or adults who just want to have a good time and not have crazy competition.

The problem occurs when 1 of a few things happen.
1. The bowler/team getting handicap goes above their average. Not only does the non-handicap bowler/team have to shoot better to compete with their better-than-average game, but they also have to fight the handicap.
2. Both bowlers/teams have an off-game, or shoot their average. The handicap bowler/team will win this because they have the handicap to push them over the non-handicap bowler/team.
3. The non-handicap bowler/team will most likely have to shoot above their average no matter what to catch up with the handicap bowler/team.

As I said above, handicap is more for leagues that aren't as competitive (no money involved, people who want to have a fun time, kids, etc.). My father and I bowl in a league with handicap, and some teams are getting 100+ handicap to us (combined average around 370), so you can see how much of an issue this can be become when one of us has an off game. But, it's fun nonetheless, and I think the handicap helps push me to do better anyways.

Is it my favorite thing in the bowling world? Hell no, my favorite thing would probably be watching someone slide on the approach and fall on the lanes, and get a strike. But again, it does add an extra level of competitiveness for the people not getting handicap. If you can maintain a 220+ average, you can beat someone with a 130 average and 90 pins handicap, hypothetically speaking.

The team with higher averages and less handicap has a huge advantage over the team with lower averages and more handicap. Let's look at your example #2. If a league has a handicap system that is based on 90% of 220, and one team with four bowlers with 200 averages all bowl their average against another team of 150 bowlers, who also bowl their averages, the team with the four 200 bowlers will win by 20 pins (200 x 4 + 72 = 872, vs 150 x 4 + 252 = 852). At one point the USBC did a study and found that it would take a handicap of 116% (don't remember the exact figure, but this is close) to make handicaps truly equitable between higher average bowlers and lower average bowlers. This is why it makes me so crazy to hear high average bowlers whine because they have to give away so many pins. In fact, the more pins they have to give away, the greater their chances are of winning, unless they are so busy feeling sorry for themselves that they forget to bowl.

[Aslan]

Most of the scratch leagues around here have a cap to discourage loaded teams. That really hurts the amount of teams signing up unless that is in place. Also, that gives a chance to some guys or gals in the 170-200 range to bowl with and against better players. Being able to witness and talk to others in regards to their lane play and thought process is a big help for those level players in the development of their games.

I wish the sport league I was in had a cap. Both times I was in the league it was kinda pointless because I averaged 149 but if I didn't show up the team would get 160 for my vacant spot. If you had 3 guys that averaged around 200 (on a sport shot)…your team almost always won.

[Mike White]

I wish the sport league I was in had a cap. Both times I was in the league it was kinda pointless because I averaged 149 but if I didn't show up the team would get 160 for my vacant spot. If you had 3 guys that averaged around 200 (on a sport shot)…your team almost always won.

Thats not how it worked. If you didn't have a 3rd person on the team, you got 160, if someone was absent, you got avg-10.

[Tony]

The team with higher averages and less handicap has a huge advantage over the team with lower averages and more handicap. Let's look at your example #2. If a league has a handicap system that is based on 90% of 220, and one team with four bowlers with 200 averages all bowl their average against another team of 150 bowlers, who also bowl their averages, the team with the four 200 bowlers will win by 20 pins (200 x 4 + 72 = 872, vs 150 x 4 + 252 = 852). At one point the USBC did a study and found that it would take a handicap of 116% (don't remember the exact figure, but this is close) to make handicaps truly equitable between higher average bowlers and lower average bowlers. This is why it makes me so crazy to hear high average bowlers whine because they have to give away so many pins. In fact, the more pins they have to give away, the greater their chances are of winning, unless they are so busy feeling sorry for themselves that they forget to bowl.

My team bowls in a League with 100% of 220 and the top two average / low handicap teams are 2nd and 10th spots in the standings, my team with one of the highest handicaps is in 3rd place another higher handicap team is in first. FYI our team has finished in the top 3 every year for the past 5 years with different players and different handicaps but we have always been in the top third of teams getting handicap. We have battled the top average team for the league championship for 2 of the last 3 years and beat them once. We used to use a 90% of 210, 215 before we adopted the 100 % of 215 and now 100% of 220, 5 years ago and that has seemed to reverse the statistics and make it somewhat closer. For our league we wanted to make it more competitive and this move to a 100% handicap did make a difference.
In the example with 4 -150 average bowlers vs 4-200 average bowlers (100% of 220) shooting their average you would have a tie, the exception would be if you have bowlers with an average above 220, we have 5 out of 16 teams so it hasn't been making a big impact since they are all on different teams, should we get a few on one team we would have to make a change to keep it competitive.

[Mike White]

My team bowls in a League with 100% of 220 and the top two average / low handicap teams are 2nd and 10th spots in the standings, my team with one of the highest handicaps is in 3rd place another higher handicap team is in first. FYI our team has finished in the top 3 every year for the past 5 years with different players and different handicaps but we have always been in the top third of teams getting handicap. We have battled the top average team for the league championship for 2 of the last 3 years and beat them once. We used to use a 90% of 210, 215 before we adopted the 100 % of 215 and now 100% of 220, 5 years ago and that has seemed to reverse the statistics and make it somewhat closer. For our league we wanted to make it more competitive and this move to a 100% handicap did make a difference.
In the example with 4 -150 average bowlers vs 4-200 average bowlers (100% of 220) shooting their average you would have a tie, the exception would be if you have bowlers with an average above 220, we have 5 out of 16 teams so it hasn't been making a big impact since they are all on different teams, should we get a few on one team we would have to make a change to keep it competitive.

If you want every team to have a 50% chance of winning each game, bowl your game, then at the end, flip a coin to see which team wins.

The higher the % of handicap, the easier it is to manipulate the system.

With lower % handicap, the higher average bowlers have an advantage, but in theory, it's an earned advantage.

It gives the lower average bowler an incentive to go out and practice to become better.

[Tony]

If you want every team to have a 50% chance of winning each game, bowl your game, then at the end, flip a coin to see which team wins.

The higher the % of handicap, the easier it is to manipulate the system.

With lower % handicap, the higher average bowlers have an advantage, but in theory, it's an earned advantage.

It gives the lower average bowler an incentive to go out and practice to become better.

Certainly it's the Yin and Yang effect, the higher average bowler vs the lower average bowler, I'd prefer the challenge of bowling above my average in order to have a better chance to win vs the coin flip but that's just me We must consider the motivation of the house in all this, if the lower avg bowlers and teams lose consistently what percentage takes it as a challenge and what percentage just quits because it's no fun to lose all the time. The demise of bowling can be all but insured without a system of some sort that will allow lower skilled players to have a chance at winning while they apply themselves to learning the game. If you have any doubt, look around, leagues are dropping players and teams consistently and the industry is hurting. If ways are not found to encourage and reverse this trend more bowling centers will close. I understand that it makes sense that the more highly skilled player has a better chance to win and we see that in the scratch and higher level leagues but those leagues alone will not support the industry.

[Mike White]

Certainly it's the Yin and Yang effect, the higher average bowler vs the lower average bowler, I'd prefer the challenge of bowling above my average in order to have a better chance to win vs the coin flip but that's just me We must consider the motivation of the house in all this, if the lower avg bowlers and teams lose consistently what percentage takes it as a challenge and what percentage just quits because it's no fun to lose all the time. The demise of bowling can be all but insured without a system of some sort that will allow lower skilled players to have a chance at winning while they apply themselves to learning the game. If you have any doubt, look around, leagues are dropping players and teams consistently and the industry is hurting. If ways are not found to encourage and reverse this trend more bowling centers will close. I understand that it makes sense that the more highly skilled player has a better chance to win and we see that in the scratch and higher level leagues but those leagues alone will not support the industry.

This may come to you as a bit of a surprise, but bowling doesn't support the industry.

Bowling is just a reason for people to come in and eat, and drink.

Snack Bar, and Liquor Bar are the prime profit sources at a bowling center.

Lineage is a distant 3rd.