Selecting bowling alley for USBC sanctioned league

[Joany]

What are the requirements of a bowling alley proprietor in order to support a USBC sanctioned league? I was quite disappointed with the alley our league bowled in last season e.g. dirty, lack of sufficient lane conditioning, inexperience of alley personnel. For the fall season, our sanctioned league needs to evaluate two bowling alleys. The alley we bowled in last season is easily accessible for team members which is a plus. However, this cannot be the deciding factor. I know USBC requires inspection for sanctioned leagues, but on their site I didn't find a concise list of requirements. It's possible that some requirements do not apply to sanctioning, but to league preferences. Suggestions of what we should look for are appreciated. Being in a sanctioned league, what is acceptable for your league?

[Amyers]

USBC is more a set of rules for league play that are agreed to than the center actually guaranteeing any type of conditions. Wood lane centers have to have their lanes recertified on a yearly basis for lack of a better work flatness synthetics do not. Their are no requirements for putting out specific shots, cleanliness, or even proper functioning of the equipment. My suggestion is vote with your money if their is a center that you think offers better conditions go there.

[John Anderson]

From what I can find, being a USBC certified center basically means that the lanes, approach areas, pin setters, channels, ball returns, etc. all fall within the correct physical dimensions and are leveled properly. Additionally, the computer scoring and other equipment directly associated with throwing a ball down the lane works correctly.

That said, I'd expect all places I bowl at to meet the correct specs whether they are officially certified or not. I think all centers within 50+ miles of me are certified and have sanctioned leagues available.

As far as league preferences go, being USBC sanctioned just makes your average "official" per se and lets you bowl in USBC tournaments. There are no different requirements for a USBC league except for how it is supposed to be managed. Unless you are an officer, it makes almost no difference in terms of actually bowling. Lane conditions are not specified for any USBC league except for Sport leagues, in which case you would have to know the specific patterns being used.

[RobLV1]

As a former member of the Board of Directors for the local USBC Association, I can tell you that the only thing that was done each year was for the lanes at each center (all synthetic lanes) to be certified for levelness. While variations are often found, very few are severe enough to require repair before passing certification.

[Joany]

Thanks all for your response. Looks like I was expecting too much as a sanctioned league. "Required" conditions of the bowling alley presents a dispute among league members. It would have been good if I could have presented a list of USBC requirements - some of our requirements alone just won't do. Couple more weeks before the vote. Yikes!