Should I Bowl in Tournaments?

There are many different ways to run a bowling tournament. The PBA runs their events one way, 40-Frame Game association runs their events another way, and many smaller tournament directors run their events in yet other ways. There is no set way to run a tournament, and any given format has its plusses and minuses, but all can be very successful if run the right way. Below is a list of the many different types of tournaments that are running today, along with a general description of how they run.

• Do you enjoy the competitive nature of bowling in a league against other teams?
• Do you enjoy watching the PBA Professionals compete every week on ESPN?
• Do you have aspirations of competing with the top professionals in the sport in front of a national televised audience?
• Do you like the idea of visiting different bowling alleys in your area, region or even throughout the country?
• Do you enjoy putting your skills to the test against other like skilled individuals in a high pressure “win or go home” environment and see how you stack up?

If you answered yes to any or all of these questions, then tournament bowling is definitely something you need to get involved in.

Tournament bowling is essentially the next level of competition beyond bowling in a league. Leagues, with few exceptions are essentially weekly gatherings with your friends in order to bowl a few games, have a few drinks, and have a good time for a couple hours. Tournaments however, are a step beyond that. Tournaments are where bowling stops being a recreational event and becomes a sport.

Bowling tournaments come in many different formats (see Tournament Formats) and several different levels of competition. The highest level of tournament competition today is the Professional Bowlers Association (PBA). At this level you will find the best of the best when it comes to the sport of bowling. If a condition is tough or easy, long or short, wet or dry, these bowlers know what they need to make the perfect shot.

The majority of tournaments on BowlingTourney.com contain tournaments that range from mostly mid-range level tournament competition to upper level very tough competition. If you are looking for mid-level tournament competition, then you would more than likely want to look at an event that has some sort of handicapping system in place. You will find that individual league averages are typically in the 170-200 range when bowling in handicap tournaments. The lane conditions in thes events are for the most part standard house shots, and nothing out of the ordinary from any league you may bowl in. Most scratch events are designed with the higher skilled bowlers in mind. No handicap is involved, and the competition levels are typically 200+ in league averages. Conditions in scratch tournaments can vary greatly. One tournament may offer a fairly standard league condition which will present itself with a high scoring pace. Another tournament may put out a sport shot style condition, which typically result in lower scores. Expect anything and everything in events like this.

Hopefully this will have given some insight on what tournament bowling is, and hopefully if you were on the fence about bowling in tournaments, this will help convince you to bowl. Tournaments are a great source for competition, and while you may or may not be successful in your first tournament venture, bowling is the only way to get better. If you have any comments on this article, or questions regarding bowling in tournaments, please contact us at info@bowlingtourney.com, and we will be more than happy to try to assist you.