I've been looking forward to the winter leagues starting up again for a few weeks. But it's just always something, isn't it?

Started at a new house in a new league, and I was really looking forward to it. After soundly beating the team we bowled tonight every game, they pulled out the pencil at the end, went to work, and said they won every game. 100% handicap. Not 100% of 200, or 100% of 220. 100%, as in add up team A's new averages, add up team B's new averages, (the first week) and subtract the smaller from the larger, and THAT's the handicap.

I never heard of this. Every league I've ever been in was 80%, and I think one was 85% But this is this league's rule - 100%. I'm now thinking I don't want to go back to this league. What's the point of setting a high average if all I'm going to do is give away the entire difference to somebody with a lower average and get beat by it all the time? No matter how much better I am than somebody else, they get the whole difference handed to them and I now have to work that much extra harder, while they enjoy less room for error.

Now isn't it easier for someone with a 100 average to bowl 130 than it is for someone with a 200 average to bowl 230? A 100 average needs one stinking mark to make their average. And they have 10 opportunities to get one or more lucky breaks. A 200 average needs, what, 9 or 10 marks every game? Isn't that much less room for error?

I'm told this thinking is flawed, and to make things fair, handicap should actually be set at 110% I flat out don't see it. And I'm extremely angry that I wasn't told this going in. I probably would not have joined this league if I had been told this.

Has anyone ever heard of this?

It's always a good idea to attend league meetings where things like the handicap are discussed. I've heard of 100% handicap leagues, and 95% too. Around here, 90% is the most common.

While I agree with the notion that a scratch bowler has it within him or her to strike when necessary (they're a little better at the pressure aspect), I can safely say I'd never bowl a 100% hcp league let alone a 116% hcp league (USBC's claim of where fairness starts).

My feeling, even in an adult/jr league or kids league, is that leagues need to offer some incentive to bowlers to actually try and get better. A 100% handicap league really risks losing the higher average bowlers as some of those new bowlers get their own ball and shoes midyear, and start shooting numbers that no one can even come close to (ever seen a 316 or higher handicap game score?).

Good luck, but again, attendance at the league meeting would have saved you the heartache.

Where I live I don't have much choice for leagues. In the house I bowl in, there are only 5 people capable of averaging 180+, I being one of them. Both of the leagues I bowl in are going to 100%. Whatever, I don't care. If that's what it takes for some of these lazy sandbagging bowlers to stick around and have 10-12 teams instead of 6, fine. Most of these bowlers like no-tap so that has to give you an idea about their mentality. In one of the leagues, I sarcastically mentioned going to 1000% of 300 for handicap. It was met with a couple of chuckles and a lot of glares.

When I'm forking out $12/night per league and $7 is going to lineage, there isn't a lot coming back to me by year's end, so for me it's all about fun, personal motivation, and maintaining my focus for every ball. My incentive is to get 10 pins myself...by averaging 210.

If I had a choice to bowl in any league it would be scratch with a sport shot. Shoot, I wouldn't even mind 100% on a sport shot. I know most of the inflated average bowlers in my house would not like the "reality check" a sport shot would bring them, but I do love to bowl on a challenging, but fair, pattern.

Its like so many things in our society. Just call it WELFARE BOWLING. They feel entitiled to be made equal to someone else that works very hard at this game. I'd drop this league like a bad habit.

Erin

I don't get it, is it a "team" handicap? How does it adjust week to week? This does not seem fair at all!!

Welfare bowling. I like that term. That pretty much describes bowling in my area. The good bowlers suffer because the rest cry about losing night after night. One word: tough!

Depending on where you live, you might be able to find a better league, Broncobilly. If you like the people in the league, maybe you stick it out. I know that if I do not like the majority of people in the league (for whatever reasons - mainly sandbaggers, loudmouths, etc.), I usually find someplace else to bowl, or another league. It's worse when I don't like the majority of the league AND their scoring system (which has happened once). Ugh! Talk about major headaches.

Angel is right, though, you should've gone to the meeting. Fortunately, it's only one week so to up and quit wouldn't be too bad. Not much lost in terms of money, so you won't feel sick about it.

Yeah, it'll fluctuate depending on the averages of the two teams. Say Team A has a team average of 680 and Team B has a team average of 620, then the per game handicap is 60 pins (total handicap is 180). Next week, Team A's average rose to 700, and team C has a team average of 590. Now the per game handicap is 110 (total handicap is 330).

Essentially, it's not much different than adding up the per bowler handicaps of both sides and taking the difference (unless you have a bowler averaging over the handicap base).

Erin,

Part of the problem isn't with the lower average bowlers, I'm afraid. A good center has a "starters" league (might be short season, might have music playing, etc), and then leagues that get gradually more competitive, and hopefully some type of scratch or sport options.

Unfortunately, more and more centers are just dumping anyone who walks in the door into any night they have openings, and that causes the trouble.

All is not lost, though. At my center we're actively making the older teens aware of handicap, and how to make a league fair without it. Our matchpoint high school league is scratch matchpoints and a handicap team game (90% to 400, and no team averages 400). The individual bowler points are worth one point each, and the team game is worth 2. The real reason? While the kids all wanted to reward the higher averages and get better, some of them wanted to bring in friends that were not as good. Seems like a decent compromise coming from a bunch of kids We also offer an Adult/Jr that's hcp and a later one for the older (better) kids that's scratch. The sad thing is that some of them have to find a different adult to bowl with since Mom or Dad might not be able to keep up with the closer to duece averages.

My winter league just recently siwtched from 90% of 210 to 100% of 210 because of one bowler who's consistently hitting 230+. The rest of the league averages 200 and below. Supposedly it's supposed to make it more even for those who aren't scratch bowlers. However, your situation just sounds weird.

That would be a league that I would say no thank you to. As was mentioned above, we have a leage that is a "practice league" It is set up as a fun league with a high handicap & they get free practice games each week.