The whole point of handicap is to encourage lower average bowlers to participate. Why would a 150 average bowler want to bowl 190+ average bowlers, contributing money every week, with no reasonable chance of getting any sort of return? Why would you, as a 170 average bowler, want to bowl with a bunch of deuce bowlers at a cost of $20+ a week just for what is essentially practice? While I agree that a 100% HCP would make it very difficult for you remember that the other team has such a low average because they are low average bowlers. The operative word is average. Sure they might occasionally have a super game, but on average they are not going to have anything remarkable. The main problem is that the higher average team sees the 100+ pins they're giving away and suffer a mental let down and don't bowl up to their own averages. If your team has a let down the week that the other team is on a roll that's just luck...for the other guys.

I waffle on this issue because, to me, it's all in how someone sees it, I guess. Personally, I don't care if the handicap's 100% of 200 or 80% of 250. You still have to try to knock down all 10 pins. Unless you have a sponsor putting in a grand or two into the league, you aren't going to take anything home at the end of the year, really. So essentially it's practice for 3 games at a reduced rate and you get a kickback at the end of the year. How you choose to approach those 3 games of practice at a reduced rate with a kickback at the end of the year is up to you.

You make your real money at tournaments and in brackets. League bowling, in this day and age, doesn't pay but peanuts, so just have fun and try to achieve your personal goals, especially if your choice of leagues is very thin, like mine is.

Great topic here that I've been perusing yet have waited to formulate a response until now as this topic has progressed.

Nu uh...no way will I participate in a league that is 100% h-cap.

To put it in a different perspective but yet still advocate for the better bowlers....last fall on my Thursday night mixed league, we were still 90% of 210. There was one particular team that was bad and I do mean bad. Highest average bowler on that team was @ 154 in the anchor position. We bowled them a couple of times as the lineup made it back around but in the first case at 90% of 210, my team was giving up 1,152 total for the set each time we bowled them. So in the light of 100% of (let's say for this year)220 if we had to do it this year (fortunately, they are not a returning team)that would be an additional 540 in addition to the 1,152 they would be getting for a total of 1,592 pins for the set or 530.67 sticks per game. Now tell me what is fair about that?

Personally, I think if there is going to be a handicap system, it needs to stay at the old 80% of 200. If it's anything above that...I say SCRATCH. I may not be able to hunt with the big dogs any more but I'm still in the pack and I say that if they want to be able to play with those big dogs, then improve and stop hiding behind such a large buffer just so they can be even with the better players. If they want to be even, then let them earn it like I have (at one time in my life) or like the many others that have dedicated themselves to improving to a level where they can be true equals rather than saying they are on a level field because they have to be GIVEN gifts of tons of sticks.

I will ashamedly admit that the averages that I have established this year only seem to be an indication of the fact that I am struggling badly rather than the proverbial sandbagging and I will also admit the shame of having a decent amount of h-cap on the 2 leagues I am on and I absolutely hang my head because of that and you can absolutely bet that if every league eventually goes to a 100% of....? whatever, then once again I will head straight into retirement and stay there permanently.

Cowboy, there was a guy in our company league last year on a team we bowled who had a 91 average. 91. He was not a sandbagger or a cheater, I know the guy, I work with him and I know for a fact that he was a beginner bowler who even still used a house ball. His scores would vary from week to week, depending on which ball he could find, etc. He was very erratic.

When we bowled his team, he caught fire that night. He bowled a 198 and a 201 against us. 91 average. He was more than 100 pins over for 2 out of his 3 games. Did he deserve to win? Certainly. But in a case like that, their team was going to win no matter what the handicap was, whether it was 100% or 80%.

My point is that is more common for a low average bowler to bowl significantly over their averages and that these bowlers will have wild swings in their scores very often.

I'd like to see a study of how many 50 pins over, 75 pins over and 100 pins over awards were given out by USBC last year, and what the averages were of the peopl ewho received those awards. I'd bet that not many are going to the higher average bowlers. Its always the 100-125 average bowlers who kill you with those kinds of games.

In the past year, I got just one award, and it was a triplicate award. 212, 212, 212. Just a patch, no money. I had one great night where I had exactly the right ball for the right condition at just the right time. And quite a bit of luck. Several Brooklyn strikes, etc. The bowling gods were smiling on me that night. Those games were only about 40 pins over my average, not enough to get a 50 pins over. One great week, then it was back to reality.

But think about that - 50 pins over for him is a 141. For me its 220. 75 pins over for him is 165. For me, its 245. 100 pins over for him is 191. For me, its a 270 game. Now who's more likely to do any of that?

I don't like handicap leagues either. I really dislike giving up 150 pins a game to bowlers that are lucky to stay behind the foul line and keep the ball on the lane. That having been said, when they bowl; 10 pins over and beat us it's because 1) our team didn't bowl our average and 2) we couldn't deal with adversity. My own feeling is that anytime a 120 bowler beats me it's my fault, not because of the handicap. I know how to bowl and I know how to read the lanes and adjust bwetter than the bowkler who doesn't know the difference between conventional grips and finger tip. If I lose there's no point in whining about how unfair the handicap was...it's my fault for not executing up to my own level.

Broncobilly
A 91 average can bowl 100 pins over average. A 210 bowler will never bowl 100 pins over. However, I would expect the 210 bowler to be more consistent in his games. This is still a game of averages, and the high/low spread for the 210 bowler should be tighter.

Of course, the 91 average bowler is the exception. The majority of bowlers are probably 140/160. But, they still can bowl 100 over. They also have a better chance of being 30 pins under, and maybe twice in a night.

"I would expect the 210 bowler to be more consistent in his games. This is still a game of averages, and the high/low spread for the 210 bowler should be tighter."

Yes, this is exactly the point I'm making. The higher average bowlers are going to be closer to their averages each game. The lower average bowlers are going to have more spread. And it is this spread that I'm saying virtually guarantees wins for the lower averages with 100% handicap.

Again, going back to my wife. 85 average. Bowls 62, 137 and 80. These are the kinds of wild swings these bowlers will have much of the time. The 137 is 52 pins over her average. Again, for me to match that, I need 222. I have to fill every frame and double at least twice. I'm not quite at that level to just be able to turn that off and on whenever I want. If I could, I'd average 222. What if I leave one split, miss one ten pin, or I can't manage to double twice? I have alot less room for error and alot more opportunity to fail. I will probably win the first and third games. But I am virtually guaranteed to lose the second game with 100% handicap, and hope not to lose total.

Plus, lower average bowlers can drastically improve quickly and have alot more room to do so. If my 91 average friend finally goes out and gets his own new ball, say in the 6th or 7th week of the league, he comes in with his 91 average and shoots 50 or more over his average every week until his new average finally catches up to him, which will take at least 4 or 5 weeks. Meanwhile, he's cleaning house.

100% handicap to me seems fine for beginnner leagues, or kids. Outside of that, I don't think its fair to the higher average teams. There are guaranteed losses built in.

I have no problem going to the highest average in a league (230 or 240), but I really think there's is absolutely no incentive to get better.

Of course, I'm more in favor of centers creating levels of leagues where they have introductory hcp leagues, then leagues with groups of higher averages (and higher maxes) and then low max scratch leagues and then higher max scratch leagues.

Of course, many centers don't have enough bowlers to do that, or they don't want to spend the time creating the cultures that encourage that type of competition.

Dennis,

I will disagree with one thing--a normal 91 average bowler is NEVER going to bowl 100 pins over their average. On the other hand, bowlers starting in the 170s and 180s can shoot much higher when everything starts clicking together.

Yes, there are sandbaggers, and the rare person that really improves, but I've seen the folks that average 91. They'll never shoot 100 pins over to get to the 400 series pin. That said, I know enough of what I'm doing to pop off a 650 or close to 700 when I'm paying attention.

The real answer is find a scratch league, even if it means driving further.

Angel,

I said a 91 bowler can (may be able to) bowl 100 pins over, and a 210 bowler cannot because one can only bowl 300 max.

I know a starter bowler who has an 88 average over the first 2 weeks of league play. He is a male, RH, and uses a 12 # house ball, sometimes straight, sometimes backup. He will bowl 100 pins over.

I know this because he was a walk-on to our league, and was placed on my team to fill a vacancy. Just as I was the week after. There is NO WAY I will let this fellow languish in the depths where his handicap is higher than his average. Now, I am not a qualified trainer, but I can teach enough of the basics to help him improve dramatically, if he wants to. I watched him, he is NO sandbagger.

I shot 650 and he bowled a 272 series last time. That is already an improvement to raise his average to 88. We didn't bowl last week, Labor Day, but I will approach him tomorrow night to see of his interest.

This is like a personal challenge now.