Bowling Leagues
If you are new to the game and are interested in learning more about bowling leagues, we can share some information with you about leagues in hopes of spurring you to join a league very soon. Anyone from beginning, advanced, and highly skilled bowlers can join a league and enjoy the competition.
People of all ages can enjoy and benefit from participating in a bowling league where you can socialize with friends, teammates, and compete for prizes and for bragging rights as well.
Leagues provide social stimulation as well as a competitive team spirit. League bowling can be a very special part of the entire bowling experience. It can be a great way to relax, unwind, have fun with others, and help relieve the pressures of everyday life.
Watching new bowlers enjoy the thrill of getting that strike, advanced bowlers logging another two hundred game, or top notch bowlers threatening the coveted perfect 300 game, can provide very pleasant and lasting memories.
There are many different types of leagues available to suit adult bowlers. You can bowl in mixed leagues with men and women together. Most mixed leagues are handicap leagues which provide each bowler added pins to their individual score each game so everyone has an equal opportunity to win.
You can select scratch leagues (no handicap pins given) where the the areas top players test their skills against one another to stay sharp and satisfy their competitive juices.
Other types of leagues include youth, adult and youth, all men, all women, senior citizens, and , of course, mixed leagues with groups with men and women bowling together on every team.
Times for bowling leagues can be during the day, mornings, afternoons, or evenings. Evening leagues can be early such as right after work or late at night.
Leagues can take place during the weekdays or on the weekends.
A person can join a league anytime during the year, but leagues that take place during the summer (May through June) or in the fall or winter (like August through May) usually offer the greatest variety of choices as far as types, days, times, and formats. Lengths of the bowling league seasons are determined by the starting date.
On an adult team there are usually 4 or 5 bowlers. On a youth league team there are about 3 or 4 bowlers per team.
Bowling leagues can be made up of people with different backgrounds and interests. Religious organizations, various companies, fraternal groups and many others form leagues.
The format of a league is usually 3 games, which take approximately two and half-hours for a traditional bowling league to complete play.
Many times league bowlers compete for individual and team awards such as plaques and trophies. Also, many leagues offer prize funds factored into the league fees each week which pays extra money at the end of the season.
Some leagues host a dinner or dance for the league members and their guests on the final day of the league schedule. Some organizational leagues will donate money to a charity that they represent.
Some people hold the mistaken belief that in order to participate in league bowling they must carry an average score of 180 or more. This simply is not true.
The national average for women league bowlers is about 140 and for men about 170. Anyone can join a league.
Joining leagues is an easy process. Start by contacting the
bowling center where you wish to bowl and ask for the league manager or coordinator to direct you to the right structure of league where you will fit in with other players based on experience and on skill levels.
If you are directed to a league where you think you can enjoy joining, the next step is to contact the league secretary and ask if there are any openings for you to form a team or join an existing team.
The league secretary can share information with you about the given league such as weekly league fees, how many weeks the league is scheduled, and what the prize fund structure will be at the end of the league.
The secretary will also help you purchase your league sanctioning card so you become an official member of the United States Bowling Association, the governing body for the sport of bowling.
By joining a league you will be part of the history of the great game of bowling and on your way to enjoyable days in the future.
