Bowling league with handicap

[Jeraden]

I was looking at the rules for a local bowling league, and they explained the handicap system - which after googling I noticed is pretty much the standard handicap system for every bowling league. They are all based on everyone's average game score, so theoretically everyone is on an "even playing field". If I bowl a 150 average, I get a 50 handicap (to make 200). If some better bowler averages 180, he gets a 20 handicap.

So... what is the point of even being in a league then? Doesn't it end up being pretty much random as to who wins the league? Unless you continually improve every single week, your average is your average for a reason. So you are just as likely to bowl under it as you are to bowl over it. So winning a game seems to come down to which team randomly had more people over their average than under it. You can have a team of the crappiest bowlers in the world, but they can win the league just because they happened to bowl above their average more times.

 

[SlowSpyder]

Handicap leagues are not typically big money leagues, they're more about having fun. You are awarded for bowling above your average, really. It puts a 220 bowler in the same place as a 130 bowler... it's about who does better than their average that night more so than being about who is the better bowler overall.

 

[dullard]

1) Like SlowSpyder says, it is about fun. It allows anyone to bowl together and have a fun competition. A newcomer can bowl with an experienced friend.

2) If throughout the year, your team improves you win. If not, you lose. So in one way, it is a "most improved" competition. Ultimately, everyone's goal would then be to get an average above the cutoff. A goal of everyone improving is a nice goal to have.

3) Once you are at or above the cutoff you do get advantages. Suppose your average is 150 and you get a 50 point handicap. What if my average is 220? If you bowl your average (150 + 50 = 200) and I bowl my average (220), I win every time. The system thus ultimately awards improvement AND skill.

 

[bruceb]

Handicaps in leagues, are intended to equalize the scores among the teams. This makes it more equitable play. And of course, there is always the night when someone with a low average, say 130 or so, will end up shooting 160 or more at you. In theory, the team that is giving up pins, should be able to bowl enough to cover those pins and still win the match.

 

[bob4432]

handicaps are for the weak. seriously, how is this competitive? if you want to bowl for fun, get your friends together and go bowl, but in a league? sounds kind of retarded. "everybody wins"....blah, blah, blah

 

[Jeraden]

I understand it's about making it fun for everyone - as it's no fun going into a game knowing you have no chance of actually winning against superior bowlers, but it just seems too random to make a league around it. Most leagues/sports reward skill, and it seems a handicap system completely removes the importance of skill from the game. What prestige is there in winning a league when the results are predominately determined by luck? Given enough iterations, every team should end up stabilizing at a 50-50 w/l record.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Most leagues don't go 100% handicap off 200, they'll work off 80% or 90% of 220. A 200 average gets 80% of 20, that's 16 pins and if he shoots his average it's a 216. A 180 average gets 32 pins and if he shoots his average winds up with 212. So the better bowler has a slight advantage and the smart bowler has an even bigger advantage. A guy that knows he can average 200 should dump the first week and toss about a 480 series for a 160 average. The next week toss 510, then 540, then 570 etc so he's always scoring better than his current average and getting more pins. A person that does too well in the first few weeks spends the rest of the season hurting their team because their average continues to sink and they get fewer handicap pins than they really need.

 

[OUCaptain]

I understand it's about making it fun for everyone - as it's no fun going into a game knowing you have no chance of actually winning against superior bowlers, but it just seems too random to make a league around it. Most leagues/sports reward skill, and it seems a handicap system completely removes the importance of skill from the game. What prestige is there in winning a league when the results are predominately determined by luck? Given enough iterations, every team should end up stabilizing at a 50-50 w/l record.

It opens the game up to everybody. It removes any advantage to a shady team full of ringers. EVERYBODY can join, compete, and have fun. If you still can't see the point of that, then I'll spin it another way. No one would want to play as soon as they saw the team full of 250 pin bowlers. I'm willing to bet leagues play a significant part into the profit margin. So if the logical reason is beyond you.... it's for the money.

 

[dullard]

Given enough iterations, every team should end up stabilizing at a 50-50 w/l record.

Like I said above, that doesn't happen.

Either (a) you improve over time and you get well above 50-50, (b) you go above the cutoff so your skill keeps you well above 50-50, or (c) you bowl crappy and get well under 50-50.

 

[BoberFett]

In bowling, consistency is a skill. If you can consistently roll your average that's very good, even if your average is 120.

And as someone else pointed out, it's not usually a 100% handicap. I bowled in a league that was 80% of 180. So if your average was 140, you'd get 80% of the difference as a handicap. 140 + (80% * 40) = 172.

 

[spidey07]

Same thing with golf handicap. It's to have good competition. If I play somebody that's a 4 handicap I'm going to get my ass handed to me every single time because there is no way I could score that low, none.

 

[SlowSpyder]

handicaps are for the weak. seriously, how is this competitive? if you want to bowl for fun, get your friends together and go bowl, but in a league? sounds kind of retarded. "everybody wins"....blah, blah, blah

Because leagues would be very empty without handicap. Not everyone is a 220+ bowler. Some people would like to have a fun time and be able to win once in a while without having to be great bowlers. If everything was scatch, why would anyone who isn't a solid 200 average join? Most people on a league are not high average bowlers afterall.

The bowling alleys here have mostly handicap leagues, but there are also some non-handicap leagues as well for the good bowlers who want competition and to bowl for money.

 

[Evadman]

A guy that knows he can average 200 should dump the first week and toss about a 480 series for a 160 average. The next week toss 510, then 540, then 570 etc so he's always scoring better than his current average and getting more pins.

That is called sandbagging, and can get you kicked from a league.

Remember, a handicap in bowling is just like a handicap everywhere else, like golf. It is there to equalize players of different skill levels.

I am currently on 2 handicap leagues in 2 different houses. In one house my average is 181, in the other it is 168. Big difference with the only difference being the house. I used to be way better, but my arm doesn't do what I tell it to since I fvcked my wrist and middle finger up.

In the house with the higher 181 average, I actually set my average at 214 the first week and had a negitive handicap (subtracted pins instead of adding them). It is the only league I have ever heard of that has a negative handicap. It was instituted because one team (the one I am on actually) has won the last 6 years straight because almost all the bowlers are at or above the handicap limit.

Speaking of which, a friend of mine is on a serious hot streak, so I get to call it out here He bowled a 784 series scratch on the 12th (114 pins away from perfect, and 14 pins from getting a 800 series ring), and a 716 on the 19th. On the 12th, he threw 18 strikes in a row, 27 total out of a possible 36 for strikes. He is averaging exactly 750 per series, or 250 per game for the last 6 games scratch. On the 12th, we all did good, and took the lead in 3 of the 4 team awards (High series handicap, high series scratch, high game handicap, and 2nd in high game scratch by a few pins). He even beat my high series scratch of 781 that I threw in a coca-cola tournament when I was but a lass. Bastard.

 

[bob4432]

I understand it's about making it fun for everyone - as it's no fun going into a game knowing you have no chance of actually winning against superior bowlers, but it just seems too random to make a league around it. Most leagues/sports reward skill, and it seems a handicap system completely removes the importance of skill from the game. What prestige is there in winning a league when the results are predominately determined by luck? Given enough iterations, every team should end up stabilizing at a 50-50 w/l record.

but at least if you got your ass handed to you by better bowlers, you could study them and become a better bowler. competition breeds better athletes, even for fun. kind of like my wife's friend's son was playing soccer and i asked who was winning, only to get the :twisted: face from everybody - and was told, there is no score..they are only winners. my thoughts were - what about the kid going the wrong way?

hell, even when my wife volunteered w/ ds patients and they would play softball - they would be in a wheelchair, somehow hit the ball and my wife would run them around - and they got really into it and the competitive spirit came, something good to see. and they kept score.

i am sorry, i just really don't the idea of playing in any league of competition when things are weighed, doing it for fun completely is cool, but you can't say it is competitive. somebody is always better, so learn from them.