08/11/2020
NEW USBC EQUIPMENT SPECIFICATIONS
This caught a few bowlers off guard last week in at least one league, so let's cover this right now...again.
The USBC initiated a few rule changes beginning August 1st. And the biggest change regards bowling balls and extra "balance" or "weight" holes.
I'm not going to get into the exact details of describing this, so please note, this is very basic lingo.
First off, a balance or weight hole was allowed prior to August 1st, and it's basically drilled into a ball, never intended for use by your fingers. It's there to counter act the weight inside a bowling ball or to add to it...in other words, less hook or more hook...for the most part.
Here is the exact new rule, in its entirety, as take from the 2020-2021 USBC Playing Rules.
7. Drilling Requirements. All balls used in USBC certified competition must meet the following requirements:
a. Holes.
1) Holes or indentations for gripping purposes
i) Shall not exceed five and shall be limited to one for each finger and one for the thumb, all for the same hand.
ii) Shall not exceed 1-9/16” diameter and 4-1/2” deep, including holes required to install removable devices.
iii) Must be used on every delivery.
2) Any secondary hole drilled inside of a gripping hole that is not intended for gripping purpose is considered a void and not allowed.
3) No balance holes are allowed.
4) Balls without a thumb hole must have a scribed or engraved cross-hair lines (“+”) near the center of the palm to indicate the grip orientation. The ball must be delivered in the marked orientation (i.e. palm must cover the “+”).
5) One vent hole for each finger and/or thumb hole, not to exceed 1/4 inch in diameter is permitted.
6) One mill hole for inspection purposes not to exceed 5/8 inch in diameter and 1/8 inch in depth is permitted.
b. Balance. For balls weighing more than 10.00 pounds (all measurements are to be taken with respect to the center of grip):
1) No more than 3 ounces of top/bottom weight, left/right weight and finger/thumb weight.
2) A ball used without any holes or indentations may not have more than three-ounce difference between any two halves of the ball. For center of grip determination and balls weighing 10.00 pounds or less see the USBC Equipment Specifications Rule.
So, the end result is that you CAN NOT use any bowling balls in sanctioned competition with any weight or balance holes in them anymore. They are illegal. Furthermore, some tournament directors may also stipulate that such balls are illegal in their events, even if the event is not sanctioned. The tournament director creates the rules. If you are not sure, just ask.
