December 1, 2009

Dear ABT Member,

It has been nearly three years since the ABT began operations here in WNY. During that time 347 bowlers have joined our club and over 100 more have participated as guests. We have run over 100 tournaments, crowned champions with averages of 150-225 and paid out over $300,000.00 in cash and prizes. As impressive as that may sound many of our bowlers have become inactive. Some of the more frequently heard reasons for inactivity are “I like separate division events better”.  “There’s too much handicap I have to give up too many pins”. “I don’t like the 1 in 6 ratio at 1:00 PM”. “I have friends who want to join but their averages are too high”. “I would rather bowl scratch”. Obviously there are issues for many of our bowlers that we have no control over but the ones I have just mentioned can certainly be addressed.

Starting in January of 2010 we will once again start running some separate division events but with a few minor adjustments. The time has come to accept the fact that advances in technology have raised scoring in our game therefore eligibility requirements for both Classic and Masters divisions should be raised as well. Our Classic division will now be for bowlers with averages of 204 and under and our Masters division will be for bowlers from 205-230. Handicap for both divisions will be based on 70% of 230. The maximum handicap (not including bonus pins) for the Classic division will be 49 pins per game. The maximum handicap (not including bonus pins) for the Masters division will be 17 pins per game. This will help to level the playing field somewhat and bring us back to our original roots. The ABT was founded in 1977 using 70% handicap and several of our branches around the country have recently gone back to that ratio and found a more even distribution of prize money amongst all average categories. Bowlers in our Masters division with averages under 205 will be dropped to our Classic division at their request only! We will not automatically change anyone’s classification.

Now let’s examine cut ratios. We currently cut 1 in 4 rounded up from the 11AM squad and 1 in 6 rounded up from the 1PM squad. We cannot take 1 in 4 from each squad because it would dilute the prize fund too much. We thought about taking 1 in 5 from each squad but that would remove the incentive for bowlers to bowl at 11AM and eventually lead to bowlers being shut out at 1PM because we wouldn’t have enough lanes to accommodate everyone on just one squad. After much thought here is what we decided to do. We will cut 1 in 4 rounded to the nearest 4 at 11AM and 1 in 5 rounded to the nearest 5 at 1PM. This will continue to provide an incentive for bowlers to bowl the 11AM squad while giving bowlers on the 1PM squad a better chance to advance.

Come January we are also going to start running some scratch events. These tournaments will be open to everyone regardless of average except PBA members. Anyone holding PBA membership whether it is exempt, regional or senior membership will not be eligible! Although these tournaments will be scratch we are still the Amateur Bowlers Tour.

So there you have it. All of the above mentioned issues have now been addressed. We are not so naïve as to believe that everyone will embrace all of these ideas with open arms, but we are hopeful that everyone reading this letter will see enough of something that they like to at least give it a try. As you can see by the enclosed schedule^[PDF] we will run at least one of each type event each month to start the year. Your participation will determine how many of each type event we run going forward. We believe that 2010 will be a good year for our club and we sincerely hope that you will be a part of it.

To close out 2009 we will be running our yearend event at AMF Airport Lanes. Just a reminder, this event is for members only! You have to have bowled in at least one prior event and your membership dues must be current. If you have been bowling as a guest and want to bowl the yearend event your membership must be paid prior to bowling. No new membership applications will be taken at the yearend event.