Bowling league rules to adopt
The rules every bowling league votes on, with USBC's defaults: absentee and vacancy scores, handicap, lineups, playoffs, roll-offs and tardy bowlers.
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Scores on any phone or computer, USBC rules, a standings page for your bowlers. One league of up to 4 teams is free.
Before the first night
- 01Start from USBC's adult or youth league rules.
- 02Vote on each rule below at the organizational meeting.
- 03Put the numbers in your league's settings, so every sheet follows them.
The rules and USBC's defaults
| Rule | USBC default | What leagues change |
|---|---|---|
| Absentee score (112) | Average − 10 | The pins taken off |
| Vacancy score (112) | 120 (adults) | 140, 150, or another score |
| Entering average (108c) | Last season's book average | Games to establish |
| Handicap (100d-2) | 100% if unstated | Percentage, basis, cap |
| Tardy bowler (111c) | 1/10 of the absentee score per missed frame | — |
| Prize eligibility (106b) | Two-thirds of the scheduled games | The share |
| Ties for 1st (118) | A roll-off, never total pins | The roll-off format |
| Legal lineup (111a) | Present by the end of the first frame | Number of bowlers |
Playoffs and roll-offs
Unless the league adopts another format, a playoff uses the league's own number of games, handicap and point system. Leagues may adopt one or more frames, a point for each game, total pins of a 3-game series, best of three, stepladder finals, single or double elimination, or a round robin.
Substitutes and postponements
Substitutes aren't on a team's roster; keeping a list of them is how a league avoids absentee and vacancy scores. A postponement may be asked for up to the league's start time, and leagues must grant one for emergencies (Rules 117a–117f).
Questions
Can a league use a different absentee score?
Yes. USBC's default is the absent bowler's average minus 10 pins, but the league can vote another rule.
Are these rules the same for youth leagues?
Mostly; the vacancy default differs: the average of the lowest-average bowler on the opposing roster, unless the league sets its own.