Rules for 2019-2020 Season
Tournaments will be USBC sanctioned. Participants must hold a USBC card, and must be at least 50 years old as of the tournament date or turn 50 in the month of the tournament.
Entries close with the start of bowling, normally at 10 a.m. after 10 minutes of practice. Once practice is completed, there will be no altering of the ball surface allowed. No altering will be allowed between the end of qualifying and the start of match play.
Prize money will be paid immediately after the completion of the tournament. A minimum of one out of every four entries will be paid. All entry fees will be returned to participants through the prize fund, after deductions for lineage and expenses.
The tournament format is as follows:
- Participants bowl 4 games of qualifying across 4 pairs of lanes, skipping a pair after each game.
- The top 16 qualifiers will move into single game elimination match play.
- The 8 winners will advance to a second round.
- The 4 winners in that round move to the 3rd round of match play.
- Opponents in all three rounds are selected by a blind draw.
- The two final winners will bowl a single game for the championship.
- Ties in the match play will be decided by a two-frame roll-off. Ties that affect the standings for match play will also be decided by a two-frame roll-off.
In the event of a lane breakdown that can’t be readily fixed, the bowlers on that pair will move to the designated backup pair and will not be given any practice shots.
In each match, the higher seeded bowler, depending on finishing positions in qualifying, will have the option of picking whether to finish first or last. This decision will be made immediately upon the completion of practice before the start of the match. The bowler finishing last will start the match with one frame on the left lane. The bowler finishing first will then bowl two frames, starting on the right lane.
The last tournament of the year will be the grand finals. To qualify, a bowler must have entered or paid into 4 tournaments during the year. The non-casher event is open to bowlers who have not cashed over $200 for the season. There is no match play for the non-cashers - the payoff will be made in the order of finish with a 1 out of 4 ratio.
Any member who recruits another member into the organization will receive a free entry into the Grand Finals, provided the person recruited is also eligible for the Grand Finals. The Tournament Director must be made aware of the recruitment prior to the 1st tournament bowled by the recruited individual.
Disputes will be resolved by the Board of Directors. Their decision will be final unless an appeal is made in accordance with Rule 329. The Board of Directors for the 2018-2019 season are Hal Hinsz, Stacy McCain and Pat McHugh. Any replacements will be appointed by the Tournament Director.
For the current season, the entry fee is $50, broken down as follows:
- Prize fund - $35
- Supplies/lineage - $12
- Grand finals/non-cashers - $3
Any member who secures sponsorship money of $200 or more will be given a free entry.
Tournament patterns will be published in advance with the tournament schedule, and will be primarily from the Challenge Series.
