The Latest Head-Scratcher from the USBC
On July 22, 2025, the United States Bowling Congress (USBC) made another brilliant announcement on its Facebook page—brilliant if you’re in the business of confusing and frustrating the very people who fund your organization. I’d been hearing the rumors for weeks, and once they confirmed it, I can’t say I was shocked. Disappointed? Absolutely. Surprised? Not even a little bit.
Over the past several months, USBC has conducted research, engaged a third-party working group of technical experts and key stakeholders, and held a formal comment period with bowling ball manufacturers to address concerns about urethane bowling balls and their impact on competition.
USBC’s concerns:
- Lane pattern integrity – Urethane balls can alter lane patterns more quickly, disrupting the intended lane pattern design and creating imbalances between different styles of players.
- Competitive Fairness – When urethane and reactive equipment are both used in the same competitive environment it causes competitive imbalances between different styles of bowlers.
- Player development concerns – Increasing reliance on urethane may reduce player versatility and hinder long-term skill development, particularly among younger and developing athletes.
- Governance and integrity challenges – Urethane balls can measure softer over time, making it difficult to distinguish between natural aging and tampering. These issues have contributed to protests and confusion at events, creating enforcement challenges and questions around competitive integrity.
USBC’s next steps include continuing to evaluate this matter by considering both previously received feedback and any additional input moving forward. All stakeholder feedback and ongoing research will be presented to the Equipment Specifications Committee at its next scheduled meeting in late August or early September.
Serving Themselves, Not the Bowlers
I’ve been watching the USBC’s slow decline for years now. What used to be an organization that cared about the game and the people who played it has turned into a bloated bureaucracy that’s lost touch with the league bowlers—the backbone of bowling in America.
Let’s talk numbers. Annual dues for membership sit between $27 and $30 a year. $15 of that goes straight to the national USBC. Around $5 goes to your state’s bowling org, and your local association collects the rest. For most league bowlers, that’s just the cost of staying sanctioned. But what do you get in return?
Where’s the Value?
In short: not much.
Sure, if you bowl a 300, you get a ring—one. Not one per 300. One for life. Bowl five perfect games in your career? Congrats—you still get just one award from the USBC. Maybe your local association tosses you a patch or keychain for other honor scores, but let’s be honest—it’s not much more than a token gesture.
Meanwhile, the USBC doesn’t inspect or regulate how centers oil the lanes, how often, or under what conditions. They’ve abandoned the kind of standards the old American Bowling Congress (ABC) used to uphold. And what does that mean for league bowlers? It means you’re paying into a system that doesn’t support you.
And before anyone jumps in to defend them, yes—I’ll give credit where it’s due. They do have a good youth development program, and that matters. But we’re not talking about youth bowlers here. We’re talking about adults, the league players who make up the vast majority of USBC’s paying base. We’re the ones who are being ignored.
The Urethane Nonsense
But I didn’t sit down to write about how weak the USBC has become overall. I’m here because they’re actually considering banning urethane bowling balls from competition.
Yes, you read that right. Urethane.
The argument? That urethane “drags oil” down the lane and makes the shot tougher for other players. Some bowlers feel it gives certain people an unfair advantage—mostly those who use it effectively on dry or short oil patterns.
My response to that? So what.
This isn’t new. These so-called “issues” with urethane have been around since the 1980s. Anyone who bowled back then knows exactly what urethane does on a lane. So why, all of a sudden, is it being treated like some sort of villain ball? Why now? Why not 30 years ago?
Listen to the G.O.A.T.
Even Walter Ray Williams Jr.—the greatest to ever lace up a pair of bowling shoes—responded to the USBC’s nonsense. His words? Sharp, smart, and spot-on.
“Yes, urethane balls do change patterns, but so do every other type of ball. Typically, those with higher rev rates change the lane faster and usually to the detriment of low rev players. Low rev players tend to make the lane ‘easier’ for higher rev players.”
He closed with this:
“I tend to be a low rev player at tournaments that I participate in. But I think banning ‘urethane’ is not in the best interest of bowling.”
That’s coming from a man with over 100 professional titles. If he thinks banning urethane is bad for the game, you might want to listen.
Every Ball Affects the Lane
Here’s the truth: every ball impacts the lane. Polyester, reactive resin, hybrid, urethane, and even the new “urethane-like” covers—they all change the conditions as play goes on. I bowl with a senior who still uses a rubber ball from the prehistoric days of bowling. He knows what he’s doing, and he does just fine with it. You use what works for you.
I’ll admit it—I still miss my Black Angle. Back in the ‘80s, that ball was gold. I’d use it today if I could find one that didn’t cost a small fortune. They’re collector’s items now, and for good reason. A guy I knew let me throw his a few years back, and guess what? That thing still moved the way I wanted. After 40 years. You don’t forget a ball like that.
As a regrional staff member for Creating The Difference, I am always interested in hearing what Ron Hickland has to say. His point about the elderly lady is exactly what I am talking about.
A Simple Fix the USBC Won’t Consider
And here’s the kicker: if urethane is such a threat on house shots, there’s a very simple fix—oil the lanes better. Seriously. Add more oil. Adjust the length. It’s not rocket science.
Because if you want fairness, and you’re going to target urethane bowlers, then you owe low rev players a shot too. Right now, dry lanes and short oil patterns punish those players. You take away urethane, and they’ve got nothing to work with.
If USBC truly cared about fairness, they’d look at the real issue: lane conditions, not equipment.
Final Thoughts
The USBC continues to drift further and further from the reality of what bowlers actually need. They make noise about “protecting the integrity of the game,” but what they’re really doing is alienating the very people keeping it alive.
We deserve better. And if the USBC won’t listen to common sense—or even the legends of the sport—it’s only a matter of time before more bowlers take their talent, money, and passion elsewhere.
And honestly? Maybe that wouldn’t be such a bad thing.
