I noticed in the "2008 Open Rules" pdf document that part of Rule 10 on "Equipment" states that bowling balls used in the USBC tournament "MUST have the manufacturer's name, product name, and serial number clearly visible at all times for identification purposes." (the USBC capitalizes MUST in the rule) Is this a new rule? Or one of the those that's been on the books but never closely enforced? I ask because I have a 14- or 15-year-old Turbo X that I use as a spare ball (and sometimes strike ball when the lanes are very dry). It's a ball I've used at all every ABC/USBC tourney since Salt Lake City in 1996 (my first ABC tourney). The ball hasn't had any kind of visible label on it for at least 6 or 7 years, but I've never taken any flak for that at the ABCs or USBCs when the ball is checked in. One thing though, the last 2 years the ball hasn't passed as far as top weight goes (just barely over), even though I haven't altered the ball other than resurfacing it once or twice a year. The "weighmaster" thought it might be because the ball sits so low in the "cup" that the ball sits in when it's weighed. To make it legal again, they just drilled down a very slight amount in the finger holes, and it passed again. I know it might sound silly for me to keep using a ball that's probably a good half-inch smaller than what is allowed, but I'm quite attached to it. I figure that the first time I miss both pins in a fit-in split (4-5 or 5-6) by going between them will be when I have to get rid of this ball. Thanks for any information "youse guise" (as we say in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan) can provide on this subject ...

Where in the UP are ya from?  Went to school at Michigan Tech for 6 years..

I hoped the first reply was about my question, but nothin' wrong with a fellow Yooper responding! I also went to Tech for about 6 yrs (80-84 & 88-89), went to work for the local paper there (Daily Mining Gazette) and now work at the Marquette newspaper (The Mining Journal). I do all the bowling writing at my paper (no competition for that honor!) I'm originally from Saginaw, used to work parttime at the Saginaw News in sports and started doing a lot of bowling writing there when we still did individual stories on honor scores ... Up here in the "Great White North" we still do individual stories on 300s and 800s (and women's 700s), since you can count the number bowled in a month on one hand (maybe one month a year does it get to be more than that). I just had my 5th 300 a couple weeks ago, but it was my first in a little over four years ... Oh, BTW, I started as an EE (electrical engineering major) at Tech, then switched to CS (computer science) before ending up in STC (scientific & technical communications), though I never graduated!

 Sorry..  :)

 I was up there from 95-01.  I bowled quite a few of the UP Match Plays when I was up there as well.  I still think my best 300 of all time came when I was bowling at Miller's Recreation in Laurium.  

 I can't say for sure when I became aware of this rule but I remember tossing out a ball a good many years ago because the serial number was gone.

betsig250:

 Sorry..  :)

 I was up there from 95-01.  I bowled quite a few of the UP Match Plays when I was up there as well.  I still think my best 300 of all time came when I was bowling at Miller's Recreation in Laurium.  

Hi BetSig 250: I must know you! I assisted Pat Sertich in running the UP Match Play from about 1995 to 2006 ... Steve B

 Did you have glasses and run the brackets?  I was the hard throwing lefty.  My name is Jeremy.  Didn't win any of the tourneys but had a blast especially the one time at Country Lanes I think where I shot like 540 for 2 and beat the number 1 seed by like 10 or so, can't remember his name but he was one of the best in the U.

if the lable is no longer visible, the ball can not be used. This isn't a new rule.

I had a Clear Wolf that was badly damaged. The house resurfaced the ball to the point that the labe was gone. I told them to replace it because i could no longer use. The ball only had about 4 or 5 games on it.

Matt just replied to this very question in another thread You can use a ball of any age, as long as it is legal and passes in the scale room. The label requirement is more for manufacturers. After a certain date, all of their balls need to have the USBC logo. Matt Cannizzaro Media Relations Manager

I was lucky enough to bowl with a gentleman from the islands that we picked up to bowl with our team in Baton Rouge. We always need someone at the last minute. His new ball had been lost by the airline. He had his old ball packed with his clothes. It had no marks of any kind on it. The scale room people said it must have a number to be legal. An older gentleman behind the attendent told him it looked like a brunswick ball. " It was just round and dark"   He went to the booths upstairs and sure enough the brunswick guy said it was one of theirs and took it back and put seriel number 001 on the ball and the scale people said good enough. We laughed so hard that it was hard to bowl. Who knows if this is all that is required, but it told for a good story and the gentleman that bowled with us was sure fun.

 

Hi Jeremy, Jeremy Bartz, eh? Yes, the guy with glasses was Pat Sertich. I helped out, especially in setting up brackets and coming up with a prize list ... I'm Steve Brownlee ...

 

It sounds like there's some conflicting information being given here, since Matt Cannizzaro, Media Relations Manager, says any ball that passes is OK to use, but others are saying their balls were being rejected until they could come up with at least a serial number. In my experience, I used a Turbo X without any sort of markings on it for at least 5 years with never an eyebrow raised (only when it didn't passes due to too much top weight, and they were happy to drill into the finger holes just a bit to make it legal again).

 so what's the real scoop on this rule? Ignored or enforced?

a ball is considered illegal if the label has been removed (resurfacing, etc.)